Effects of airflow in the workplace ~Case Study~

Currently, I think there are many people in charge who are proceeding with measures for autonomous management of chemical substances.
Many measures such as risk assessments and confirmation measurements are being required, but once again, I would like to introduce the case of “airflow effects” among the points when proceeding with environmental improvements.

The following details are listed for each priority as the main method for improving the work environment.

Of these, the “airflow” factor often has an effect on 2 and 3, and the following cases may be seen in the field.

case 1

Wind was applied to the work part of a worker using hazardous substances with the aim of diluting the concentration with a fan.
→ Harmful substances diffuse due to the effects of the fan's air volume, wind direction, etc., and the result is that it affects other measurement points and surrounding areas.

case 2

An object containing hazardous substances was placed in an open state in the neighboring room across the door of the room to be measured.
→ In the room to be measured, a local exhaust device was installed and operated, so the room had negative pressure compared to the neighboring room, and harmful substances were drawn in from the door slit.

case 3

It is work with an exhaust device (external type) installed, but there is a lot of traffic from other workers in nearby passageways.
→ It was affected by airflow (external turbulence) generated by human movement, and harmful substances were diffused without being fully exhausted.

When proceeding with work environment improvements, there are cases where focusing on “airflow” within the workplace smoothly leads to improvements, and conversely, there are cases where unexpected airflow effects such as the following lead to the diffusion of hazardous substances.

In workplaces, there are many factors such as measures against heat, restrictions on work processes, etc., and in reality, eliminating the effect of airflow at all is difficult,

Why don't you consider the above examples of countermeasures and proceed with improvement activities?

When measuring, we make suggestions for improvements based on the relationship between the diffusion status of hazardous substances and indoor airflow while using smoke testers, differential pressure gauges, etc. as necessary.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any problems with environmental management.