Health hazards blown away

No matter how many times you warn people about their safety, humans do tend to err – often at their cost.

Such is the case regarding the safe use of compressed air lines.  Compressed air is second only to electricity as the most commonly used source of energy but it is generally not given the same due care and respect with regard to its potential dangers. It is installed in just about every factory and workshop for drying, cleaning, etc, and used properly is a very effective tool. Unfortunately, people forget the hazards it poses if used incorrectly and this can have serious consequences – both for the employee and the employer – particularly if misused, such as for de-dusting/cleaning clothes and personnel.

With compressed airline pressures typically between 90 and 120psi (6.2 and 8.2 Bar), misuse can be dangerous, even fatal.  It takes only moderate levels of air pressure to cause harm. For example, it takes just 12 psi (0.82 Bar) pressure to dislodge an eye. At modest operating pressures (30psi /2 Bar) air can penetrate the skin – through clothing – get into the bloodstream and enter blood vessels where it can form air bubbles (embolisms), potentially causing a coma, paralysis or even death if it reaches the brain.  It can even get under the skin via a cut to cause infection. A man is known to have died following a practical joke when a colleague put a compressed air line between his legs causing serious internal damage.

An alternative, which eliminates such risks and facilitates de-dusting and cleaning of personnel is JetBlack, a blower-powered unit that cleans using high volumes of air at low pressure – not small volumes at high pressure as with compressed air.

De-dusting, or in fact removal of fibres and other residual matter from personnel produced during numerous manufacturing processes or mining and quarrying activities, is required frequently to prevent their transfer to clean areas such as offices, canteens and vehicles – or even from being taken home.

Operating at less than 2.5psi, JetBlack can be directed safely at exposed skin with no risk of harm, so is safe for all personnel cleaning requirements.

Noise output is less than 78dB(A).

The device is available as a wall-mounted unit, a portable unit and as an integral part of clean-down booth. The wall-mounted unit is intended for fixed cleaning stations whilst the portable version is suitable for cleaning and removal of debris/dust from personnel and machinery/components with minimal risk of injury caused by ricocheting rubbish. Both have a flexible hose and hand gun.  

The Clean-Down Booth is a self-contained, stand-alone unit that can be used by personnel without removing their PPE equipment. They can expect to complete a clean-down in about 20 seconds.

In addition to the JetBlack dust removal system, the clean-down booth has an externally located blower-powered exhaust system which draws the dislodged dust downwards away from personnel and out through a grille floor. The dust is then either collected in bags in dust receptacles or ducted into extraction systems.

Options for the JetBlack include an OSHA-compliant protective cone for the handgun and a Static Neutralisation pack. Different hoses lengths are also available.