• JackieP
    2
    The company I work for is looking at replacing the portable vacuum cleaner / dust extractor we use on site.
    We drill into concrete and cut linea board. I had recently attended a seminar where we were told an M class vacuum cleaner was ok but WorkSafe documentation on silica dust states that a H class vacuum cleaner should be used.
    Can anyone recommend a suitable vacuum cleaner / dust extractor that can be attached to tools.
    Thanks
  • Derek Miller
    39
    HI Jackie
    Type 'M's' are foer silica as well as 'H' type ones. These are only recently onto market so not all WorkSafe info wil be up to date. To play safe always check with the manuafacturer (quick email) if it will be suitbale for what you want. I had a recent chat around type M's with Switerland and they came back with the info I needed to make a decsion on it.
  • JackieP
    2
    Hi Derek

    According to WorkSafe https://worksafe.govt.nz/topic-and-industry/dust/silica-dust-in-the-workplace/ or
    file:///C:/Users/GJG/Downloads/WKS-17-Dust-silica-dust-in-the-workplace%20(1).pdf

    "Use an H-class vacuum cleaner in accordance with
    Standard AS/NZS 60335.2.69, fitted with a filter
    that can achieve an efficiency of 99.995% (eg H14
    HEPA filter complying with Standard AS 4260)."

    An M-class vacuum cleaner can have a H14 hepa filter installed but it is still an M-class vacuum cleaner
  • Derek Miller
    39
    HI Jackie

    Agree, but remember this is only gidnace towards good practice not a must do. If you can prove that an alteernatiive works as well then it can be used. This is the meaning of good practice and not best, ie situation and technolgy are always adavncing and we can't expect worksafe to updatinig their guidelines every week, so it falls to us to do our checks in the background to make sure that we have teh information to show that an altewrnative can be used and wrok successfully.

    Cheers
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