“Aimex Limited was sentenced recently in the Nelson District Court for failing to ensure a worker was not exposed to hazards arising from the use of a hazardous substance. The worker was found unresponsive in the empty engine room of a catamaran where they were using a solvent to clean oily residue. They were taken to hospital and has since suffered ongoing health issues.
“This case is a reminder to businesses that they must ensure effective controls are applied, including adequate ventilation, when their workers are using solvents. The company was fined $250,000 and ordered to pay $50,000 reparation. It was also ordered to pay $15,000 consequential loss, and $1,434.12 prosecution costs.”
As All Round Safety reiterate, looking after your workers is a key role of any business, ensuring that they have the correct equipment in place when dealing with organic solvents. In the above scenario the worker should have been wearing the CleanAIR® Pressure Flow Master Starter Kit and CleanAIR® Unimask HeadTop from Dalton International.
When working with organic solvents in confined spaces it is important to note the following:
Always use supplied air (airline or SCBA) in confined spaces as concentration levels can increase very quickly.
Airline respiratory is best in this case as it has unlimited work time and is less cumbersome than SCBA.
The UNImask is a good solution as it’s more comfortable than a full face mask and provide excellent field of vision and adjustable airflow between the top and bottom of the mask.
All Round Safety carries the CleanAir range from Dalton International, and can assist you with finding solutions within a wide range of their quality products. They work with customers in the Mining, Oil and Gas industry, Construction Steel, Food Industry, Transport, Forestry, Emergency, Engineering, Asbestos Removal and more, so for more information on emergency showers and road cones please go to https://www.allroundsafety.co.nz.
