What are the three types of industrial ventilation?
As an employer, you must ensure your employees are safe. If their workspace has fumes, gases, vapours, dust, or other pollutants, you have a responsibility to protect them.
Industrial ventilation is important. Harmful substances can make the workplace uncomfortable. They can also cause long-term health problems for workers.
To keep your staff safe and healthy, adequate industrial ventilation is a must.
There are three main types of ventilation:
- Natural Ventilation
- Diluting General Ventilation
- Exhaust Ventilation
Natural Ventilation
Natural ventilation uses openings such as windows, doors, and ceilings. This allows fresh air to enter a workspace.
It does not rely on mechanical systems. This includes anything that lets air flow freely. It removes harmful air from machines and brings in clean air.
This method works well in many workplaces. However, it is not enough for ventilation in an industrial setting.
Diluting General Ventilation
A Diluter System is a standalone filter that lowers and controls fume levels in a workshop or factory.
When combined with Natural and Exhaust Ventilation, Diluting General Ventilation can help in industrial workplaces. This includes welding workshops, garages, and other areas with a lot of fumes in the air.
Exhaust Ventilation
Exhaust ventilation is important in many workplaces. It helps prevent harmful air contaminants. This ensures that employees do not breathe in pollutants. As a result, it maintains a safe working environment.
What is an industrial ventilation system?
Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) captures fumes, dust, gases mists and vapours at their source, which means that they can not escape into the air in the workplace.
Your extraction system should enclose the process as much as possible and be easy for workers to use. This could be via the use of an adequately sized hood or booth.
All new and current employees should receive proper training. It’s also crucial to regularly maintain and test your system to ensure it meets standards and provides good ventilation.
Capturing and containing harmful substances before they are leaked into the air of the working environment helps to keep your workforce safe and well. Installing a commercial ventilation system is therefore crucial for maintaining optimal indoor air quality.
It must be stated that all pollutants must be filtered and discharged to a safe place and this must be checked and tested regularly.
It is important when installing these types of ventilation systems that you employ a company that can avoid the various and common errors which include:
- Choosing the wrong size of hood for current and possible future use
- Not ensuring adequate airflow
- Placing the hood too far away from the process, reduces effectiveness of removing fumes
- Failing to have a regular check system to ensure the ventilation is always working properly
- No workforce education and training to ensure that they understand the importance of effective ventilation
If you are an employer with a workforce in an industrial setting, and you want to find out more about all types of industrial ventilation systems, why not give us a call?