Tuesday, October 6, 2009

OSHA DEADLINE: May 31, 2010

Hexavalent Chromium-Approaching Quickly



With the May 31, 2010 OSHA (OSHA 1910.134) deadline vastly approaching it is going to be imperative that engineering safety controls are in place to reduce employee exposure to Hexavalent Chromium. This is for those companies that are at the action level or above the Personal Exposure Limit (PEL). There are many companies on the market that offer solutions for reducing and protecting operators from Hexavalent Chromium. Multiple engineering controls are recommended to ensure operators are thoroughly protected and the exposure limit is not exceeding OSHA regulations. Many of the welding fume extractor companies that I researched are well aware of this regulation and have knowledgeable staff that can assist with choosing the appropriate fume extractor for your application. There will be a major difference in price depending on the size and style of fume extractor that you choose. The configuration and specifications of the welding fume extractor will be dependant on the overall welding process and several other factors. My research yielded that there is a huge fluctuation between air volume, filtration media, efficiency of the media, unit size, and overall performance of the fume extractors. I suggest asking the companies if you can evaluate the models before buying a system. This will allow you or the operator to get totally comfortable with the unit, and make sure it works appropriately with your system. The three companies that I researched included: Lincoln Electric, Sentry Air Systems, and Air Quality Engineering. All three companies had plenty of information on their web-pages, and seem to be the highest in quality and performance. I would encourage you to visit the websites and find the appropriate type of system for your welding process. Some of the helpful links that I ended up finding include:

Lincoln Electric:

This company is on the ball and has a lot of useful information on their website. They seem to be the leaders in the field and even have a campaign to educate welders called “Are you Ready”. They have multiple styles and configurations of welding fume extractors, and seem to be reasonably priced.
http://www.lincolnelectric.com/weld-fume-control/


Sentry Air Systems:

This company had a publication on their website with third party industrial hygiene testing data. If you do not want to read the report they have a video on the page that explains the testing and results in great detail. I found this to be a very useful bit of information and it definitely gave them some credibility. They also offer several unique configurations of systems that would work in a large magnitude of chrome welding applications. http://www.sentryair.com/specs/Welding-Fume-Extractor-Arm-300-WFE.htm


Air Quality Engineering:

Here is another solid outfit with a lot of knowledge on this OSHA standard. They have several different units and a very helpful sales staff that will assist you with the proper piece of equipment for your application. http://www.air-quality-eng.com/chrome6.php


Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium is very serious and should not be taken lightly. If you believe that you have a problem, or are being exposed please contact your safety manager or shop foreman. Multiple engineering controls are suggested to keep employees under the action level and PEL. For more information on safety guidance or specific standards read the OSHA guidelines on compliance OSHA Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Hexavalent Chromium Standards, page 9, OSHA 3320-10N 2006).