24/7 monitoring, alerting and reporting of Factory Indoor Air Quality
"instead of assuming you may be protected, understand the level of protection you have"
exposure to any level of coolant mist is a SAFETY HAZARD
HEXmon SENSOR technology provides early insight into the deterioration of FACTORY INDOOR AIR QUALITY caused by emissions escaping from manufacturing processes
Continuously monitoring relative changes in
emissions helps better understand the
EFFECTIVENESS OF CONTROL MEASURES and the impact on the environment and our health
the Health & Safety Executive state
“people develop these diseases because they breathe…in airborne contaminants at work, often because control measures do not work well enough” see pg4 Controlling airborne contaminants at work: A guide to local exhaust ventilation (LEV) HSG258
what contamination can be in metalworking fluids
Typically, MWF's become hazardous as soon as they are put into use.
In addition to the various chemicals used in their formulation, they may contain
- bacteria, fungi, endotoxins
(dip slide tests only provide a low percentage indication of live bacteria and not a total viable count)
- tramp oil
- particles of the material being cut
When MWF's are disposed of they are given a 6 digit European Waste Catalogue code followed by * which designates the waste as "ABSOLUTE HAZARDOUS"
how effective are recirculating type mist extractors
As a primary control measure, installing a suitably specified Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system helps reduce exposure to larger, ‘irritating’ particles ~>10µm
but does not eliminate the risk from exposure to harmful <2.5µm respirable particles
Suppliers often state “independently tested” and “up to 99.nn% efficiency”
THIS can be MISLEADING as filter Fractional Efficiency data is not readily provided.
LEV Systems are mechanical devices
- effectiveness reduces over time
- airflow indicators are ineffective for air quality
- process parameters determined at service vary
- respirable particles are not effectively retained
- pollution levels increase
- exposure increases the probability of ill health
HEXmon enables Health, Safety and Maintenance Teams to effectively monitor the impact on air quality of declining performance of LEV systems, enabling prompt action to mitigate risk.
- automated monitoring, alerting and reporting of air quality provides a more responsive solution compared to visually reading airflow indicators.
- even if airflow indicators show acceptable levels, restricted flow can still lead to reduced air quality.
the risk to health
The air we breathe contains a vast range of particulates, from various sources. Inhalable particulates ,~>10µm (PM10), are generally irritants leading to itchy eyes, sore throat and runny nose. The bodies defences usually deals with these.
However, respirable particulates, ~<2.5µm (PM2.5), are invisible to the eye and when inhaled may enter the bloodstream and be transported around the body, lodging in the lungs, heart, brain, and other organs.
The fast majority of particulate sizes we see in Factories are PM2.5
The Health & Safety Executive report incidents of ILL HEALTH in the workplace each year.
Occupational Lung Disease leads to
- estimated 120,000 deaths each year
- 400,000 working days lost in Great Britain
- Exposure to Metalworking Fluid mist is always reported as one of the causes of Occupational Lung Disease
HEXmon supports traditional Occupational Health Exposure monitoring practises by providing a better understanding of day to day factory indoor air quality, insight into control measure performance and the impact of process changes
The Solution
Visit the Solutions page to learn how HEXmon SENSOR provides better insight and assurance on the performance of control measures and exposure to daily trends in air pollution, noise levels and VOC's
HEXmon solves the problem of NOT KNOWING