The HSE says ‘Up-to-date COSHH assessments, control to within Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) and simple health surveillance are priorities where dust is a hazard.’ Further, that ‘PPE should only be used to protect workers as a last resort and in addition to other controls where it isn’t reasonably practicable to fully control the dust by other means.’ Currently, there are several relevant pieces of legislation on to minimising workplace dust, the most significant of which being:
The Factories Act of 1961
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
The 1988 Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations
Properly mitigating the health risks associated with dust in the workplace not only massively reduces the chance of developing a new respiratory disease at work, it also helps reduce the exacerbation of existing and underlying conditions. Subsequently this decreases employee absence rates & risk of legal compensation, while simultaneously increasing protection against brand-damage, increasing employee satisfaction & increasing productivity.
There are further tertiary benefits to the business other than the health of employees: Product quality is protected via a cleaner factory and cleaner machinery, which also improves mechanical health and associated costs. Workplace/factory cleaning time is reduced by up to 60%, and with air circulation improved it means energy & HVAC bills can also be reduced, including maintenance and filter replacement. System requirements are calculated based on size and type of product environments.
Friedheim has a state-of-the-art particulate meter able to test your production environment and compare results with the Workplace Exposure Limit to assess mitigation and remediation. These are available across the UK and Ireland and subject to booking availability. All tests and test results are confidential and non-obligatory.
Free-standing, portable units that uses a standard 230V connection and is offered in a range of sizes and specialities to suit any environment, suitable for small or large manufacturing spaces, offices or storage areas. Air Cleaners do exactly that, pulling dirty, dusty air in from the environment and cleaning it via a filter system. The filters are certified to a high standard and can trap dust, fibers, pollen, smoke, bacteria, viruses and similar allergens -keeping air quality to FFP2-3 standards (with other filtration options available).
Tests are limited at one free test per company. Friedheim International Ltd reserves the right to decline testing. All test results are confidential and will be shared with you for your own reference. The quality of air before or after testing is with the responsible party of that location and Friedheim International Ltd accepts no liability for for air quality after any installation that might take place as well as any direct or indirect effects of air quality.