Dust Extraction Systems for Recycling Applications

Recycling is an essential and commonplace part of modern life. With recycling plants all over the country dealing with hazardous products day in day out, workers are susceptible to harm from a number of pollutants. Bacteria, funghi, dust, micro plastics and endotoxins are all present in the atmosphere of these facilities. Breathing them in has obvious negative health implications, causing gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. Furthermore, the heat caused by machinery creates moisture, providing an excellent medium for the transportation of harmful microbes. This moisture can also cause machines to rust and damage electrical equipment. 

As well as damage to health, dust and particulates are a common cause of explosions and fires in the workplace. The actions of sorting and threshing machines can produce large amounts of dust, propelling it into the air, mixing it with the oxygen already present. This makes it incredibly susceptible to ignition, which can cause a chain reaction as piles of settled dust concurrently ignite.

By installing our duct, you can mitigate these issues. Our laser seam welded duct is leak free, improving the efficiency of your extractor and preventing dust build up. Our spark traps can be installed to help prevent explosions. 

How Important is Ventilation for Recycling?

Recycling is an essential and commonplace part of modern life. With recycling plants all over the country dealing with hazardous products day in day out, workers are susceptible to harm from a number of pollutants. Bacteria, funghi, dust, micro plastics and endotoxins are all present in the atmosphere of these facilities. Breathing them in has obvious negative health implications, causing gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. In a HSE report(1) into the safety of recycling plants, 84% of workers interviewed reported health issues they attributed to their jobs. These included, vomiting, shortness of breath, stomach cramps and difficulty breathing. These symptoms have clear implications on attendance and productivity at work, as well as the morale of employees. Furthermore, the heat caused by machinery creates moisture, providing an excellent medium for the transportation of harmful microbes. This moisture can also cause machines to rust and damage electrical equipment. 

As well as damage to health, dust and particulates are a common cause of explosions and fires in the workplace. For example, the actions of sorting and threshing machines can produce large amounts of dust, propelling it into the air, mixing it with the oxygen already present. This makes it incredibly susceptible to ignition, which can cause a chain reaction as piles of settled dust concurrently ignite. 
Many of the workers interviewed by the HSE also complained that the working environment was too cold. This was caused by leaking, inefficient duct runs, meaning the extraction fans had to be run at a high work rate in order to function properly. As such, they had an air conditioning like effect on the work environment. The cold led to workers reporting reduced dexterity and general discomfort, leading to a decrease in work efficiency and less happy employees.

How Can Nordfab Help?

By fitting a comprehensive Nordfab ducting system into your recycling facility, you are directly helping to deal with the findings of the HSE report. This means that your employees will be healthier, safer and happier, leading to increased productivity and reduced sick leave. Our QF duct is laser seam welded, ensuring a leak free run, from source to dust collector. This increases the efficiency of your system and helps to prevent the air conditioning effect leaky duct can have. This excellent sealing also means that captured dust cannot re-enter the workplace’s atmosphere and contribute to a potential explosion. By adding one of our inline spark traps, you will be taking further important steps to protect your dust collector from explosions and fire. Our range of duct accessories make it adaptable to a number of tasks. We can supply lengths of flexible hose and adaptors to fit it, perfect for more intricate LEV work. Our floor sweeps can be positioned underneath machines to collect dust and particulates, reducing clean up at the end of a shift. These sweeps pair perfectly with our High Vacuum duct, which provide increased suction and can transport heavier, abrasive particles like plastics. The Quick Clip technology we pioneered allows you to change the layout of your duct run easily, in case additional machines are added to the shop floor. It also halves installation time, so that your facility can get back to work faster.

Contact Nordfab UK today by phone on 01132 739 400 or by email, addressing enquiries to [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

References
1. ‘Occupational Hygiene Implications of  Processing Waste at Materials Recycling Facilities’ (https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr977.pdf)