One of the easiest ways to find out if your compressed air guns are safe for operation is by looking at the nozzle. First, take your current compressed air gun and disconnect it from the compressed air line. Second, look directly into the end of the nozzle where the air comes out. If you can see the inside of the nozzle, then your air gun or blow-off device is unsafe. Nine out of ten compressed air guns are considered to be dangerous. In this blog, I will go through the dangers and violations of compressed air guns and nozzles that are very common in the market place.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, is an organization that enforces standards for safe and healthy working environments. They have training, outreach programs, and educational assistance for manufacturing plant. But, they will also enforce these standards with heavy fines for violations. The two most common violations with compressed air guns and nozzles are 29CFR 1910.242(b) for dead-end pressure/chip shielding and 29CFR 1910.65(a) for maximum allowable noise exposure. If you are unfortunate in receiving an audit, the OSHA agent will target your compressed air guns and blow-off devices.
Here is the first example of a nozzle that I would like to discuss. As you can see, there is only one opening where the air can come out from the nozzle. Other types of nozzles that would fall into this category will include copper pipes, extensions, or worn nozzles. They are dangerous as the compressed air cannot escape if it is blocked by your skin. An air embolism could occur within the body which can cause bodily harm or death. If operated above 30 PSIG (2 bar), these nozzles would violate the OSHA 29CFR 1910.242(b) for dead-end pressure. This is a hazard which can be avoided by using EXAIR Super Air Nozzles and Safety Air Guns. The nozzles are designed to utilize fins to allow air to escape and not penetrate your skin. With EXAIR products, you will not violate this standard even if you go above the 30 PSIG (2 bar).
To counteract the dead-end pressure violation, some nozzle manufacturers created a hole through the side of the nozzle (Reference photo below). This will allow for the compressed air to escape, but, now the issue is noise level. With an “open” section in the nozzle, the compressed air is very turbulent and very loud. They state that 70% to 80% of all hearing loss within a manufacturing plant is caused by compressed air. For this, OSHA 29CFR 1910.65(a) was created to show the maximum allowable noise exposure. This chart shows the time and noise limits before requiring hearing protection. The EXAIR Super Air Nozzles are designed to have laminar flow which is very quiet. With our typical Safety Air Gun, model 1210, the sound level is only 74 dBA; well under the noise exposure limit for 8 hours.
Why do I bring these points up? Because safety is everyone’s responsibility. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, NIOSH, has an overview of how to handle hazards in the workplace. They call it the Hierarchy of Controls (click). This is a means to best protect workers from dangers. The most effective way is by eliminating the hazard or substituting the hazard. The least effective way is with Personal Protective Equipment, or PPE. For your unsafe compressed air nozzles and guns, EXAIR can help by substituting the hazardous air gun and nozzle with an engineered solution designed with safety in mind.
In my opening statement, I explained a quick and easy method to determine if your compressed air guns are dangerous. To keep your company compliant and safe, EXAIR offers a variety of different types of nozzles and Safety Air Guns to best fit your requirement. If you find that you are using hazardous blowing equipment, you can contact an Application Engineer to find a safe and effective alternative.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
