Page 18 - MetalForming February 2014

Safety Update
Portable Dust Collector Captures Contaminants at the Source,
with Minimal Energy Consumption
wasteful process.
The conductive yarn fiber in the new
Airflow Systems, Inc., Dallas, TX, introduces the PCH series of portable dust-collection systems that provide source-point collection of airborne con- taminants. Use the units to prevent contaminants such as dust from welding and
cutting, as well as oil mist,
from migrating throughout
the facility to settle on
equipment and fixtures.
HyFlex gloves leverages the electrical sig- nals naturally generated by the human body to activate touchscreens. The yarn is woven with a layer of metal that provides conductivity between the fingertip and touchscreen so that workers need not remove their gloves.
The systems employ
the E-Z Arm high-flow
extractor arm design
that eliminates the
airflow resistance
common with internally supported arms. This enables the PCH series to reportedly pro- duce higher airflow levels with lower power requirements than competitive units.
The gloves are covered with a layer of polyurethane coating for enhanced sliding and finger movement, and feature different dipping styles to meet specific user needs. Style 11-101 is palm-dipped for optimum mechanical resistance and protection, while style 11-105 is finger-dipped for improved fit and flexibility.
The PCH series also includes a dynamically balanced, non-sparking aluminum motor, designed to enable the compact, easily maneuvered unit to collect contaminants directly at the source without risk of igniting volatile dusts. Choose from motors rated from 0.5 to 3 hp, for airflow rates to 1200 ft.3/min.
OSHA Eases Burden on Press Users
Airflow Systems, Inc.: 214/503-8008; www.airflowsystems.com
New revisions to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Mechanical Power Presses Standard (29 CFR 1910.217) are set to go into effect February 18, 2014. The revisions eliminate a requirement for employers to document mandatory weekly inspections of presses, while clarifying the responsibility of employ- ers to perform and document any main- tenance or repairs necessary to protect the safety of workers who operate them. OSHA calculates that removing the weekly inspection and test certifications will elim- inate 613,600 hr. of unnecessary paper- work burden on employers.
Gloves Feature Conductive Yarn for Touchscreen Devices
Ansell, Iselin, NJ, intro- duces HyFlex 11-101 and 11-105 protective gloves, manufactured with a spe- cial conductive yarn designed to allow inter- action with touchscreen equipment without remov- ing the gloves.
In addition, OSHA has aligned the exist- ing standard’s maintenance and repair provisions to the American National Stan- dards Institute standard for safety require- ments for mechanical power presses. The standard states that maintenance and repair must be completed before the mechanical power press is operated and, in keeping with the ANSI standard, employ- ers must certify maintenance and repair for the entire machine rather than for certain parts of the press.
Ansell: 800/800-0444; www.ansell.com
While the rapidly
expanding use of touch-
screen technology in the
controls of manufacturing
equipment allow operators
to expedite data input and
maintain schedules, safety
regulations require that
all workers move to safety
zones before removing their gloves. HyFlex 11-101 and 11-105 gloves eliminate that
More information is available at www.federalregister.gov.
16 MetalForming/February 2014
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