“In less than an hour the on-line course will give you and your co-workers all necessary information of what compressed air is and how it is used. It also goes through the risks involved in the misuse of compressed air and provides ideas and suggestions to create a better and safer working environment. Everyone that comes into contact with compressed air should do the on-line course”
SAFETY
Many people still work under the impression that compressed air is just like the air we breathe and is completely safe. This is a major part of the problem. Air at atmospheric pressure is safe and odourless. Once the air is compressed it is a completely different matter as it contains considerable force. It is this force that allows you to power- tools, actuators that lift and push enormous weights, brakes to vehicles and trains. To be able to work safely with compressed air you need to know that serious accidents happen as a result of misuse and lack of know how.
Understanding the forces involved allows you to better understand that the air released from a blowgun or nozzle is essentially a jet stream – air at very high velocity. If pointed directly towards the skin , air can enter the blood stream and cause an embolism, blockage of a blood vessel which could be fatal. In most countries it is simply against the law to use air for purposes of cleaning as it also can deflect material and cause other accidents. The on-line makes you aware of the various hazards in using compressed air. but also provides you with guidelines and recommendations how to safely work with compressed air.
COMPRESSED AIR AND YOUR WORKING ENVIRONMENT
The noise level increases in a logarithmic scale, which means that the overall noise level is higher than the sum of the individual sound sources. Conversely, this means that when you eliminate individual sound sources. The reduction is perceived as larger than it really is. The best example of this is a leakage. A single leakage may not emit enough sound to be considered disturbing but hundreds- and sometimes thousands of leakages can create very high sound levels. Eliminating leakages, reducing blowing pressures and volume, using silencers to valves and cylinders can very quickly reduce the overall sound level in the workplace. You will get positive response from personnel immediately. From your own experience you probably recognize the positive effect of an eliminated source of sound that you had gotten used to. The on-line course describes what you can do to eliminate or reduce sound sources. It will lead to an improved working environment with less risk of hearing impairments.