by Erin Long | May 23, 2019 | Uncategorized
Dust Safety Science Podcast: Changes in the Dust Collection Equipment Landscape with Jeremiah Wann
“In this episode of the DustSafetyScience Podcast, we interview Jeremiah Wann, President of Imperial Systems, Inc., in Mercer, Pennsylvania, about changes in the dust collection equipment landscape.
Imperial Systems, Inc. is a manufacturer of dust collection equipment and related safety systems. In his position as president of the company, Jeremiah has seen a lot of changes in the field over the past couple of decades, so he talks about:
- How the landscape has changed for dust collectors and other dust-related safety equipment
- How awareness has increased among his clients
- The importance of getting your equipment tested as a manufacturer
- Difficult situations where the customer is hesitant about installing combustible dust safety equipment
Jeremiah’s discussion has immense value because he brings a different perspective to the combustible dust safety issue. He is not a consultant, and he doesn’t serve on any NFPA boards. He is representative of a group that includes facility managers, equipment operators, equipment manufacturers, and insurance companies, and has an experience-based understanding that has enabled him to write several blog posts about combustible dust standards and measurement systems.”
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by Erin Long | May 15, 2019 | Uncategorized
In 2008, the OSHA National Emphasis Program on Combustible Dust became official. As a result, this left many people asking what a “national emphasis program” means. Does it require businesses to take any action? Moreover, does it create any new fines or penalties?
One thing has become clear since 2008: the National Emphasis Program OSHA instituted has some teeth. While businesses cannot be fined under the Combustible Dust NEP, OSHA inspectors are using other regulations to fine companies for combustible dust issues.
Why did they create the National Emphasis Program?
Safety organizations like the Chemical Safety Board have been pushing for an OSHA combustible dust standard. To this end, they cite several disasters related to combustible dust. In many of these cases, the obvious hazards should have been addressed.
The strongest push came after three major accidents that all happened in 2003. First, West Pharmaceuticals had plastic dust accumulated in the ceiling which ignited, killing six people. Second, CTA Acoustics had a buildup of resin dust which caught fire and caused seven fatalities. Third, Hayes Lemmerz suffered multiple explosions of aluminum dust. Aluminum dust is a well-known hazard that should be managed.
The OSHA NEP did not create any new standards. But it did inform federal and state inspectors how they could focus on combustible dust and standards that already existed. Companies should already be following these standards. So inspectors can issue fines for them.
The OSHA National Emphasis Program also creates educational materials about combustible dust. These are available on OSHA’s website. They explain the basics of combustible dust hazards and ways to reduce the risks.
What does the OSHA National Emphasis Program do?
The OSHA NEP puts a focus on inspecting companies that handle or create combustible dust. There is no specific combustible dust rule that OSHA can fine a company for violating. However, under this program, OSHA has been issuing some serious fines using existing rules.
Federal inspectors found over 4,900 infractions during combustible dust related inspections. This is according to OSHA in the year after the National Emphasis Program was put into place. Since there is no specific combustible dust standard to violate, most of the violations fell into these categories:
How do these rules relate to the OSHA National Emphasis Program and combustible dust?
Hazard communication rules state that for any hazardous material, there must be plans in place for handling it. The employer must communicate this plan to all employees. Further, everyone must be aware of the steps for handling the material safely.
Employers may be in violation of this rule if they do not make their employees aware of a combustible dust hazard. In addition, they must implement a plan for managing the hazard.
Housekeeping rules and combustible dust make sense. The OSHA NEP can be enforced when a facility fails to keep up with housekeeping. For example, keeping dust off floors and flat surfaces. Allowing combustible dust to gather causes many dust explosions. At the same time, this provides fuel for secondary explosions.
Citations for electrical issues related to combustible dust focus on faulty electronics or wiring. As a consequence, these could provide an ignition source for combustible dust. Airborne dust that meets an electrical spark can ignite and cause an explosion.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) citations under the OSHA NEP happen when workers are exposed to various dust hazards without PPE. This might include respirators or skin protection.
OSHA has many rules involving the placement and inspection of fire extinguishers. Likewise, employers can be cited during an OSHA NEP inspection for breaches of these.
Hazard-free Workplace
The General Duty Clause states that an employer “shall furnish to each of his employees a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to his employees”.
This is very broad. Under this rule, the OSHA National Emphasis Program can cite employers for any situation that puts employees at risk, including combustible dust.
One major reason? “OSHA found that the majority of facilities inspected under the NEP had dust collectors located inside the buildings without proper explosion protection systems”.
What does the OSHA Combustible Dust NEP mean for employers?
The National Emphasis Program does not put any new rules on employers. However, it does allow OSHA inspectors to inspect based on possible combustible dust hazards. This means that any type of workplace handling combustible dust can face an OSHA NEP audit.
If you have no safety violations in any of the areas listed above, you probably will not be cited under the OSHA Combustible Dust NEP. Most of OSHA’s citations under this standard have been “serious” or “willful.” In other words, putting employees in real danger or knowingly ignoring an existing hazard.
To make sure, now would be a good time to contact Imperial Systems, Inc about our ServiceMAXX program. We can inspect and review your existing dust collection system. Then you can address problems to make sure employees and the workplace are safe.
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by Erin Long | May 8, 2019 | Case Studies
Problem:
James is the senior industrial engineer at a company in Kansas. Recently, the company bought a pipe plasma cutting machine. At the time, James knew that plasma cutting would produce a lot of smoke and that he needed a dust and fume collector.
James and some of his coworkers had visited another Imperial Systems customer who already has a CMAXX doing fume collection on a pipe plasma cutting application.
“They spoke really highly of you guys and your product, and even about buying the parts and filters,” James said. “That was certainly a big factor in choosing your company.”
Inquiring at Imperial Systems, James found himself working with salesperson Justin and engineer Troy to design a system for his application. Because he was warned about the amount of smoke a plasma cutter produces, he wanted to be prepared.
The new collector had to meet air quality standards and be able to capture the very fine smoke from plasma cutting. Imperial Systems provided the data showing that the CMAXX will do everything he needed it to do.
As for working with a company located in Pennsylvania while his company is in Kansas, James laughed. “Long distance relationships can be a little tricky, but we were able to work everything out. “
Pipe Plasma Cutting Solution:
The solution that James and his team at Imperial Systems agreed on was a CM008, an eight-cartridge collector. To achieve fine particulate capture, the collector uses DeltaMAXX nanofiber filters suitable for plasma smoke. The importance of air quality control means that fume collection from the pipe plasma cutting machine needs to be completely under control.
The new system performs as designed for fume collection for pipe plasma cutting. Some adjustments were made to the source capture point for cutting sheet metal, but the system is adaptable. As a result, by James being proactive with getting dust and fume collection for his new equipment, he prevented any air quality issues.
Feedback:
“The guys from Imperial System worked with me and were very helpful,” James said. “We also really like your hats. The guys in the shop love them. So we asked for more hats and Justin sent us more. But there still weren’t enough, though. The guys want more hats.”
Somewhere in Kansas, there’s a shop full of guys wearing Imperial Systems hats. We’re proud that our CMAXX, our service, and our hats have proved themselves in the field once again.
Read our white paper on plasma cutting smoke.
Read more about plasma cutting fume extraction.
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by Erin Long | May 3, 2019 | Uncategorized
In honor of Air Quality Awareness Week, we’re focusing on environmental air quality, indoors and out. When talking about dust and fume collection systems, we often discuss OSHA regulations for exposure inside the building. However, EPA regulations on dust and fume control limit what can be released into the environment.
Air quality control inside a facility protects worker health. It also protects the facility from combustible dust hazards. The same hazardous dust and fumes that could harm workers inside, though, could also contaminate environmental air quality outside.
Metal Contaminants from Industry
Many industrial processes produce heavy metal contaminants. Many people think of foundries, mining, and steel mills when they hear about environmental air quality. However, fumes released from many processes can cause contamination in the environment. For example, metalworking, battery manufacturing, and smelting can be added to the list of potential polluters.
Metals that are dangerous in very small amounts include:
- Lead
- Arsenic
- Cadmium
- Mercury
- Chromium (hexavalent chromium)
- Nickel
- Zinc
- Copper
Very fine metal particles produced by industrial processes are the most harmful for environmental air quality. They can be carried for long distances in the air. Moreover, this means they may contaminate soil and water a long way from the source.
Many of these metals are known or suspected to cause cancer. Further, others like lead and mercury cause damage to the nerves and brain.
Some companies may not realize that their fumes include these metals. However, metals like steel can contain nickel, zinc, chromium, or other materials as alloys. These are good reasons to have a dust and fume collection system to protect workers at the facility… but what about the environment?
Dust and Fume Control for Environmental Air Quality
Removing dust and fumes from a building doesn’t make them disappear. These materials are harmful because they can remain floating in the air for people to inhale. They can also end up in water supplies or contaminate the soil.
All manufacturing companies are responsible for air pollution control in their facilities. To prevent air pollution from industrial processes, dust and fumes must be captured with air filtration. Dust collection systems serve double duty: they provide clean air inside the facility and trap harmful materials before they can get outside.
Part of preventing air pollution is the quality of dust collector filters. Filters need to be efficient enough to capture the smallest particulates the process creates. DeltaMAXX nanofiber filters capture particles as small as 0.3 microns, enough for most applications. If higher filtration is needed, HEPA after-filters can be used.
By capturing dust and fumes instead of blowing them outside, companies take responsibility for preserving environmental air quality. People who live and work near industrial areas need to be protected from harmful air pollution.
Maintaining environmental air quality improves people’s lives. Companies who invest in a dust and fume collection system can be proud that they are protecting their workers and protecting the environment. The “we just open the doors and blow it outside” philosophy might get dust and fumes out of the shop, but it passes the danger on to others. We are all responsible for what we put into the air, water, and soil around us.
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by Erin Long | Apr 30, 2019 | Uncategorized
An industrial fabrication shop like Imperial Systems needs its skilled tradespeople. When you see pictures of our facility, you see lots of welders and other metalworkers. These people are certainly the backbone of any fabrication company. But pictures don’t always do justice to the many other skilled trades needed to keep our business moving.
Skilled Trades: Metalworking in Our Fabrication Shop
Our company would not exist without our metalworkers and other skilled tradespeople on the shop floor. In other words, our dust and fume collection equipment would just linger as a pile of sheet metal. Some of the skilled trades at work in our fab shop are:
- Welders
- Grinders
- Machine operators
- Plasma cutting operators
- Powder coating
- Maintenance and repair
- Assembly
Repair and maintenance also include our constantly traveling ServiceMAXX teams. These teams perform everything from filter changes to electrical work.
Things also wouldn’t get far on the shop floor without the managers. These include the plant manager, production manager, supply chain manager, and shipping manager. They are very experienced and skilled people. Above all, they keep fabrication going smoothly and orders going out on time.
Before a job makes it out for fabrication, it goes through the engineering team. These professionals transform the system that the customer wants into instructions for the fabrication shop to build it. Then our skilled tradespeople turn a drawing into a CMAXX or a BRF.
Other Skills: Keeping Things Running Behind the Scenes
A fab shop needs more than skilled metalworkers and shop managers to function as a business. For example, our accounting team handles money going in, money coming out, and any issues in between. They make sure we all get paid, obviously an essential task. They also do double duty handling many human resources functions like benefits and new employee paperwork.
You might not think that a fabrication shop would need a software engineer. But a person with this skill is essential to keeping things running. Everything from sales to shipping relies on a working computer system. In addition to his programming work, our software engineer is always willing to help keep computers and servers running.
You’re probably not surprised that a metal fab shop needs a team of salespeople. Without their work, the shop might not have dust collectors to build. While salespeople don’t go to school to learn sales, there’s a lot of training that goes into being good at this trade.
Our equipment salespeople and aftermarket salespeople must be experts in our products. Equipment salespeople travel frequently to meet potential customers. Aftermarket salespeople maintain our good relationships with customers and help them solve problems.
All those product brochures and blog posts and logos don’t appear from nowhere, either. Graphics design experts are skilled tradespeople who create our brand’s image. Even an industrial fabrication company needs to look professional.
Our graphic design team works with the company content writer. She writes features like our company newsletter and articles published in magazines. Content writing is a mix of skills, including writing, researching, and optimizing website traffic.
Our Fabrication Shop: Many Skills, One Working Company
Our company needs a mix of skilled tradespeople and many other jobs. Industrial metal fabrication relies on its skilled trades metalworkers. Behind the scenes, though, there’s a team of other people working to keep the company running.
Get a professional degree, learn a skilled trade, or make your own career path. A company like ours has a place for you. Without our skilled tradespeople, products wouldn’t get built and our fabrication company wouldn’t exist.
Many industries, not just metal fabrication, owe much of their success to people in the skilled trades. From medical to construction to electronics, skilled trades drive industry. Remember: many supervisors, managers, and even company owners got their start in skilled trades!
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