Trademarked in 2016, Kemper America’s new AirWatch is a powerful measuring and control system that monitors air quality in any type of workplace. Invaluable in welding workshops where employees are exposed to the potential health risks of welding dust, fumes, and gases, it may also be used by a vast range of industries in any logistics operation, warehouse, or industrial production facility where air quality is critical not only for human health, but for product quality too.
How AirWatch Checks Air Quality
Developed using highly sophisticated laser-powered sensor technology, AirWatch measures very fine dust particles in a wide radius up to 30 meters. It determines and documents the quantity and weight of dust particles (including nanoparticles) in the air and the data can be analyzed on a PC, a tablet, or even a smartphone to see how the air quality compares with limit values. A traffic light system in the facility indicates visually to workers whether the air quality is up to standard or not.
The process is a continuous one, and the categories used for analysis comply with World Health Organization (WHO) standards in the range of 100 nanometers to 16 micrometers. Both the fine dust category PM2.5 for common alveolar or A dust and PM10 for all inhalable E dust are used.
Other systems that check air quality generally do so on the basis of the weight of fine dust. But millions of nanoparticles that never reach the specified limit value weight can be harmful to human health, and can adversely affect products too. The AirWatch system, on the other hand, literally counts every dust particle and even the tiniest particles that aren’t visible to the naked eye are detected.
Ventilation Systems Work With AirWatch
And it doesn’t end there. In addition to checking the quality of air, the system is also able to monitor how effective ventilation is. This has several benefits. Managers are able to ensure that ventilation is commensurate with relevant regulations and they can also base usage of extraction and room-ventilation services on actual needs.
Kemper has a long history of catering to the welding industry, especially in terms of local extraction systems, high vacuum extraction systems, mobile filter units, welding fume exhaust arms, and fans. One of the company’s most successful general ventilation systems, the CleanAirTower is suitable for use wherever local extraction is insufficient or doesn’t work at all. It functions according to the principle of displacement ventilation pulling polluted air out of the welding environment and recirculating purified air.
Like the AirWatch system, the CleanAirTower is not limited to welding workshops and can be used to remove any form of dust or particulate pollutants from factory environments, warehouses, and industrial production facilities, effectively protecting employees and products, and ultimately saving money.
When the two systems work together, the AirWatch traffic light system will flash red if the fine dust risk is high. With this warning system, the CleanAirTower can then be activated so the dust is removed and clean, unpolluted air is returned to the workplace. In environments where a lot of dust and fumes are generated (in welding workshops for instance), the CleanAirTower is used constantly with AirWatch providing an invaluable checkpoint.