Pneumatic conveying has already changed the face of workplace safety in certain industries. By removing waste in a more efficient manner, it can save time, save space and reduce transport logistics. It can also reduce the existence of airborne particles and improve the standards of manual handling in a workplace, which means this innovative method of conveying dry materials is likely to become the workplace standard for years to come.
What is Pneumatic Conveying?
Pneumatic conveying uses a pipe system operated by a circuit of pressure, vacuums or closed loops, along with movable equipment such as tubing, to convey dry bulk material from one place to another. This is in place of an open-air system, which may see waste simply tipped into a skip or van for removal. With pneumatic conveying, waste is sucked through a tube via a stationary unit that is linked underground to the end point.
Which industries can benefit from pneumatic conveying?
Many industries would improve the health and future well-being of staff by using such a process in order to dispose of waste that leaves behind airborne particles, which can remain in the atmosphere. Glassmaking, woodwork, ceramics and textiles are all industries where airborne particles can have ill effects on staff health. In industries such as these where pneumatic conveying has been introduced, they have found that one of the main benefits has been this reduction in dangerous, invisible particles, even though this is not necessarily the main reason for investing in the equipment in the first place. Injuries and strains from manual handling are another common complaint when it comes to the movement of dry bulk materials. Pneumatic conveying cuts this down dramatically.
Other ways to improve workplace health
Pneumatic conveying is just one way that better systems can improve the health of staff in terms of waste handling. The use of sack tip equipment, available from bulk material handling experts such as http://aptech.uk.com, can also improve the manual handling standards of a given workplace. Sack tip equipment reduces the need for human manual handling and allows some waste removal to be done by machinery.
Pneumatic conveying is almost certainly here to stay, particularly in industries where staff health is compromised by hazardous materials or manual handling issues. It should lead to cleaner, safer and more pleasant workplace environments.