Tag: osha air nozzles

Turn It Down!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Oh man, I never thought the day would come when I realize just how old I am getting. When I was 17, I drastically modified my car stereo system. Like many people in the custom car audio scene, it was never loud enough for me. At one point I had shifted one of the windows enough during a sound competition that I had a fixed window that would leak water from then on. I also used to have a sticker that said, if it’s too loud, you’re too old. I produced a sustained sound level of 149.2 dBA inside the car with the windows up. There are still days when certain songs or hearing another loud stereo make me reminisce about my old stereo. Then again, having a car that doesn’t leak water when it rains is way nicer. I also now realize just how loud 149.2 dBA is and have more than once asked my daughters to turn the TV down because it is, you guessed it, TOO LOUD!

Non-engineered blowoffs

So why does turning the sound level down matter, and what can you do in an industrial setting to turn it down? Evaluating compressed air blowoffs is one point that EXAIR has tools to help with and solutions as well. There are several methods to reduce the sound produced by a blowoff. First, if it is not an engineered blowoff, install an engineered blowoff, open pipes and crossed drilled holes are not engineered solutions and often do not meet either the OSHA Standard for dead-end pressure or allowable noise level exposure. So, to remedy this, contact an Application Engineer and let us help you determine an engineered solution for the need.

EXAIR Nozzles

Secondly, when looking at compressed air blowoffs, determine the minimum operating pressure to successfully complete the task and turn the pressure down. By reducing the operating pressure you remove energy from the task and this will reduce both air consumption and noise level produced by the blowoff. It is very easy to add capacity for work back into an established compressed air system by reducing operating pressures for applications that are operating in excess. This can be done easily by installing items such as pressure regulators at point-of-use locations. Our Application Engineering team is here to also help you determine what size regulator best fits your needs as well.

EXAIR offers a range of Pressure Regulators capable of handling airflow of up to 700 SCFM.

Lastly, if the compressed air blowoff is on continuously and does not need to be, don’t just turn it down, turn it off. This is easily done by adding in an Electronic Flow Control which will sense when a part is present or not present to turn the compressed air on and off. Again, to discuss what an Electronic Flow Control can do for your application, we have an entire team of Application Engineers here.

In the end, I am not getting any younger and it turns out that things like hearing can’t be replaced, so take care of your hearing and your team members’ hearing by using engineered blowoffs, reducing operating pressures, turning it off when not in use, and always ensure you follow the proper PPE guidelines. If you want to discuss any point of using a compressed air application, contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Super Air Nozzles for the Blowoff, and the Win!

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

Just take a moment and really look at the precision that is engineered into these SUPER Air Nozzles. The fins, the angle of the holes. The only thing missing is a cape and an S on the front like this one on the right. At a quick glance, these nozzles look simple, but they are far from it. I’ve had multiple customers reach out because they are using a simple open pipe to blow off X, Y, or Z. It really is mind “blowing” to me to hear this. Just a few days ago, I spoke to a customer that has over 20, 3/8″ open lines that blow air 24/7. I can almost hear that problem from here, and I definitely can feel the pain of their money being waisted. Up to 80% of your air can be saved with the right nozzles vs. open pipe or tubes. If waisitng money isn’t enough, the noise alone would be deafening without the nozzles, and not at all up to OSHA standards.

These Super Air Nozzles comply with the OSHA standards 29 CFR 1910.242(b) for dead end pressure requirements, and 29 CFR-1910.95(a) concerning noise. The only exceptions to the noise level is when we get into our High Force nozzles. As you can imagine, if you are needing more than 90 SCFM of air, with 4.5+ pounds of force out of a nozzle, it will make some noise. By the way, it will still meet OSHA’s dead end pressure standard and the EXAIR defines how much unprotected noise exposure is allowed by OSHA with each nozzle above their threshold.

When we look at the fins and shapes of the holes, they are intelligently designed to maximize the coanda effect on each nozzle. This allows these nozzles to amplify the compressed airflow (black Arrow) up to 25 times or more. As the air travels along the outer wall of the nozzles it will entrain the surrounding air into the airstream. This results in a high velocity blast of air with minimal consumption.

If you have any type of homemade or makeshift blowoff system using copper tube, open pipe, or pipe fittings please take a moment and look at the amount of air that is being waisted. We can use these Super Air Nozzles to save an astronomical amount of air. Take a look at this Air Consuption table as a solid example:

As you can see on this table the 1/4″ Copper Tube uses 33 SCFM, and the 1/4″ Open Pipe uses 140 SCFM. Now when we install the 1/4″ Super Air Nozzle it drops the cunsumption down to 14 SCFM. The benefits do not stop there. The noise is dropped to 74 dBA, and you are no longer violating the OSHA requirements.

When you have a blowoff situation, please reach out and discuss our options. Many times the solution is as easy as using a Super Air Nozzle and sometimes you may actually need the Flux Capacitor. We are here to help guide you between these two extremes. Please feel free to reach out at anytime to discuss your Air Nozzle, or any other compressed air solutions.

Thank you for stopping by,

Brian Wages

Application Engineer

EXAIR Corporation
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Cover photo by Kranich 17, licensed by Pixabay. Superman “S” photo by JayKingSta14, licensed by Pixabay.

OSHA Says Keep Compressed Air Use Safe and Quiet: EXAIR Does Just That

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

The Occupational Safety and Health Act was signed by Richard Nixon in 1970. Under the United Sates Department of Labor, shortly thereafter; OSHA, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration was born. OSHA is a large regulatory agency tasked to assure safe and healthy working environments by setting and enforcing standards as well as to provide training, outreach and assistance. Although some people’s first response is to cringe at the word OSHA, they have been instrumental in dramatically reducing injury rates and injury costs without negative effects on employees or companies.

Sure we can all cringe by looking up OSHA horror stories on YouTube. And many of us have a story about that one company that was fined 10’s of thousands of dollars for x, y, or z violations… But in reality, OSHA are not the bad guys. They are not looking for fines, in fact they generally give warnings and timelines to fix possible issues, prior to an incident. The fines typically are generated when companies fail to comply. Yes, I know there are always exceptions, but exceptions are not the rule. We hear and hold on to the radical stories, and the day to day, mundane stories fall to the wayside. Regardless of how we feel, we all must comply.

When it comes to EXAIR products, there are two OSHA standards that we must adhere to. One is related to “sound” and one is related to “dead end pressure“.

First let’s look at the dead end pressure. OSHA Safety requirement 29 CFR 1910.242 (b) discusses the possibilities for air embolisms when more than 30 psi is “dead ended” into your skin. EXAIR products have pathways for air to exhaust so that they cannot be “dead ended”. Each product has a way for the air to exhaust to avoid danger. Here are a couple of examples:

Air nozzles have multiple paths to exhaust pressure
Air Knives exhaust the entire path, as well as out each end

Take note that when being used properly (no horseplay) the airflow will have some path to escape and cannot be blocked. They are designed so that air will escape prior to any danger.

Next we will take a look at OSHA requirement 29 CFR-1910.95 (a). This regulation deals with occupational noise exposure. Measuring sound in decibels (dBA) the magic number is 90. Anything under 90 dBA has no limitations on how long you can be exposed to it. For a reference 60 dBA is about the sound level of a normal conversation, or an air conditioner. 70 dBA is about the noise of a washing machine, 80-85 is like city traffic. Then we start getting loud like a motorcycle around 95, shouting or barking is about 110, and standing near a siren is about 120dBA.

Hearing loss is the best known, but not the only, ill effect of harmful noise exposure. It can also cause physical and psychological stress, impair concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents or injuries.

As mentioned, 90 dBA or less is our target to avoid needing alternative solutions such as noise barriers or PPE. Nearly all EXAIR products are compliant at or under 90 dBA. The few exceptions are with some of our high force / extensive reach products such as our High Force Air Nozzles.

Please reach out at anytime if you have any questions, or want to discuss EXAIR and OSHA compliance, or any EXAIR questions at all.

Thank you for stopping by,

Brian Wages

Application Engineer

EXAIR Corporation
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NEW from EXAIR! The VariBlast Precision Safety Air Gun

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

EXAIR’s New VariBlast Precision Safety Air Gun provides a strong, focused blast of air ideal for use in a wide variety of blowoff applications and processes. This CE compliant, lightweight gun utilizes an engineered variable flow trigger that is capable of producing variable force upon the target by simply pulling the trigger. The comfortable, full finger trigger and convenient hanger loop are built-in to the ¼ NPT Safety Air Gun.

Utilizing our range of small Super Air Nozzles (available in both type 316 SS and PEEK plastic for non-marring applications), this gun has the ability to fit into tight spaces while still delivering a strong blowing force. The VariBlast Precision Safety Air Gun is available with an optional 12” or 20” extension (3” extension installed on base model guns) that can also be outfitted with an impact resistant polycarbonate Chip Shield. The air gun body itself is constructed of a high impact polyacetal material for durable use over many years.

All available models of the VariBlast Precision Safety Air Gun come outfitted with an engineered nozzle that cannot be dead-ended, assuring safe usage for your operators and meeting the required standards put forth by OSHA under 29 CFR 1910.242(b). With sound levels as low as 58 dBA with the Model 1808SS, these guns are also well below the allowable limits of noise exposure discussed by OSHA in 29 CFR 1910.95(a).   

Inexpensive air guns are commonly seen in a variety of catalogs and industrial supply companies. Most contain triggers or other components are constantly need replaced. Additionally, their performance is similar to that of an open pipe or tube and can be extremely wasteful, not to mention a potential OSHA violation.

All of EXAIR’s Safety Air Guns will help you operate efficiently & safely. If you would like to discuss your blowoff process with an EXAIR Application Engineer, give us a call. With products available to ship same day from stock, we can get a solution to you as quickly as tomorrow!

Tyler Daniel

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD