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Air Filtration For Original Equipment Manufacturers
Air filtration is vital to the health and safety of any building’s employees, inhabitants, and the equipment inside it. In fact, according to the United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air inside of buildings is two-to-five times more polluted than the air outside. Understanding the importance of air filtration for all sorts of applications, Filter King specializes in offering both standard and custom air filter solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
Industrial processes often performed in OEM factories general industrial dust. Industrial dust is generated during activities like cutting, drilling, grinding, and sawing. This means manufacturing facilities present challenging production environments, especially as it relates to indoor air quality (IAQ). Various types of smoke, fumes, metals, dusts, fillers, and other harmful contaminants can be present in OEM facilities, making the filtration of air crucial.
Manufacturing processes that generate a significant amount of dust include:
- Welding
- Chemical processing
- Food processing
- Laser cutting
- Abrasive blasting
- Glass and ceramic manufacturing
- Pharmaceutical solid dose manufacturing
- Woodworking
- Metal and plastic extrusion
- Transportation of powder materials
Many standard air filters do not meet the high demand and longevity requirements needed in certain OEM facilities, which is why Filter King offers custom air filter for OEMs.
Some common reasons air filtration is needed in OEMs are:
- To protect the equipment from harmful contaminants
- To remove contaminants from the air and purify gas streams
- To protect personnel throughout the OEM facility
- To separate and isolate end-use product from the air stream
Factory air risk management
The air we breathe every day consists of necessary chemical elements like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Unfortunately, everyday air also includes chemicals like formaldehyde or carbon monoxide, which under normal circumstances with proper humidity and barometric pressure, are safe for healthy humans to tolerate. But if you take that everyday air and add in the chemicals used in manufacturing, the dust produced during OEM processes, plus the often confined spaces that OEMs are in, you can find air that is uncomfortable or even toxic to ingest.
A factory air risk management assessment is a common way to regularly monitor an OEMs air toxicity level. A risk management assessment begins by monitoring the air and defining the current situation within the OEM. The air should be tested to satisfy the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), health studies for workers’ compensation, HVAC temperature monitors, and safety concerns for extreme conditions.
OSHA and IAQ
Under OSHAact, employers are required to follow the General Duty Clause, which requires workers be provided with a safe workplace free of any known hazards that can cause or are likely to cause death or serious injury. Additionally, employers should be aware of the possible sources of poor air quality and they should have the resources necessary to recognize and control workplace hazards. OSHA also requires employers to keep records that identify all of the dust that is generated in a facility.
OSHA also has set permissible exposure limit (PEL) thresholds for ariborne contaminants in the workplace. If air quality testing shows that an OWM facility does not meet these exposure limits, the personnel in that facility are exposed to poor IAQ.
While there is no singular test to identify an IAQ problem, employers should regularly check temperatures, humidity, and airflow rates throughout their buildings. OSHA also recommends inspection and testing of the ventilation and HVAC systems. In addition to regular risk management and HVAC systems testing, the best way to stay ahead of harmful air pollution in and OEM is to have the correct MERV-rated air filters in place.
Keep OEM employees safe
Some side effects of ingesting toxic chemicals through air include:
- Irritation of the eyes, nose, or throat
- Strained breathing like coughing, wheezing, tightness in the chest
- Existing health conditions become worse
- Increased risk of heart disease, cancer, kidney, and liver diseases
Needless to say, no OEM or building owner wants to put employees at risk for even the most minor health condition. This is why it is important to choose the correct OEM air filter with the correct Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating for any given manufacturing facility. Filter King offers MERV rated filter media of eight, 11, and 13, which are all mid-level ratings that have less restricted airflow and do not need frequent changing. Between MERV eight and 13, air filters can block pollen, odors, dust, dust mites, lint, pet dander, mold spores, and exhaust fumes. MERV 13 can filter virus carriers, including the coronavirus, bacteria, microscopic allergens, and smoke.
Protect your equipment
Not only does poor IAQ negatively impact personnel, it can lead to slow equipment productivity and a faster need to replace machinery. Unseen dust and particles left in the air for long periods of time will migrate to HVAC systems, causing poor air flow and increases risk to employees. Inadequate IAQ also affects equipment, causing downtime while waiting for repairs or replacement parts. Just as with HVAC equipment, undesired air pollutants can cause many types of machines and equipment to work harder, again hampering regular productivity.
Your first step to preventing employee and equipment harm throughout an OEM facility is to start with a properly fitting air filter. Filter King’s filters are suitable for homes, industrial workspaces, and commercial spaces. Our air filters are used in a variety of industries like food processing, pharmaceuticals, and various types manufacturing.
Filter King has been in business more than four years and has established a strong reputation for making affordable and effective air filters. Our air filters are designed to remove airborne particles such as dust, pollen, and smoke, making them a great choice for people with allergies, those with respiratory problems, and OEMs who need to keep harmful chemicals off of their equipment and out of their employees’ lungs.
Contact Filter King today to learn about our more than 300 standard sizes of air filters, or to get started with a custom air filter order, all of which are proudly made in the USA.
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