WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY NOW IT’S SAFE TO CLOSE THE DOORS New extraction for ski workshop improves staff safety and comfort The installation team from NZ Duct+Flex had their heads above the clouds last month as they fitted new fume extraction to a work shop in preparation for a change in weather starting off the ski season. NZ Duct+Flex was asked to solve two issues at the busy site: improve the extraction in the workshop where welders fabricate ski ramps and repair the chair lifts, and deal with fumes from the enormous snow ploughs which sit inside the shed with their engines running while they warm up at the start of the day or when they are being serviced. Before the new work was completed, staff relied on the doors being open, as in many working weld areas, to increase ventilation to deal with the fumes and exhaust discharge. But when your workshop is above the icy slopes of a ski field, this was far from ideal for staff safety and comfort. changes to rules regarding health and Safety responsibilities last year have got everyone talking about improvements to staffed areas. NZ Duct+Flex has a huge stock holding in its main warehouses and was able to immediately put together an ideal solution for both problems – saving money and space – and getting everyone ready in time for the ski season. NZ Duct+Flex’s own installation team has installed hundreds of the European-sourced fume arms for welding fumes and other fumes since introducing them to their dust and fume extraction range. The arms are popular as well for dealing with grinding dust areas for companies and bag filling stations. “Our suppliers have been around for decades and their products have been tried and tested and enhanced over this time. No other company can offer what we offer in New Zealand, a source of Liplock modular ducting components, fans, filtration units, all manufactured by the same Danish company and guaranteed to work as a system efficiently and effectively,” says sales manager Geoff Ebdon. “All our fume solutions are also sourced from another major European supplier.” With its own install team, NZ Duct+Flex is fitting the products every day whether it be a $500,000 filtration unit or a simple static fume arm and fan. “Our products are designed by Germans and Scandanavians” says Mr Ebdon, “therefore we know that we have done the best by our customers in terms of health and safety benefits – if you install our products the way we recommend they are used then we will assist you in every way we can and the system will function as you expected.” For static fume solutions, the fume arm range is very robust with metal tube arms and hoods, external hinging meaning the debris being exhausted cannot cause the hinging to wear or become jammed. The company carries all fume arms in stock available for immediate delivery from 75mm diameter with a one metre reach up, to 160mm diameter with a four metre reach. Fume Arms can be driven by the fume arm fan range or larger workshops, who also wish to filter, can select a modular fume filter capable of extraction for 2-6 arms, using compressed air cleaning system and pre-filter, cartridge filter and built in dust drawer. Fume booms are available ex-stock and greatly extend the working radius of a fume arm. While the extension booms fold flat against the wall when not needed, they are capable of adding a further 2/3/4 metre reach and can be exhausted by the fume fans also held in stock. Therefore, a four metre boom and a four metre arm can cover a radius of up to eight metres. In this installation, the NZ Duct+Flex team was able to use this 4+4 combination. For mobile solutions, there is a choice of a one-arm or two-arm fume cube unit – a solid but compact mobile unit with pre-mesh filter for sparks, pull out cartridge filter and fan all in one unit. These have been selling well for one operator where a fixed system is not warranted, and these units are very quiet when operating. With compressed air cleaning but still mobile, the two models called DustKart 1 and DustKart 2, support one or two fume arms and deal with all welding, 36 September 2017
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