THE PERIL OF
BREATHING…
Welding and plasma-cutting without
adequate ventilation is dangerous
says Cameron Prestidge of Egmont
Air, “Over time, toxins from these
processes build-up in our bodies
and cause serious health and respiratory
complications”.
A case study that reinforces the
message involves a 54-year-old
welder who had never smoked but
developed emphysema. Emphysema
does not occur without an
environmental cause (usually smoking)
except in people with a genetic
abnormality, which this man did not
have. Lack of any other factors implicated
welding fumes as the major
cause of his disability. He had been
welding for 30 years using a variety
of processes and materials – however
despite this man’s history, he was
unable to receive compensation.
Egmont Air, specialist in dust and
fume extraction, offers a huge range
of solutions for extracting welding
fumes.
24 April 2018
E F F E C T I V E E N G I N E E R I N G
O F L I G H T N I N G S A F E T Y
“Our systems are designed to complement
the work engineers do, so
that productivity increases because
of the improved and safer working
conditions for welders,” says Mr
Prestidge.
Options are available for special
processes such as robot welders,
plasma fumes, grinding, and dust applications.
For a free brochure and more information
contact Egmont Air on 0800
781 200 or www.egmontair.co.nz.
HM040
SPECIAL FEATURE:
SAFETY
A properly engineered lightning safety and
lightning protection system (LPS) can limit
damage and loss of life/injury.
While a standards-based technical approach
has been found to be effective and to result
in enhanced protection against the effects of
lightning, a proper engineering approach to
lightning protection is often not evident, says
Ian McKechnie, ceo of Engenamic.
Mr McKechnie says, “Current standards provide
a comprehensive and useful technical
reference guide for engineering professionals
trained in the process of engineering analysis
and design, it is important to understand
that effective lightning safety and protection
solutions are not about simply using technical
standards as ‘recipe books’. It is about an engineering
approach where these standards play
an important technical role, but are applied
within a structured, systematic and integrated
engineering framework, taking account of the
dynamics and complexities of the application.”
He says that many applications, such as those
in mining, oil & gas (petrochemical), airports/
aviation and other transportation systems
(such as railways), renewable energy (such as
PV and wind plants), as well as large conventional
power and industrial plants and outdoor
sporting and recreational facilities, all present
particular and complex lightning-related challenges.’
“The complexity of these applications arises
from a combination of particular factors. These
include, for example, that such sites typically
have relatively exposed persons, infrastructure,
equipment and systems, often over an
extended area.
“They also typically include a diverse and complex
range of people, systems, technologies
and interfaces in a dynamic and constantly
changing environment, as well as application
and site specific factors such as possible presence
of hazardous locations and particular
site conditions. These are some examples of
factors that impact directly on the risks associated
with lightning safety and lightning protection,
and which require careful consideration in
developing engineered solutions.”
/www.egmontair.co.nz