Cleaning with Compressed Air
Basics
- Compressed Air can be used to clean Dust/Sawdust / Metal Chips from a surface, such as Miter Saws , CNC Routers / CNC Mills , etc
- HOWEVER
- As per CFR Section 1926.302(b)(4) , "Compressed air shall not be used for cleaning purposes except where reduced to less than 30 p.s.i. and then only with effective chip guarding and personal protective equipment which meets the requirements of subpart E of this part."
- Essentially:
- Either reduce the Air Supply Pressure to 30 PSI ( With a Regulator ) or use a Compressed Air Cleaning Nozzle ( "Safety Nozzle" ) which uses a Venturi or other mechanism to reduce the pressure measured at the tip (This is nice since line pressure can be kept the same up to the quick connect if other tools need to be swapped out, also Foolproof to an extent)
- Essentially:
- Also Mechanical Guarding / PPE should be used
- Some neat Acrylic Shields to keep the dust from blowing back towards the person, and also just having safety glasses with sides/goggles on so the dust doesn't get lodged in one's eye
- Main Reasons are Dust Getting Into Eyes, and Noise Hazard (Need to get a source on this aspect)
Internal Links
External Links
- The OSHA . gov Page on This (Links to both the 926.302(b)(4) Regulation, and Interpretation on It)
- A Video by the YouTube Channel "Guardair Corporation" Titled "30 PSI EXPLAINED – OSHA Standard 1910.242(b) – Cleaning with Compressed Air" ( ~3 Minute Watch )
- Does have the obvious bias of selling their product, but otherwise fine
- A Similar Video from the YouTube Channel "EXAIR" Titled "Air Nozzles & Safety Air Guns from EXAIR" which is similar, albeit a bit more direct on their product, but offers another company's perspective/solutions to the issue ( ~7 Minute Watch )
