Personnel de-dusting

The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. It provides a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland, plus a seasonal lifeguard service on many of the busiest beaches in England and Wales.

Central to the life saving service provided by the RNLI is its fleet of custom-built boats. Since April 2009, the hulls for its 'Tamar' class of Lifeboats have been built in the RNLI's dedicated facility in Lymington, Hampshire. The hull of the Tamar comprises a glass and carbon fibre reinforced composite that demands both specialist boat-building skills to fabricate and large process ovens to cure the resins.

Much of the preparation of the hulls involves manual sanding, which naturally produces a lot of dust. This is despite the fact each sanding machine is linked directly to an extraction system and, of course, some of the dust finds its way onto operator clothing.

To remove this dust, operators were previously using compressed air nozzles. Recognising this practice as being extremely dangerous, Craig Bunn, Health and Safety Manager sought and found a safe alternative - Air Control Industries' 'JetBlack', a blower powered personnel de-dusting system installed in a purpose-built cubicle.

ACI's JetBlack delivers a high volume of air at low pressure (2 psi) that can even be aimed directly at the skin. It is used widely by companies with applications that generate dust which can be deposited on employees' clothes.

The cubicle is a new addition to the options offered with the JetBlack. It can be supplied with an extraction fan which can be easily linked to a central extraction system or a stand alone dust collection unit. This prevents clothes being re-coated by airborne dust whilst also drawing it downwards from the user's eyes and mouth. Air enters the cubicle via an inlet in the ceiling and the dust is collected in a 157 litre receptacle beneath the floor.

“Compressed air is dangerous - in fact it can kill,” said Craig Bunn. “When we initially suggested a safer, dedicated dust blow-off booth for cleaning clothing people here thought we were mad! However, a few months after the booth was installed everyone now uses it on a regular basis and it is accepted throughout the entire company.”

ACI has recently moved to new larger premises in Axminster, Devon.