There was a time when workers operating in environments almost swimming in toxic fumes would have laughed at the thought of a fume extractor. And that time is only a few decades ago. Back then, workplace health and safety were words rarely found in the same sentence. Back then, workers were as tough as the conditions even if everyone scratched their heads at the high rate of unexplained illness and resulting sick days.
Thankfully, common sense has prevailed. Now there are strict regulations for all workplaces generating toxic airborne particles and gases to maximise worker safety. As a result, fume extractors and filters have become essential equipment in small, medium and large commercial and industrial operations throughout Australia.
Whether a small welding shop or a large chemical manufacturing plant, fume extractors and filters help to keep workers fit, healthy, and working. A fume extractor and filter sucks in the fumes which are then trapped by the filter system. What’s left is clean air which is then pumped back into the workplace.
It’s exactly as it sounds; a machine that extracts and filters harmful fumes in commercial and industrial workplaces. A fume extractor and filter sucks in the fumes which are then trapped by the filter system. This is generally a three-stage system whereby large particles are trapped at stage one, smaller particles at stage two and gases at stage three. All that’s left is clean air which is then pumped back into the workplace.
Workers are more healthy which means less downtime and loss of productivity. Not all fume extractors have the full three stage filter system and the nature of your operation and fume-removal requirements will determine how much filtering you need.
There are many for all applications from small welding shops to large plants.
Believe it or not, you can pick up a fume extractor for about $140 but it’s not recommended. Not when decent, reliable units sell for around $3,600 and top end units for a little over $9,000. Workplace health and safety is an investment every business should make.
The biggest problem is when a fume extractor doesn’t do its primary job – collect fumes. Usually, this is because of a gas flow problem when the flow of shielding gas is too high. Fume extractors can sometimes run at reduced power, but this is not generally a fault with the unit, more that the power to the unit is insufficient.
Preventative maintenance is essential to keep a fume extractor and filter running at its optimal level. Here are some regular checks you should make.
Most popular Fume Extractor suppliers and brands on IndustrySearch are Nordfab Pty Ltd, SMENCO, ACL Industrial Technology, ONBoard Solutions, Koenig Machinery.