Welding dust, fumes, gases, and other pollutants generated during the welding process can have a serious effect on the health of those working in a welding environment. These range from nausea and dizziness, and eye, nose, and throat irritations, to severe lung and respiratory problems, cancer, and even death. This is why it is vital for every welding workshop to have effective ventilation that will purify the air and keep workers safe and healthy.
The challenge for employers is to decide which form or forms of welding extraction and exhaust systems to use to ensure there is optimum ventilation in the room.
Extraction and Filtration Choices for Welding Workshops
Kemper America supplies filtration units in a variety of shapes and sizes. These include wall-mounted and mobile units that are used to extract welding pollutants at source, as well as large central extraction units and large-scale ventilation systems that deal with the air throughout the workshop.
While the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) advises that source extraction provides the best ventilation in any welding workshop, big or small, it isn’t always possible, and may not be 100 percent effective. In fact, in some situations, the solution might be to combine source extraction with a full ventilation system.
Source Extraction for Welding
Source extraction literally involves the removal of fumes and toxic gases at the source of welding. This is where welders are working and the air around them is what they breathe in.
Powerful filtration units are positioned so they can remove the contaminated air the welder would otherwise breathe in, and feed clean, filtered air into his breathing zone.
Many of Kemper America’s filtration units have exhaust arms and a hood that swivels 360 degrees so that they can be directed exactly where they are needed. They can be connected to all the mobile and wall-mounted exhaust units, as well as wall-mounted fans and even the ductwork of central extraction units. These exhaust arms are designed and manufactured specifically for the extraction of welding dust and smoke, steam and gas, and even solvents that escape into the air.
Some, like the mobile ProfiMaster and portable MiniFil and larger MaxiFil, are ideal for areas where work spaces change frequently. The highly efficient, cost-effective mobile FilterMaster is often the first choice for businesses that have various workplaces that experience a range of different conditions. Popular for everyday use, its filter is able to remove almost all (99.9 percent) of potentially harmful contaminated air and replace this with healthy, filtered air. A bigger version, the FilterMaster XL, is equally efficient and features re-usable filter cartridges that are self-cleaning.
Where work stations are fixed and don’t change, wall-mounted mechanical filters with exhaust arms are popular. These range from 7 to 33 feet in length, making them highly versatile.
Full Ventilation for Welding Workshops
In very large welding workshops, where work areas are spread far apart, or where particularly big items are manufactured, source extraction may be difficult or at very best inadequate. In this sort of environment, Kemper’s indoor ventilation systems are definitely worth considering.
The award-winning CleanAirTower is the obvious answer where local extraction doesn’t fulfill employees’ ventilation needs. Taking the place of traditional push-pull ventilation systems, the CleanAirTower is installed in the welding environment where it can remove polluted air and harmful welding dust and other pollutants using the principles of layer ventilation and displacement flow. The warm, contaminated air in the workshop rises and is sucked into the top of the Tower, where it is filtered in a two-stage process. The purified, clean air sinks and is then pushed out into the workshop at a height that corresponds with the welders’ breathing zones.
This full ventilation system is suitable for any type of welding application and is often the very best solution for large production halls, though source extraction might also be used at some of the welding stations.
If you are looking for the perfect solution that will provide your welding environment with the purest, cleanest air possible, contact Kemper America. We will help assess your needs and make suggestions that will help keep your employees healthy and productive.
