Dust Doctor: Managing your dust and vapor collection project
If you don’t properly manage the design, fabrication, and installation of your dust and vapor collection system, it could be costly in more ways than one, including construction delays, startup problems, and poor results.
Besides helping keep your plant and products clean, your dust and vapor collection system must also protect your workers and plant. If plant personnel exposure levels to dust or vapor exceed your Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) group’s requirements, you may be able to satisfy them using personal protection equipment (PPE). Your EHS group can advise you on Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) information, OSHA requirements, and existing airborne dust or vapor concentrations at the production operations. If PPE alone can’t meet your goals or if fugitive combustible dust is the issue, then an exhaust system using local exhaust ventilation (LEV) or partial enclosure hoods can be the way to go to reduce airborne concentrations and settled particulate. A well-engineered LEV system should reduce the airborne dust or vapor concentration controlled by the LEV hoods by an average of 90 percent over 8 hours. A well-engineered system might eliminate the need for PPE.