Feature Dust & fume extraction Leave hazards in the dust
Most manufacturers are aware of the COSHH Regulation 9 legal requirement enforced by the UK Health and Safety Executive. However, not everybody will be, and so for some, dust and fume extraction equipment (that has possibly only recently been installed), may not be fit for purpose. Colin Brown, of Carter Environmental Engineers, looks a little deeper
The threat of an explosion The explosive properties of many dusts are extremely varied and not widely recognised within industry. It is therefore strongly advisable to work with a reputable company which understands and has experience with the hazards associated with certain dusts that you are trying to contain and their likelihood for combustion. Dusts created by many materials in everyday use will explode if mixed with sufficient quantities of air in a cloud formation, and with a source of ignition present. For example, the following materials have a dust index hazard as follows:
OSHH Regulation 9 requires that your dust or fume extraction system (LEV Local Exhaust Ventilation) undergoes a thor- ough examination and is tested by a competent engineer at least every 14 months – and in some cases (depend- ing on the application), as frequently as every six months, even once per month. This should all be carried out in accordance with HSG 258 HSE guidelines, but as we at Carter have seen in recent years, the pressures of the current economy inevitably result in some short cuts.
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Because we design and build every- thing in-house, including ducting, we regularly receive interesting enquiries for bespoke systems, one of which recently was for advice on developing a quite sophisticated extraction system for a hazardous application. Something wasn’t quite right, and when we looked into it, two well meaning engineers were trying very hard not to turn away a potential large order. With no experience whatsoever of industrial applications they were getting ready to offer what would have been a very attractive price using spiral wound duct that could have caused their customer all sorts of health and safety issues. An equipment failure could result in a serious accident with injury and potentially loss of life. Then there’s the bad PR and increasing amount of litigation that now accompa- nies such matters – before you then have to reinvest in a suitable replace-
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ment extraction system. This is going to sound pretty obvious, but it is very important to identify the best piece of kit for your application – not just what a supplier happens to have and what they may be limited to sell you. A safe working environment is imperative and should be automatic. We recently completed the installa- tion of a Cyclovent wet collector at a power station coal plant where dust levels needed to be reduced within the conveyor tunnel. Our customer recog- nised that this was the best possible piece of kit for the application, elimi- nating the risk of fire and explosion, as well as keeping emission levels well within EPA requirements.
A large pop! or loud bang! Your supplier might only sell for example, dry barrier filters, but your application may be much better served by a wet collector. Those purporting to save you money with a cheaper system will possibly be using lighter gauge materials and insufficient extraction rates as they seek to cut corners. You’ll get a timely clue that all is not what it should be if you get a visit from an HSE inspector or when you hear a large ‘pop!’ or loud ‘bang!’
A hazard is present whenever certain materials are produced in the form of a fine dust. This may be a so-called nuisance dust only, but if it is combustible then at the very least it will be a fire hazard and at worst a severe explosion hazard.
From left:
Stainless Steel Midac Autosludge Wet Collector from Carter, serving a steel dust
application at an engine plant in Scotland
Carter’s Reverse Jet Cartridge Dust Filter, serving a GRP fettling bench application
Carter’s Cyclovent Self-Induced Spray Wet Collector
Midac Autosludge Wet Dust Collectors from Carter at a refuse plant in South Wales
• Sulphur (100%) >80 Severe • Dog biscuit mix 50 - 80 Strong • Hardboard 20 - 50 Moderate • Resin/marble dust mix 0-20 Weak • Polyvinyl acetate – Zero-rated Suitably designed extraction systems can cope with minor incidents, depending on the type(s) of dust, but sadly, there are no end of incidents where the threat of an explo- sion clearly wasn’t taken seriously enough. Here is an extremely severe episode: In Savannah, Georgia 14 deaths and 38 injuries (including 14 with serious and life-threatening burns) were recorded due to a huge explosion and fire at the Imperial Sugar refinery. The explosion was fueled by massive accumulations of combustible sugar dust throughout the packaging building, which then caused secondary explosions. Carter is actively working towards improving standards. We’ve been around for over 100 years, and along- side fellow industry professionals, we actively support the Institute of Local Exhaust Ventilation Engineers (ILEVE), which promotes the science, under- standing, education, art and practice of Local Exhaust Ventilation Engineering. Membership of ILEVE proves ‘compe- tence’, a legal requirement under COSHH. All key Carter sales and contracts engineers (from quotation to design, installation and commission- ing, are members of ILEVE. Carter Environmental Engineers T: 0121 250 1416
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www.cee.co.uk www.ileve.org JULY/AUGUST 2013 Factory Equipment
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