Staying Focused on Workplace Safety in a Fast-Moving Technology Landscape
News that Safe Work Australia – the organisation responsible for workplace health and safety standards – is evaluating workplace exposure standards for airborne contaminants, is a timely reminder that all industrial businesses should regularly check that their fume and dust extraction systems are fit for purpose.
In Australia, draft recommendations are being shared with employers in a consultation exercise designed to ensure that the country adopts workplace exposure standards rooted in high quality, contemporary evidence and supported by rigorous scientific analysis.
This action demonstrates the direction of travel around the world towards tighter regulatory oversight on the control of potentially harmful airborne contaminants in the workplace. Staying on top of health and safety obligations is a continuous ‘journey’ that can seem complex for multi-national businesses working around the world.
Fortunately, BOFA, as a global leader in fume and dust extraction technology, has a rich heritage in helping companies navigate the complexities of international operations. The company has over 30 years’ experience and expertise in designing and manufacturing systems tailored to meet the specific sector requirements of businesses while helping to deliver a healthy operating environment for employees. Whatever the industry, BOFA’s focus is always on extracting as near to 100% of fume and dust as possible, with performance to remove 99.995% of airborne particulate.
System design is matched to each industrial application and takes account of the volume and size of particulate emitted and its chemical composition, including toxicity of each element of the process and any resultant chemical interaction. This will inform the design of the system architecture, the filtration media used, the integration of sensors and the most appropriate monitoring and control mechanisms.
The overriding message here is that as science and technology advances, it is important for employers to embed regular reviews of practices and extraction effectiveness in their business processes to ensure that workplace safety remains in step with productivity gains.
