| Dust
and Fume Control
Thousands of British workers contract occupational asthma and other occupational lung diseases each year. They develop them because they breathe in too much dust, fume or other airborne contaminants at work. Even though the number of accident related deaths are reducing over the long term, deaths due to exposure remain stubbornly high.
Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) is a common and important way of controlling exposure to hazardous dusts and fumes. Work by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has shown that these LEV systems are often poorly designed and maintained and do not effectively control exposure to particulates.
Most LEV systems (but not all) will have the following components:
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Inlet hood |
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Ducting (trunking) |
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Air mover (extraction fan) |
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Air cleaner filter/abatement plant) |
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Air discharge (stack) |
Whilst any abatement (filtration) plant
forms a crucial part of any dust or fume extraction system, MECHON pays particular
attention to the design of the hoods and ductwork
systems. Correctly designed hoods and ductwork systems
will ensure lower exposure levels to dust and fumes, reduced extraction
rates, and minimal disruption to the process. The HSE offer guidance on these issues in their latest publication, HSG 258: 'Controlling Airborne Contaminants at Work'.
MECHON has a vast amount of experience in
the handling of hazardous dusts, which may be extremely toxic
or at high risk of causing dust explosions. Specialised
ductwork systems and dust collectors, such as wet precipitators and sintered type filters, are installed
in these types of applications. MECHON is also able to install ATEX approved filters and fans,
ensuring compliance with the DSEAR Regulations 2002.
Hoods are employed to capture
the fumes at source, conveying them through a system of
ductwork to either an abatement plant or atmosphere. The MECHON solution also focuses on the nature of the substance,
including hazard identification, occupational (workplace)
exposure limits, toxicity, explosive limits, corrosivity,
and chemical compatibility.
Dust & Fume Extraction System References
Below is brief summary of some of the dust and fume extraction systems recently designed and installed by MECHON (click on the text for more detail).
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