Checking gas levels with our Portable Dreager gas detector

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A local client in Southampton has recently installed a new oven for a more efficient drying process with their manufacturer.

Since the installation their air compressor does not draw in enough cold air to circulate within air fed masks used by the colleagues, and thought the installation could be the cause. We were asked to check the gas levels within the air being produced from the compressor to make sure the levels were adequate. Carbon dioxide and Oxygen levels were measured using our portable Dreager gas detector to measure and record the levels across a work week period.

Using our Dreager we can test for sulphur dioxide, methane as well.

 

For more on this service and all our services please call on 01329 287  777 or fill out the form below;

 

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Personal Air testing for Silica Content

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A new client works within the electromagnet industry providing parts for MRI scanners. We visited their site which contains several units moving through the process from raw metal materials to the coiled magnet itself.

A new process involves mica tapes to wrap copper metal for the magnet. We carried out personal air testing for silica content and also inhalable and respirable mica particles due to the chemical having two EH40 limits, to make sure the employee was not subjected over the workplace levels.

 

For more information on this service and all our other services please do not hesitate to contact us on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below;

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Monitoring within a gas turbine engine

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Last week we visited a local aircraft parts operator, to carry out monitoring within a gas turbine engine.

We carried out gases checks for carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide using our Dreager gas detector and also checked for particulates and VOCS whilst it was running.

 

Monitoring lead in air

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A new client of Envirochem within the oil and gas industry, have contacted our occupational hygiene team to help with monitoring lead in air.

This is while their contracted workforce are stripping and servicing old storage tanks ready to be used again. We have set up both personal and static background monitoring within the tanks, and all activity in and out of each tank across the day is logged to work out the personal exposure.

We will now analysis the samples back at our lab to check the dust concentration of both inhalable and respirable dust, as well as metal content using our ICP-OES, with the primary focus being the lead concentration.

Vehicle fume monitoring

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This week we have teamed up with our local council to carry out vehicle fume monitoring, within a maintenance workshop located in a car park. This was to analysis the exposure to nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide and particulates that are produced from the cars and then diffuses into the workshop where several employees work.

This is initial monitoring using gas diffusion tubes and also a particulate monitor which are set up for a week, to identify the current levels of the fumes. From this further monitoring will take place and even a plan for a new extraction system to elevate the concerns for the employees; depending on the results of the analysis.

For more on this please call us on 01329 287 777 or fill out the form below

 

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Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) testing

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The continued and increasingly widespread occurrence of occupational related lung diseases in the UK has lead to stringent guidelines and requirements for Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV).

Nearly a decade ago in May 2008, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a new guide (HSG258) on LEV for various occupations, such as designers, installers and examiners, as well as guidance for employers and their employees who depend on sufficient LEV for their wellbeing.

COSHH regulations require that all LEV systems to be tested every 14 months to ensure that they are operating well enough to protect workers who depend on these systems for their safety. Systems that require testing include all oil mist, welding fume, smoke and dust extraction units. These examinations must be undertaken by competent personnel who work and provide reports according to HSE standards. Inadequate testing can result in employers being prosecuted, insurance being invalidated and employees getting ill.

For nearly 30 years Envirochem has provided comprehensive LEV testing in accordance with HSG258 guidelines. An Envirochem examination measures air flow speed (velocity) of air being extracted from the source and in the ductwork. These results are then compared to recommended velocities set by the HSE. Our vast experience in the area of occupation hygiene allows us to provide practical advice and recommendations.

 

For more on this service please fill out the form below or call us on 01329 287 777

 

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Atmospheric emissions monitoring

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Over the past few weeks, we have teamed up with a local car part manufacturer to test their atmospheric emissions produced from using paints, solvents as well as any dust through grinding or buffering with the manufacturing processes. They have four local sites, which all have different units housing a different process, and therefore a different hazard. We have tested for particulates, isocyanates found in paints and other solvents and volatile organic compounds, to make sure their filter systems are working correctly.

If this is something you need carried out at your site, please make an enquiry through the form below or call us on 01329 287 777.

 

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Cruise ship advanced wastewater Purification testing

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With the summer season in full swing, We have had regular cruise ship visits at the Southampton Port to test their Advanced Wastewater Purification. On board we liaise with the Environment Officer and Engineers to take the samples, and measure pH and chlorine directly after the samples are taken. We then return the samples to the lab for chemical and biological testing. The analysis is then sent out to  our Canadian client who looks after the assessment of many of the fleet that dock in Southampton.

 

For this service or for any of our other services please fill out the form below or call on 01329 287 777

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Emissions testing

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We are currently helping a local University test the efficiency of their emission filters to restrict vehicle fumes entering the building and thus in the air circulation throughout the rooms. We have set up tubes to test sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide to test the concentration of the gases from the ventilation, and also tested for particulates in the air. This is an ongoing project with every building tested either before or after the filters have been changed.

Lead in Paint Survey for Homebuyers

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Envirochem were recently approached by an individual client who requested a Lead in paint survey be carried out on a property they wanted to purchase.

An individual client used Envirochems website to contact us and to request a Lead in paint survey on a property they wanted to purchase in Reigate. The client had a home buyers carried out on the property they wanted to purchase and it was highlighted that due to the age of the property, Lead paint may have been used in the decoration of the building. With concerns of the Lead content in paint and with a young child, the client wanted the paint from various areas of the building checked before remediation works are carried out within the property. With the aid of the client, sampling areas were agreed and scrapings from various surfaces were taken of the paint, labelled and bagged and taken back to the laboratory from analysis. Paint sampled are digested in Aqua Regia using microwave digestion and subsequently analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrophotometry (ICP-OES) using our UKAS accredited procedure (please note, Envirochem are only accredited for the analysis of Lead in paint and not the sampling of lead in paint). A report was subsequently produced to report the results.

Envirochem can carry out a variety of paint analysis for individual homebuyers and other clients. For this serives and all our other services please call us on 01329 287 777 or fill in the form below.

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