BOFA International, a global leader in fume and dust extraction technology The new DustPRO Wood range comprises six models, each
tailored to specific performance requirements but all capable of
capturing airborne wood dust that can cause serious health issues.
dust extraction units for sale The units’ extraction range covers larger chippings down to dust just
0.3 µm (3 microns) in size, and their design makes them ideally suited
to smaller workshops and education and training establishments. Each
unit combines large filter capacity with high vacuum fume and dust
extraction performance, and incorporates BOFA’s unique reverse flow air
technology to enhance filter capture and ensure longer filter life.
Other features include reusable bags, low friction filters, High
Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) technology and drop-out chambers for
wood chippings. “Sawing, routing, milling and particularly sanding
processes are known to generate inhalable dust, with the potential to
create lung disease and breathing problems unless appropriate extraction
systems are in place,” says John Horsey, BOFA’s technical manager. “If
not captured through effective local exhaust ventilation (LEV), this
fine particulate can lead to occupational asthma, skin disorders,
rhinitis and, in the case of hardwood dust, a rare type of nasal cancer.
The fumes associated with dyes and solvents also need to be managed
effectively.” By law, all employers must assess the risk to worker
health by reference to workplace exposure limits (WEL) set by the Health
& Safety Executive under Control of Substances Hazardous to Health
(COSHH) regulations. Both airborne hardwood and softwood dusts have a
WEL of 5mg/m3 averaged over an eight-hour period. Not only must
employers install appropriate LEV, ideally a fume and dust extraction
system, they must also test each LEV system every 14 months (effectively
every year) and keep records for five years. “What’s commonly
overlooked is that as well as having a primary health benefit, a
properly designed and installed extraction system also delivers
productivity gains because maintaining a dust-free environment keeps
machinery in optimum working condition and can avoid costly downtime
caused by equipment contamination,” says John Horsey.
