Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Filters, HEPA
Referenced in our article about how HEPA filtration works, High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters successfully trap and remove 99.97% of airborne particulates as small as 0.3 microns. To further display how HEPA filtration works, refer to the graphic below.
If desired to display this throughout your facility, select the download link below and print as needed.
DOWNLOAD & PRINT: HEPA Filtration: How It Works
Contact us for additional information or regarding any questions about HEPA filtration and our Vactagon line of industrial vacuums with true HEPA filtration.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Beryllium Control, OSHA
Used as an alloying agent during beryllium-copper production, beryllium is a metal high in strength and hardness, non-magnetic, conductive both electrically and thermally, and is extremely stable over a wide temperature range. Because of these characteristics, berylliums is used in a variety of applications (such as the aerospace industry). While this metal is beneficial to many industries, too much beryllium exposure can pose serious long-term health risks.
OSHA has finalized new beryllium standards for general industry, shipyards, and construction that give commonsense, flexible, and affordable strategies for employers to protect workers from serious health risks. During December 12th, 2018, OSHA Beryllium Standard was enforced.
The rule for each beryllium standard includes that employees exposed to either beryllium or beryllium compounds at the PEL (or preceding permissible exposure limit) have a higher risk of health issues like chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and lung cancer. Currently, OSHA’s standard reduces the permissible exposure limit for beryllium to .2 mcg/m3 averaged over 8 hours or less than two mcg/m3 over a 15 minute period. Employers will need to use engineering and work practice controls to reduce excessive beryllium from becoming airborne. When beryllium becomes airborne, workers are susceptible to inhaling it.
Each standard developed by OSHA is for peer-reviewed scientific evidence, current consensus standards, public outreach efforts, and a model standard developed by industry and labor – including OSHA Beryllium Standard. Though these new beryllium standards cover a smaller worker population, roughly 62,000 workers, it is estimated that this new standard will save the lives of 90 workers and keep roughly 46 new cases of chronic beryllium disease from erupting each year. Being aware of the current beryllium standard and equipping your workplace with the proper vacuum/removal tools and safety equipment allows for controlled beryllium levels in your factories. Controlling beryllium levels by adhering to OSHA’s Beryllium Standard protects employees from long-term health risks.
Industrial Vacuum’s dedication towards compliance is to offer factory workers the resources and products needed to keep work environments safe for employees. Familiarize yourself with OSHA’s Beryllium Standards and contact us about how we can help!
Join Industrial Vacuum this April at CastExpo 2019
During April 27th through the 30th, Industrial Vacuum was a main exhibitor at the CastExpo 2019 event in Atlanta, Georgia. We taught individuals about OSHA’s Beryllium Standard and how our industrial vacuums can protect foundry workers from beryllium and other health threats.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Industrial Vacuums
Those of you who have worked with us in the past understand why our products, but more importantly our service is above that of our competitors. We are committed to providing quality products, and exceptional service that should exceed your standards. While we only outline 20 reasons to partner with us over our competitors below, we believe there is an infinite amount of factors that set our equipment and service apart from competitors.
Read through our 20 reasons to choose us!
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - PEL
While the date of June 23, 2021 still appears to be far away, it limits the amount of time the fracturing industry must comply with OSHA’s regulation. OSHA, on March 25, 2016 published a regulation on exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust. Employees must not be exposed to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air within an 8-hour time average in the fracturing industry. While this regulation has been around for roughly 4 years, the hard deadline for the fracturing industry compliance is 2021.
How to Comply in 2021
Regarding general compliance, there are regulations for any foreseeable condition’s employers can combat against. The current PEL regulation for employees exposed to crystalline silica dust for above 100 micrograms per cubic meter is being cut in half to make the 2021 deadline of 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The new PEL regulation’s purpose is for OSHA to ensure employers are protecting employees from excessive exposure limits while working. However, with this exposure limit come additional regulations:
- Employers must assess workplace exposure and meet laboratory requirements.
- Employers must disallow access to areas where exposure limits exceed 50 micrograms per cubic meter PEL.
- Employers must grant respiratory protection to employers in these exposure conditions.
- Employers must create a protection program with an appointed program administrator.
- Employers must grant complimentary medical surveillance for those exposed to above the PEL.
- Employers must clearly identify hazardous areas through visible and verbal communication to ensure knowledge can be restated by all employees in the workplace.
- Employers must ensure secondary exposure is limited.
- Employers must implement a written plan to ensure full control on limitations.
To comply with this new regulation, engineering control has continued to be a term associated with PEL control. However, OSHA does not require specific engineering control machines, rather, they suggest certain engineering controls that are up and coming. Of these controls, a ventilation system to control dust produced through sand movers, conveyors, and blender hoppers; portable dust controls that reduce 40 to 95 percent of dust emissions surrounding workers; and the modification of proppants with some type of dust suppressant. Each of these technologies will allow for compliance with the harsh June 23, 2021 deadline set by OSHA.
The Impact on the Industry
With such little education on the future of compliant technology, the economic impact of OSHA’s respirable crystalline silica dust regulation is unknown. The hydraulic fracturing industry has been around since the 1940s, and up until recently very few regulations were in place to ensure the safety of workers. The new regulations are burdensome on hydraulic fracturing companies, regardless of their size. With that, these regulations will have a profound medical impact on those currently working in the hydraulic fracturing industry.
What does this have to do with Industrial Vacuum?
While not directly stated by OSHA, engineering controls are ways of subduing the hazard present within the hydraulic fracturing industry. Suggestions, by OSHA, for maintaining the hazard present while fracking consist of certain up and coming technologies. Industrial Vacuums products, such as our dust collectors, comply with controlling the hazard present in the hydraulic fracturing industry. If you want to learn more about our products for sale or rent; or just want to learn more about how we can assist your hydraulic fracturing business, contact us today.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Case Study
Airborne dust in the workplace such as construction, renovation, and mining projects can be toxic to humans and the environment. Industrial Vacuum Equipment Corporation of Ixonia, Wisconsin, takes cleaning tasks by storm with the Hurricane industrial vacuums and the 20DC portable dust collector. These John Deere-powered units work in a variety of industries where dust production and collection in the workplace are continually a threat. The industries in need of an airborne dust collector include but are not limited to, construction, mining, and manufacturing industries taking on paint-blasting materials, roof rock, silica sand, asbestos, and other hazardous waste. Our President, Randy Bourdo, speaks about the power, success, and ability of our airborne dust collectors.
The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District purchased a Hurricane 828 to remove sandblaster debris during bridge renovations. This dust is channeled from the tent enclosure and captured and filtered by the Hurricane 828 positioned below it on the ground.
A Hurricane 828 airborne dust collector collects sandblaster material at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. A PowerTech Plus 9.0L engine powers the vacuum pump, air compressor, and hydraulics.
Learn more about our Hurricane industrial vacuum and Hurricane airborne dust collectors in the workplace, and how we can provide you with the best product.
Click here to view the full article on Pages 18-19 of the John Deere PowerSource Spring 2015 Issue
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - HEPA
Silica dust and other harmful particles can be found in several applications. Workers across many different industries are at risk of health issues caused by silica. While an industrial HEPA vacuum can be found in almost any application, there are a few questions that can be asked in evaluating and determining whether you should consider getting a HEPA vacuum.
Question 1 – Does my worksite have a silica dust problem? Whether you’re in an industry that works at one site or is constantly relocating, evaluating the exposure levels of silica and taking all precautionary measures to protect your workers is a must. Determining whether you have a controlled level of silica or not will not only reduce health risks for employees but also help avoid fines from OSHA.
Question 2 – Do I already use equipment to control silica dust at my sites? If the answer is yes, chances are you have equipment used to capture airborne dust particles. However, silica dust that isn’t treated at the source begins to pile up and collect on nearby solutions – such as equipment, ventilation ducts and higher surfaces. Industrial HEPA vacuums are used to collect and eliminate harmful dust particles that have settled on surrounding surfaces.
Question 3 – Am I limited by space at my job sites? Industrial HEPA vacuums are designed to be small workhorses that make eliminating and controlling dust particles convenient. For example, our Vactagon line of drum top vacuums sit right on top of a 55 gallon drum – taking up minimal space.
Question 4 – Do I have a power source available? A lot of industrial HEPA vacuums require electricity to be used. If your job sites don’t have power sources, or a generator isn’t available, then it might appear to be tricky to use an industrial vacuum. However, pneumatic vacuums that run off air are readily available to eliminate the need for an electrical power source.
Question 5 – Do my job sites constantly change? Many industries (like construction for example) are only at a job site until that job is completed. This means portability of any piece of equipment is a must. Industrial HEPA vacuums are designed to be completely portable to contribute to both convenience and the control of airborne dust particles.
Vactagon Vacuums are for all Applications
From construction and foundries to agricultural and clean rooms, if there’s a need for eliminating hazardous and harmful dust particles, our Vactagon line of drum top and explosion proof industrial vacuums with true HEPA filtration can eliminate the problem. For a full list of applications, visit our application page.
Partner up with Industrial Vacuum in protecting your workers with an industrial HEPA vacuums. For further information about our industrial vacuums with true HEPA filtration, contact us today.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Case Study
Our powerful industrial vacuum cleaner portable unit helped an Indiana contractor fill a niche market while fitting an industrial vacuum into the tight quarters of a factory.
A crew from Powerclean Industrial Services uses a Hurricane 828 trailer-mounted mini vacuum unit made by Industrial Vacuum Equipment to clean up furnace slag at a factory in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
A Mini but Mighty Portable Industrial Vacuum System
Our small portable industrial vacuum cleaner was the solution to being small enough to work in space-constricted manufacturing plants while remaining powerful enough to suck up debris – like a full-sized industrial vacuum. The answer: A Hurricane 828 industrial trailer-mounted vacuum unit.
The Hurricane ticked off all the boxes on Powerclean’s list of criteria. Smaller than a vac truck? Check (It is roughly 21 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 11½ feet tall). Less expensive? Yes. A powerful blower? Sure thing (It features a 5,660-cfm unit made by Root Systems with 28 inches Hg of vacuum power). Reliable and easy to operate? Affirmative.
Our Hurricane vacuum weighs 16,700 pounds, which Powerclean towed using a Ford F-550 dually pickup truck. Our vacuum unit features a six-wheeled, tri-axle trailer with rectangular frame; a 325 hp turbocharged diesel engine made by John Deere; a three-stage filtration system that offers cyclonic-separation technology, a baghouse with 37 Teflon-coated, quick-change filter bags, and a dual, high-efficiency blower safety filter; a fully enclosed instrument panel; and a Midland compressor.
Read more about our industrial vacuum cleaner portable unit usage with Powerclean by reading the full article in the Cleaner Magazine 2016 Issue. You can read our section on Page 32 & 33 of the magazine. Also, consider looking at our Hurricane 828 small portable industrial vacuum cleaner.
Click here to view the full article on Pages 32 & 33 of the Cleaner Magazine 2016 Issue
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - OSHA, PEL
Respirable crystalline silica dust, a harmful airborne pathogen that causes adverse health effects. The general industry and maritime employers were required to comply with OSHA’s PEL and Crystalline Silica Dust Standard on June 23, 2018. The Crystalline Silica Dust Standard required employers to provide medical surveillance to the employees exposed to above the permissible exposure limit (PEL) standard for 30 days or more a year. With 2020 quickly approaching, this medical surveillance standard is overdue. Once June 23, 2020 comes around employers will be required to provide medical surveillance to employees exposed to above the action level for 30 days or more a year.
What is the difference between Action Level and PEL?
Permissible exposure limit (PEL) is the maximum amount of time a worker can be exposed to a concentrated chemical amount according to OSHA. There are differing exposure limits based on the individual chemical a worker is being exposed to. These exposure limits are calculated based on a time weighted average. These limits are put in place to understand what type of medical surveillance employees need after encountering harmful chemicals.
Action levels are used to showcase a health or physical hazard workers may encounter. OSHA found that the level of hazardous substances within the workplace activities required medical surveillance. As medical surveillance increases industrial hygiene monitoring and biological monitoring. It is important to note that most action levels are one half the PEL. The intent is to update a vast majority of exposures below the PEL level.
If you are currently finding that your exposure level is close to 50% or exceeds 50%, you should consider taking appropriate action. When June 23, 2020 comes around you will be required to comply with the new action level standard.
How can Industrial Vacuum Equipment assist me?
Consider looking at our line of industrial HEPA drum top vacuums, or dust collection systems, as they help combat against airborne particles floating within your industries workplace. If you have any questions about our product compliance feel free to contact us today. We have equipment available for rent and purchase.
With the release of OSHA’s final beryllium standard in 2019, foundries were expected to already be in compliance to enact beryllium control measures. Proper equipment ensures that beryllium exposure is limited to the required level, protecting foundry workers from long-term health problems – such as berylliosis caused by their working conditions. Industrial Vacuum offers two options for beryllium control dust in foundries as displayed in the infographic below.
Berylliosis is caused by too much beryllium exposure, or chronic beryllium disease (CBD). This form of beryllium poisoning is a chronic lung disease with a mortality rate between 5-38%. Partner with Industrial Vacuum in protecting your foundry workers by browsing our industrial vacuums and industrial dust collectors for beryllium control measures. For further information about how our industrial vacuums and dust collectors can help beryllium control, contact us today.
Posted on June 19, 2023 by Top Floor - Case Study
Moline Public Works and Envirologics crew members set up a waterless Tomahawk cleaning system to clear tuberculation corrosion from a cast iron water main. This abrasive water pipe cleaning is an ongoing effort to ensure water mains are healthy and equipped. The water main lines are only successful if the tuberculation in the cast iron pipes is not present, but specifically if it is not present during certain seasons.
Moline’s water mains must withstand changes in temperature from 33 to 90 degrees F and, to transmit water from the lowest parts of the city, the initial water pressure of 110 psi is required to achieve a delivery pressure of 45 psi at the city’s highest elevations in the bluffs. While the system experiences an average of 35 water main breaks per year, the frigid weather of winter 2013 more than doubled that number.
Our industrial vacuum is being used to combat tuberculation in pipes. The oldest pipes in the distribution system are cast iron, the thinner cast-iron pipes manufactured and installed post-WWII gave us the greatest number of water main breaks.
Our line of industrial vacuums can assist with the removal of tuberculation corrosion built up in cast iron water mains. If your city is finding the job of removing tuberculation in cast iron water main pipes, you should contact us, and we will assist you in finding the industrial vacuum suitable for your needs.
If you want to read more on our part of Moline’s dry abrasive water pipe cleaning, continue to read on pages 18-22.
