Reference Brochure Practical applications of hazardous material work stations
2 Andreas Hübner, Product Manager of Ventilation Technology at asecos ››› Technical ventilation - for maximum health protection and your safety
3 The hazardous material work station A multi-purpose solution Discover the diverse uses for hazardous material work stations in practice. Processes used to separate, synthesise, analyse, or filter materials are key to today's process industry. Chemicals are required in many techniques applied in such processes. And whenever harmful chemicals are used, or final products posing health or environmental hazards are produced, care must be taken to optimally protect both humans and the environment against such hazards. If toxic vapours or gases are produced during everyday work, hazardous material work stations can protect against harm. How do hazardous material work stations protect workers? When working with hazardous materials, it is important that hazardous vapours, gases, or suspended particles are extracted immediately at the point where they are produced or emitted. An optimal combination of air supply and exhaust ensures hazardous materials are retained and extracted reliably and efficiently within the hazardous material work station, before they can pose a danger to people or the environment.
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5 Practical applications of hazardous material work stations Table of contents 1 2 3 4 5 Hazardous material work stations 1.1 How it works ............................................................................................................ Page 6-7 1.2 Explanation of DIN EN 14175 - Part 3 ............................................................. Page 8-9 1.3 Equipment features ................................................................................................ Page 10-11 Practical applications 2.1 Overview of use ....................................................................................................... Page 12-13 2.2 Producing plastic models ..................................................................................... Page 14-15 2.3 Preparing tissue samples ...................................................................................... Page 16-17 2.4 Gluing, casting, cleaning ......................................................................................... Page 18-19 2.5 Inspecting water samples ..................................................................................... Page 20-21 2.6 Cleaning semiconductors ..................................................................................... Page 22-23 2.7 Document restoration ............................................................................................ Page 24-25 2.8 Materials analysis .................................................................................................... Page 26-27 2.9 Hazardous materials extraction in circulated air technology ..................... Page 28-29 2.10 Inspection of tissue samples - tumour research ........................................... Page 30-31 2.11 Supply system for foodstuff inspections .......................................................... Page 32-33 2.12 Inspecting chemical samples ............................................................................... Page 34-35 2.13 Mobile “Analytic Task Force” ................................................................................. Page 36-37 2.14 Pathological tissue preparation .......................................................................... Page 38-39 Model overview 3.1 asecos testing and application centre .............................................................. Page 40-41 3.2 Hazardous material work stations with 1100 mm height ........................... Page 42 3.3 Hazardous material work stations with 1400 mm height ........................... Page 43 3.4 Safety storage cabinets with disposal systems .............................................. Page 44 3.5 Weighing work stations ......................................................................................... Page 45 3.6 Suction hoods ......................................................................................................... Page 46 3.7 Radial fans ................................................................................................................. Page 47 asecos safety concept 4.1 asecos services ........................................................................................................ Page 48-49 asecos product programme 5.1 Overview of products ............................................................................................. Page 50-51
6 1 3 7 2 4 6 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 air entering through the front opening radial fan air intake aluminium tubular frame upper fresh air curtain lower fresh air curtain deflector exhaust air
7 The capacity of the hazardous material work station to hold pollutants in check depends to a large extent on the air speeds achieved by the device’s inlet air. Increasing the inlet air flow increases the exhaust air flow at the same time. High air speeds are needed in the area of the front opening in order to capture pollutants optimally and direct them elsewhere. It is only this interaction that can prevent the possibility of pollutants “rebounding” from the rear wall and being pushed forwards out of the hazardous material work station. Fresh air curtain Thanks to the optimised exhaust air ducts, and to the use of fresh air curtains in the upper and lower parts of the front opening, the asecos hazardous material work station can satisfy the requirements described above: - air supply to the fresh air curtain through a powerful radial fan - air required is sucked in from the work area - fresh air transported through the alumin- ium frame sections jointed at corner nodes - excess pressure developed in the tubular frame feeds the fresh air nozzles, which point inwards at 45° - hazardous materials (gases, vapours or suspended solids) present or being gen- erated in the working area are securely captured and transported back towards the rear wall - for optimised evacuation, efficient cap- ture of the hazardous materials through the suction slots and transfer to the ex- haust air system, the hazardous material work station must always be connected to a suitable exhaust air system Secure pollutant capture The hazardous material work station offers the user a highly efficient form of pollutant capture through blowing carefully directed fresh air curtains at the front, and through a vacuum at the rear wall. Secure function - permanent display of the air system pa- rameters through monitoring equipment fitted as standard - monitoring the air in the exhaust and sup- ply ducts through pressure measurement - integrated pressure cells with adjustable nominal value, adjusted for the required (minimum) quantities - alarm signal (audible and visible) given if the parameters drift outside a 10% tolerance from the specified figures. The visual alarm only stops when the nominal values are reached again. - optional isolated alarm contact for signa- ling to a central control point - integrated back-up battery to maintain function of the monitoring unit in the event of a power failure Conclusion The hazardous material work stations from asecos offer A optimal matched fresh air curtains in the region of the front opening B optimised exhaust air ducts C equipment to monitor the air parameters as standard and so guarantee the user the highest levels of safety and protection against hazardous vapours How does the asecos hazardous materials work station work?
8 Ventilation testing in accordance with EN 14175 – Part 3 What does that mean? EN 14175 consists of the following parts: Part 1: Terms Part 2: Requirements for safety and capacity Part 3: Type test methods Part 4: On-site test procedure Part 5: Recommendations for installation and servicing Part 6: Exhausts with regulated volume flow rates Part 7: Fume cupboards for special application with high thermal load and/ or acidic load Aim: The aim of Part 3 of the European standard EN 14175 is to specify the type testing procedure for evaluating the safety and the airflow capacity of exhaust equipment. In accordance with the hazardous materials regulations and the work station regulations, hazardous vapours, gases or suspended solids that are released must be fully captured at the place where they emerge or where they are created before they can damage health or the environment. The asecos hazardous material work station is a highly effective way of ensuring that no vapours, gases or suspended solids involved in handling hazardous working materials (for instance when filling containers, gluing, cleaning, preparing, weighing etc.) pollute the breathable air. This has been proven in tests that accord with EN 14175 Part 3, Type Testing Procedure for Exhausts, paragraph part 5.4.4 (Robustness of the retention capacity), if properly used they also ensure that no explosive gas-air mixtures accumulate inside the device (proven by an additional test according with DIN 12924 Part 1, Concentration of hazardous gases inside devices). Comment: The lowest known explosion limits are around 6000 ppm (the lower explosive limit (LEL) of hydrogen). Testing in accordance with DIN 12924 Part 1 for the maximum pollutant concentration in the interior of the device defines a maximum permissible concentration of 2000 ppm of pollutant (which represents a safety factor of at least 3). In this test it has been clearly demonstrated that the maximum pollutant concentration in the asecos hazardous material work station has not exceeded 320 ppm. This offers the user a safety level that is 20 times higher and thereby far exceeds the requirements of DIN 12924 Part 1. All tests have been carried out by recognised and certified test institutes. Test setup: • In order to test the robustness of the retention capacity, nine samplers are positioned on a grid directly in front of the hazardous material work station in a measuring plane that is parallel to the front opening (refer also here to Picture 2). • In addition, a flat, rectangular board with a height of 1900 mm and a width of 400 mm (movable along a line parallel to the front opening) is constructed in front of the hazardous material work station. • When testing the robustness of the capture capacity, the board is moved back and forth at a speed of 1 m/s transverse to the front side, across the full width of the hazardous material work station. • A mixture of sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen (N2) is used as a test gas, in which the proportion of SF6 by volume is 10%. Test procedure: • The board which is vertical and oriented at a right angle to the work station, is moved back and forth at a speed of 1 m/s transverse the front face. • At each side the board is moved to a point at least 600 mm beyond the total width of the work station. • Thirty seconds elapse between each transit. The concentration of test gas is measured and recorded. • The movement of the plate is started after 60 s and six complete transits are carried out. • The gas analyser continues to measure the signal for a further 30 s. • The test gas outlet is shut off, and the data evaluated. All the evaluated measurements are collected and listed on the test report. The results achieved in the tests underline the outstanding performance of the asecos hazardous material work stations: Conclusion: If the hazardous material work station is used properly, the resulting pollutant concentrations are far below the levels permitted by DIN 12924 Part 1, thus preventing the formation of explosive gas-air mixtures!
9 2 1 1 3 measuring grid with 9 samplers moveable board positioned parallel to the front of the hazardous material work station hazardous material work station 2 3 Picture 1 Picture 2 Picture 3
10 At a glance: model line GAP-LINE Exhaust air monitoring • with visual and audible alarm • optionally including potential-free alarm contact • integrated on/off switch and light switch Support frames • can be chosen for standing or sitting work • strong tubular frame design, material strength 4 mm, light grey powder-coated (similar to RAL 7035) • height can be set by means of adjustable feet, covers optionally available Disposal system for type 90 under bench cabinets • suitable for your hazardous material work station • for further information see chapter UB-LINE Anti-glare lighting • energy-saving lamp with removable cover • easily accessible, easy replacement of the fluorescent tube Aluminium tubular frame design • robust, rigid design, low weight, low floor stress • anodised surface, chemically resistant Electrical sockets with earthing contact • splash-proof IP 54, integrated into the media duct as standard (min. 2) • additional sockets by request (sockets also possible without media duct) Compatible with a variety of under bench cabinets • for storing flammable liquids, acids, alkalis etc. • can be used together with support frames • matching cover for uniform appearance (optional) Deflector • easily dismantled for optimum cleaning • easy cleaning throughout the interior • a transparent version of the rear wall and deflector is optionally available, ideal for placement in the middle of a room Media duct • optional, for fitting a wide range of media supplies such as water, gas, compressed air etc. Working surfaces • choose, according to need, from: special material board coated in melamine resin, 1.4301 stainless-steel or technical ceramic (high resistance to many acids and alkalis) • the hazardous material work station is also available without a working surface, ideal for mounting on existing working surfaces Transparent side panes • optimum brightness in the hazardous material work station, transparent side panes made from 5 mm toughened safety glass • closed version also available as an option, special material boards coated in melamine resin 1 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 11 10 2
11 For further information about our products please contact your specialised dealer. 1 10 11 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
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13 3 4 5 6 1 2 Hazardous material work stations - Real life application 1. Hazardous material work station for bonding, casting and cleaning at Endress+Hauser Flowtec, Reinach, Switzerland. 4. Hazardous material work station with supply systems for the Chemical and Vetinary Investigation Institute, Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper, Krefeld, Germany. 2. Hazardous material work station for restoring books using solvents at the City Archives, Bochum, Germany. 5. Hazardous material work station for investigating chemical samples at Bayer CropScience, Monheim, Germany. 3. Hazardous material work station for investigating tissue samples at the Medical University, Innsbruck, Austria. 6. Hazardous material work station on mobile trial vehicles at the Fire Brigade, Cologne, Germany.
14 No other mid-sized company can easily match the history of our company, a manufacturer of cast iron products headquartered in Karlstadt. The foundation of today's Düker company was laid in the second half of the 15th century, in the year 1469 to be exact. Many manufacturing industries at the time, such as glass blowing, required cast iron parts. For centuries, such materials were used for peaceful (such as church tower bells and water pipelines) and less peaceful purposes (such as canons). Today, roughly 550 years later, Düker is one of Germany's largest cast iron foundries: Around 700 employees at the company generate over 105 million EUR revenue each year (as of 2010). Glowing iron The raw material iron is melted from scrap metal and other materials in giant furnaces at 1,400 degrees Celsius. The melted material pours, glowing orange, into moulds made of a specially solidified sand mass. This process is used to make a wide variety of moulded pieces, fittings, and products for drainage technology. A specialised “centrifugal casting process” is used to produce iron pipes: during the process, hot iron is fed into so-called chill moulds that rotate to create particularly smooth pipelines. Third party manufacturers can also produce cast iron parts with Düker through our “Customer casting” department. The complex expertise and long-term experience of the foundry benefit machine One thousand four hundred degrees
15 Project summary Application Hazardous material work station with special dimensions for producing plastic models Company: Düker GmbH & Co. KGaA Location Karlstadt Industry: Manufacturer of fittings and pressure pipe fittings Implemented by asecos partner: Günther Fachhandel, Bad Neustadt/Saale manufacturing companies, for example, who produce high-quality cast iron parts for their own products. Models and negative moulds to cast ordered parts are produced in one of the warehouses in front of the foundry, where asecos’ hazardous material work station (HMW) is located. In the beginning was the drawing Mathias Huber is the head of the model building department: “In the beginning is our customer's drawing”, he explains. “Drawings might deal with totally different things like housings for industrial sewing machines or lawnmowers, or they might depict gearbox housings for a truck or locomotive”. To produce a casting mould for an ordered part, model builders first create three-dimensional representations of these drawings by making a plastic model. They might do so through a computer-supported process or manually. Plastic is blended and processed in the asecos hazardous material work station: Model builders blend two components, epoxy resin and a hardening agent, in a highly specific ratio to create their desired degree of hardness. Without suction by the HMW, the process would be a dangerous and damaging one. Materials evaporating from the components can irritate eyes and respiratory tracts, for instance. Protecting health – reducing costs Düker employees protected themselves against the hazardous health effects of plastic casting and processing with the HMW even before the model building department moved into the new warehouse building. In the past, however, they used a separate room for this work with a large suction system specifically designed to vent harmful vapours. This proved to be unnecessarily large and complex, since the percentage of work model builders do that is hazardous to their health is very small – albeit sufficient to require a workstation for the purpose. Choosing a HMW solution, therefore, resulted in significant cost savings. Now Düker can not only save space, but heating and energy costs as well. Model builders got the chance to check out the solution's practical benefits in person in the asecos testing and application centre in Gründau. The company needed a custom depth work surface to ensure the 650 x 850 mm model plates would fit easily into the HMW – along with a mixing vessel with drain for stirring the plastic resin. The result has been in use for years now, and Mathias Huber tells us Düker model builders are satisfied with the system: The HMW found acceptance immediately as a safe, efficient, and practical system.
16 Prof. Hartmut Arps, Director of the Institute for Pathology at the Fulda Clinic, can tell from just a look: If he's looking at diseased tissues under his microscope, their pale pink structures will differ more or less clearly from those of healthy tissues – for instance in their staining, the arrangement of cell nuclei, or cell sizes. Seeing these kinds of differences requires an intimate knowledge of their normal condition and appearance. You need a comprehensive and pictorial knowledge of our internal textures and all their specialised cell shapes – from connective to nerve tissues, and from heart to liver cells. Combined with long-term scientific expertise, this knowledge allows pathologists to decide whether patients are ill, and what they're suffering from. Apart from examining dead bodies (as part of medical quality management), the field of pathology focus primarily on supporting treating physicians in the clinic itself and adjacent practices in detecting illnesses and their causes – working closely with pathologists. These, as Prof. Arps emphasises, are playing more of a consulting role today in finding the right treatment. From formalin to xylene Before visual comparisons can even be completed, tissues must be prepared to be processed into sections, which are thin samples of even thickness. Pathologists need a range of hazardous materials to do so, such as xylene or formalin: The latter is used to affix fresh and infectious materials. Clinical picture
17 Another processing step is even more important: Deviations in tissue composition only become visible after specialised staining processes – pathologists use roughly 30 to 40 different procedures of this type. One standard process, for instance, is HE staining using haematoxylin and eosin. It takes a total of roughly 15 different chemicals to complete such a stain. Comprehensive safety concept The asecos hazardous material work station that protects against vapours from these materials functions as a comprehensive safety concept, as Werner Hüfner explains. He is the safety engineer responsible for the entire clinic. Hospitals are required to have safety engineers by their trade associations – safety engineers ensure compliance with occupational protection regulations. A large number of safety measures keep health hazards and the danger of explosions and fires as low as possible, providing optimal protection to personnel: By keeping chemical inventories well organised in hazardous material cabinets by asecos – and ensuring that individual, disconnected work steps are equalised by being divided into different rooms: “That means employees whose work involves biological hazards aren’t unnecessarily endangered by chemicals they don't even need in the same area as them”, explains Werner Hüfner. Convenient and safe Pathology employees use multiple, individually customised asecos hazardous material work stations when working with chemicals. Nicole Sturm, Medical Technology Assistant, appreciates a variety of benefits of the HMW she works with every day: “The suction is easy to turn on, so users are exposed to absolutely no hazardous materials. The work station is also very well lit, and there are plenty of sockets”. The transparent plastic front offers extra safety: It is divided horizontally and can be folded up, so employees can work and see what they're doing through the pane. When a worker closes the HMW after finishing work, they can observe any sample followup reaction times from the outside without having to open the HMW. Prof. Arps considers the combination of hazardous material work stations and universal hazardous material cabinets by asecos as a practical one offering significant advantages. Prof. Arps praises the latter specifically for its well-developed fresh air management technology, high fire protection classification (F 90), and practical folding doors. Overall, the system now provides not only highly effective protection for employees, but also a “highly secure, modular overall system with easy maintenance and operation”. Project summary Application Hazardous material work station with base cabinet and front panel for preparing tissue samples, use of xylene and formalin, for example Company: Klinikum Fulda gAG, Pathology Location Fulda Industry: Hospital Implemented by asecos partner: Vogel GmbH & Co. KG, Gießen
18 In the flow Flow rate is one of the most frequently recorded process variables in industrial settings. Water, natural gas, oil, chemicals, and waste water are just some examples of materials measured each day. There are a wide variety of available measuring techniques, but none of them are suitable for every application. That’s why Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG produces an extensive range of products used to measure the flow rates of liquids, gases, and vapour. Ultrasound Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG, as its name indicates, specialises in flow measurement technology and is a leading international manufacturer. The company uses all modern measurement principles, including ultrasound flow measurement. Ultrasound flow measurement using the transit-time difference process is based on a simple physical fact: Swimming against the flow takes more energy and time than swimming with the flow. Two or more pairs of sensors transmit and receive ultrasound pulses in parallel. At zero flow, the sensors will receive emitted ultrasound pulses at the same time, without any transit-time difference. If a material is flowing through the measurement equipment, in contrast, the ultrasound waves take different amounts of time (depending on flow rate) to reach the other sensor. This measured “transit-
19 Project summary Application Hazardous material work station for gluing casting, cleaning Company: Endress+Hauser Flowtec AG Location Reinach (CH) Industry: Electronics Implemented by asecos partner: Waldner AG time difference” is used to determine the flow speed and flow volume. Protection from a single source Measurement experts at Endress+Hauser needed an asecos hazardous material work station to produce these measuring devices. Among other tasks, they needed to ensure that water, moisture, and dust couldn’t damage the sensitive electronic assemblies in the measurement devices. Electrical parts such as “piezos” that generate ultrasound waves through vibration could not come into contact with explosive atmospheres. Areas around piezos needed to be hand-insulated with grouting to ensure they were suitable for explosion hazard environments as well. The company needed a variety of solvents and adhesives to handle this adhesion and casting process, and to clean the moulds used to produce measuring equipment. These processes all create hazardous vapours that employees need to be protected against. Ergonomic and safe An asecos hazardous material work station is the ideal solution to meet these demands, as Andreas Suter reports. The mechanical engineer handles production support in the “Coriolis” division of Endress+Hauser: He analyses individual work steps to define efficient workflows for fast, rational, safe, and ergonomic work. Before deciding to purchase a HMW, Andreas Suter paid a special visit to the asecos testing and application centre. There, he could complete some practical testing of specific applications. This option convinced Endress+Hauser to purchase the system, alongside asecos's comprehensive 24 hour service for replacement parts or repairs. Additional sockets and compressed air connections were available on request – along with a RAL 5012 paint scheme in the Endress+Hauser company colour. The purchase price was also competitive with standard hoods according to Andreas Suter, who also praises his collaboration with asecos technicians. Above all, however, employees noticed the positive change right away thanks to a significant reduction in unpleasant odours.
20 Although it's not strictly necessary for occupational safety reasons, the asecos hazardous material work station in the boiler house at the Landsberg am Lech correctional facility is the most secure of its kind. To access the work station “from the outside”, a correctional facility employee has to pull out a heavy keyring half a dozen times to open different gates and doors. After all, the historical prison still houses an average of 700 prisoners serving their sentences at any one time. The “panoptic” building – a design allowing prison personnel to view all of the prison wings radiating in a star shape from a central point – was constructed during the first decade of the 20th century and has been renovated frequently. New buildings and refurbishments have been common especially since the 1960s, and it's not hard to imagine the murderer of Bavarian Prime Minister Kurt Eisner imprisoned here (1919), or Hitler, Heß and Streicher, who were all also former prisoners. Energy from water vapour The boiler house serves as the prison’s own power plant. Four large steam boilers are installed in the room. Two of them handle the prison’s heating system, and two other boilers heat service water and supply the kitchen: The prison kitchen cooks on an industrial scale on steampowered ovens. The correctional facility's laundry also runs on steam: Its rotary ironing machines, washing machines, and dryers use heat produced by the steam and don’t have to use heating coils. Behind bars
21 The entire correctional facility is heated and run from this room – including the seven factory halls where prisoners work and receive training. The halls house a book-binding workshop, a tailor’s shop, and a vehicle workshop. Corrosion-free boilers This means the whole correctional facility depends on the boilers to work well. Trained central heating and ventilation equipment fitter Martin B. (we can't provide his whole name for security reasons) is one employee responsible for monitoring the system. He alternates with his colleagues in monitoring and inspecting the system on a three-shift work schedule. Every boiler is installed upstream of a gas burner operated on city gas. It starts off by heating normal water, which the boiler uses to produce steam like a pressure cooker. Steam is then delivered to the kitchen, laundry, etc. To ensure the boiler isn’t damaged, the water must be decalcified in an osmosis system – with an oxygen binding agent added to ensure the system doesn't become corroded. A phosphate compound prevents deposits on the wall of the boiler for this purpose. Measurements, shift by shift Martin B. and his colleagues take water samples from the boilers regularly to check the degree of hardness in the water. In addition, they use measurements to ensure the boilers contain the right blend of water, silica, and oxygen. They follow the boiler manufacturer’s specifications to do so, and the TÜV inspects the system regularly. Workers use hydrochloric acid and ammonia to complete these regular measurements, for instance – both hazardous chemicals. Ammonia is heavier than air, meaning it does not evaporate but rather collects on the floor, which can cause workers to suffocate. Martin B. and his colleagues always take measurements in their asecos hazardous material work station, which ensures hazardous vapours are ventilated continuously. Before they purchased the system, workers needed to complete measurements outdoors to be safe until the correctional facility's occupational safety officer could find a better solution: “Now we have a very well designed, compact solution that meets all our needs: A hazardous material work station that reliably suctions all of the vapours produced – with plenty of lighting, sockets, and cold and hot water connections”. The asecos safety storage under bench cabinet, where all of the chemicals used have an assigned space and can be stored safely, also impressed Martin B. He summarises the system's benefits with typical Bavarian brevity: “It works!” Project summary Application Hazardous material work station with safety storage under bench cabinet to inspect water samples Company: Landsberg am Lech Correctional Facility Location Landsberg Industry: Official agency Implemented by asecos partner: CVent
22 CANBERRA develops, produces, and sells radiation measurement technology worldwide. This measurement technology is used in environmental analyses and to monitor safety in nuclear power plants and public areas, as well as for radiochemical applications. Canberra Semiconductor specifically develops and produces silicon detectors to record alpha and beta rays and germanium detectors to record gamma rays. The cells used to record these rays are produced using semiconductors. During production, employees handle cleaning and other steps using heated solvents. Setting up hazardous material work stations allows employees in the Canberra production department in the Belgian town of Olen to clean semiconductors with protection against vapours, without having to deal with source extraction or protective panels. Methanol, a highly flammable and toxic substance, is also used at three of the work stations. Acetone and Isopropyl alcohol are used in other areas. All of this work used to pose a fire hazard. The company was also exceeding statutory explosion limits. To limit the fire danger, Canberra was looking for a process that would avoid a build-up of flammable vapours. Then it set up new and practical safety storage cabinets for highly flammable substances to fulfil Belgian and Flemish legal requirements. The company first considered a laboratory hood to reduce Safe semiconductor cleaning at Canberra Semiconductor
23 Project summary Application Hazardous material work station for cleaning work with flammable liquids Company: Canberra Semiconductor Location Olen (Belgium) Industry: Electronics manufacturer Implemented by asecos partner: DENIOS BV hazardous vapours. However, it needed to ensure that the system didn’t interfere with sensitive manual finishing of expensive semiconductors. Employees have to have complete freedom of movement to handle this work. The available laboratory hood with spray guard wasn't a good solution, and the company was looking for alternatives. Past situation In the past, the company worked with source extraction. Source extraction loses much of its effectiveness at the suction opening itself. It also only works if the suction opening is installed directly adjacent to the source of the emissions. This requires discipline from users and, despite their best intentions, always having to change the position of the suction arm while working has proven unrealistic in practice. The Canberra branch found the solution it needed in asecos hazardous material work stations from speciality retailer Denios BV. Thanks to its air curtain technology, a HMW has a completely open front side. This clean air supply prevents employees from breathing in hazardous vapours. Dangerous gases are suctioned at the rear wall. In Olen, the first step was to set up the HMW for working with acetone and Isopropyl alcohol. It’s also equipped with a fireresistant type 90 safety storage cabinet. After a positive interim assessment, the company decided to install three more HMWs for cleaning germanium crystals. A safety storage cabinet was added to each work station for storing chemicals. This makes inventory management and waste disposal much easier. Laboratory hoods where employees can work with strong acids are located in the direct vicinity. The HMWs are equipped with transparent deflectors to keep these hoods more clearly in view. Quality, Safety, & Environmental Manager Steven Majewski is satisfied with the results of the project: “Both bio-monitoring and occupational hygiene measurements showed that employee exposure were below the handling levels, which are 10 percent of the limits applicable in Belgium. Working conditions have improved markedly”.
24 Günter Reimann is a passionate person – especially when it comes to the written and printed word. He's lived in two worlds for decades now: In his personal time, he creates valuable bookbindings (an issue of Augustinus’ Canticle of the Sun he designed is even on display in Mainz’s Gutenberg Museum) – and he works to rescue old books and documents in the Bochum city archives. “For me it's a symbiosis you can’t find in many other professions” says the master bookbinder, who studied book and paper restoration in the Swiss city of Tessin in Ascona, back when the subject wasn’t even available in Germany. The scope of literature to be rescued in the Bochum city archives – including the inventory of the Heimatmuseum – is more extensive than most could imagine. Parchment paper contracts from the Middle Ages and ancient special editions of literary classics are stored here, as are bequests from private individuals and documents from disbanded offices. It’s an enormous collection that could “give someone a headache” as Günter Reimann says, considering that it includes Nazi era newspapers that need to be preserved for posterity just like today's parking tickets. All of these documents can give future generations information on the past, even if they are ephemeral and need to be restored. Between yellowing and adhesive film Worm-eaten and yellowed documents from past centuries aren’t the only Passionate about rescue
25 challenges to restorers – Günter Reimann and his small team find newer legacies a major challenge as well. What used to take mould and woodworms quite some time is accomplished by administrative officials in a few years or decades: Tape was used, for example, to patch tears in the early 1960s – and notorious adhesive foils were used in the 1970s to completely embed documents and records. Although these kinds of materials were supposed to help preserve documents back then, over the long-term they have a destructive effect: resulting in callous, broken, and brown discoloured paper. “People didn’t know any better back then”, says Günter Reimann. Ethyl acetate is the answer today's restorers have to official adhesive films. This highly flammable chemical, however, can damage skin and respiratory tracts and can only be used in asecos hazardous material work station (HMW). The same is true of highly toxic dimethylformamide. This formic acid amide is a carcinogen and can cause reproductive problems, but is used to remove old stamping ink that can destroy documents over the long term. Indelible pencils commonly used in administrative tasks can also be devastating. Senior officials used to use their own colours to sign documents – with initials or a line through the invoice. Cost-efficient and practical Before purchasing the HMW, workers could only use chemicals to complete restorations outdoors – depending on the weather, this could be an unpleasant task. Günter Reimann discovered it at the A+A in Düsseldorf – and was convinced by its price-performance ratio and practical features for his needs. asecos offered some additional features as well: Chemicals could be stored in a separate safety storage cabinet and not underneath the HMW. Workers needed space to move their knees so they would have the patience and time to complete difficult repair work. Another benefit: The machine offers plenty of sockets – an important feature, for instance, for the UV lamp used in disinfection and sterilisation work, for instance to remove mould. Günter Reimann can’t even remember the days before the HMW anymore – there are endless tasks requiring hazardous chemicals: From the materials described above to 96% alcohol used to disinfect surfaces, to Pattex, which has highly flammable vapours and can even cause brain damage: Without suction, hazardous gas-air blends would stay in a room for quite some time. The hazardous material work station promotes the health of Bochum restorers – and helps them pursue their passion. Project summary Application Hazardous material work station for restoration using solvents Company: City of Bochum – city archives Location Bochum Industry: Public facility Implemented by asecos partner: B+G Balandis + Grewe GmbH, Bochum
26 LSI (Laboratory Services International) is an independent commercial laboratory for analysing metals, bulk goods, and (waste) water. The LSI moved to a new operations building on Pittsburghstraat in Rotterdam in 2009, quickly expanding its range of services especially in water analysis. As it constructed its new building, DENIOS was the right partner to provide systems for handling hazardous materials safely. Before setting up the new laboratory, the company took a critical look at its work stations for working with hazardous materials, consciously deciding to replace several initially planned suction hoods with hazardous material work stations (HMWs) from asecos. This allowed them to complete work in a highly safe manner despite the fully open front. Hoods are still used in areas where sprays could pose a hazard. Wherever the company needed weighing work stations, they chose a specialized HMW to provide freedom of movement. This work station is also used to complete fire tests to determine the percentage of precious metals in ores. Suction hood replaced with hazardous material work station 1
27 Project summary Application Hazardous material work station for analytic work Company: LSI Laboratory Services International Location Rotterdam (The Netherlands) Industry: Institute Implemented by asecos partner: DENIOS BV Image 1: LSI will provide even better service and offer an even wider range of functions in its new laboratory. Image 2: New gas cylinder cabinets were installed on the outside of the building, so no more gas cylinders are located in the laboratory. This not only improved internal company safety, but also greatly simplified logistics. The gas supplier can exchange empty gas cylinders for new ones without impacting laboratory operations. Image 3: Ejector technology with fresh air curtains allows for safe work in an HMW with a fully open front. 2 3
28 An elegant stylistic idiom and high-quality finishing make fittings and accessories by Dornbracht an object of desire for anyone who loves good and functional design. They are produced in a generous production hall lit by daylight in the Westphalian town of Iserlohn. The hall also includes an asecos hazardous material work station. Anyone checking out the highly modern production facilities will immediately understand the creative spirit and inspiring atmosphere of this company and its rich traditions. Galvanisation is beautiful Fittings are galvanised in the warehouse, as Sonja Tonat, Master Galvaniser, explains. In short, “water outlets” (called “taps” by laypeople) are made of brass. They owe their beautiful, resistant surfaces to a metallic coating applied using direct current. The coating is applied to raw parts on production lines surrounded in protective glass, where the individual parts are dipped into different rinsing and galvanization tanks on specialized hangers. They typically start off with a layer of nickel that provides a smooth and glossy surface in polished, high gloss fittings. If fittings are to have a brushed surface, they are galvanised in specialised matte nickel bath to retain their texture. In both cases, this extremely thin layer of nickel, roughly 10 times 15 µm thick, also protects the fitting or accessory from corrosion. The piece gets its final visible and decorative layer – of gold or platinum, for example – in the last step. The Spirit of Water
29 Protection for Gavaros Arm The asecos hazardous material work station is now situated in a highly innovative department within the production hall – near the “Gavaros, an acronym for “Galvanisation robot”. This gripper arm robot, roughly 1.5 metres tall, is a joint development of Dornbracht, system builder Carat, and Kiesow, a supplier of basic chemicals used in galvanising technology. It handles the entire dip galvanisation process for a part within 9 minutes – in contrast to the 45 minutes required by a typical system, that’s an enormous time savings. Robots dip parts into the individual baths in sequence based on a precisely calculated programme. The metal gripper arm has to be protected using a specialised rubber to avoid being galvanised as well. This protective rubber layer needs to be replaced regularly. Galvanisers dip the robot's arm into a rubber mass to renew the layer. The mass is stored at a constant temperature of 130°C in a specialised tub to ensure it stays liquid – this would plunge half the warehouse into a horrible stench if it wasn’t kept safe in an asecos hazardous material work station that reliably suctions vapours to the rear. Employees can use the station to work with the rubber mass any time – without any smells or hazards. Modularity and flexibility The hazardous material work station is an excellent addition to Dornbracht's modern production landscape for another reason too: The high-end manufacturer’s production uses a “fractal warehouse” concept – with decentralised structures instead of hierarchies, and a strong emphasis on autonomy among its departments. Modularity and flexibility are two key principles: They anticipate and facilitate the shift in production and usage of space that allows the company to win out over its competitors. The company doesn’t use any “off the shelf” production materials or equipment, as Sonja Tonat emphases – and asecos fulfils the manufacturer’s high quality demands with speed, accessibility, and needs-based implementation. They wanted, for instance, to strictly avoid any openings in the warehouse ceiling: asecos handled the issue by producing a specialized hazardous material workplace that can be placed anywhere in the room. The ventilation works without permanent exhaust tubes leading outdoors. This process would have required an opening in the wall or ceiling, which would interfere with a flexible production concept that demands equipment be able to be moved at any time. Instead, the hazardous material workplace uses a flexible recirculated air filter unit that also fulfils increased environmental protection requirements. It uses an integrated active charcoal filter package to adsorb suctioned hazardous materials. That means Dornbracht's hazardous material workplace makes a key contribution to ensuring a safe, forward-thinking, and modular production facility. Project summary Application Hazardous material work station with recirculating air filter system - no connection to building exhaust air Company: Aloys F. Dornbracht GmbH & Co. KG Location Iserlohn Industry: Fittings manufacturer Implemented by asecos partner: ENVIBOW, Lohmar
30 Prof. Helmut Klocker's urology lab at Innsbruck Medical University is a multicultural space. English is the lingua franca at the bulletin board, and flyers advertise classes for German as a foreign language. The researchers working here are such an international group thanks to the laboratory's research focus: early recognition of prostate cancer, partially through a Tirol-wide screening programme. The global exchange of information between scientists is a key feature of this research field. In addition, researchers work on European projects here such as the Marie Curie programme, taking part in international doctorate programmes. Advancements in prostate cancer research are undeniable if we look at the developments of the past two decades, Klocker says. Statistics show a significant drop in deaths attributable to the illness. Researchers have been running systematic early recognition programmes for roughly 18 years – and the number of patients dying from the cancer has continued to drop since the mid-1990s. From a professional standpoint, this success is due to wide scale screening able to detect tumours earlier and earlier. In the early stages, they can be treated using therapies such as surgery or radiation, then healed with appropriate follow-up care. Resistance-forming mechanisms The main problem the 25 employee urology research laboratory is facing is the development of resistance to hormone therapy treatments used in International research
31 Project summary Application Hazardous material workplace with special dimensions for examining tissue samples Company: Medizinische Universität Innsbruck – Urology laboratory Location Innsbruck, AT Industry: University clinic Implemented by asecos partner: Bartelt GmbH, Graz advanced tumour stages. They are trying to better understand the mechanisms that specifically result in this resistance formation. One key method for doing so is looking for markers: These are specific, measurable values in the blood, urea, or tissue that indicate specific pathological processes in the body – these, in turn, indicate the presence of a tumour. Systemic biological methods that consider all organic processes as a totality are used to find these markers by Innsbruck researchers. These allow them to clearly differentiate between harmless and aggressive tumours. “Currently, this is one of the main research areas in our field” Helmut Klocker says. Results of this research help the team find tumours that need fast treatment early on – as well as those that don’t. Cellular and molecular biology The laboratory’s work involves examining tissue samples of patients undergoing operations or patients who have completed treatment. Cell culture models are used to complete cellular and molecular biology examinations. They can be treated with medications, or researchers can test how cell cultures react to different conditions: Do they grow quickly or slowly? Do they die off? What are the causes of these responses? In these experiments, researchers also sometimes handle volatile solvents. Breathing them in is hazardous, so they’re only used under asecos hazardous material work stations. The toxin xylene, for example, is used to examine tissue sections – for instance to remove the paraffin used in histology. They also use mercaptoethanol to isolate RNA or DNA. This is another toxic material that can cause skin irritation, among other effects. Some of the materials used are also dangerous because they can create flammable gas-air mixtures. Because of this, according to Prof. Klocker, “we need reliable and long-lasting equipment”. In addition to the hazardous material work station, the laboratory also purchased an asecos safety storage cabinet for its move to the new facility, where it can store all of its hazardous laboratory solvents. The department now has a comprehensive solution that fulfils Austrian regulations on employee safety. A special 1.8 meter wide design with a large number of media connections for power, compressed air, water, and gas allows the hazardous material work station to provide optimal support in the researchers’ everyday work.
32 Turbot is a delicacy, and a favourite of many gourmets. Nowadays, there are chefs who throw much less expensive fish in the pan – even though they might charge the same price. If serious suspicions are raised that a restaurant might be falsifying its menu items, animals might be sent to the Rhein-Ruhr-Wupper Chemical and Veterinary Examination Institute (CVUA-RRW) for further investigation. This institute is a consumer protection agency responsible for official inspections and food controlling functions in a regional area boasting roughly 9.6 million inhabitants. Planned or ad hoc Ad hoc actions like this restaurant example are just one of many different situations the institute might be involved in – often, their work simply focuses on hygiene controlling: Are the foods sold safe for consumption? Are there any health risks from spoiled foods? However, the institute also handles routine food inspections planned with official agencies: Samples from every stage of the food production process are delivered to the Krefeld testing facility: It randomly reviews the entire process used to produce the foods we eat: “From the pitchfork to your lunch table”, as Dr. Werner Henning, Head of the Analysis and Development department, likes to say. The importance of these inspections – whether planned or initiated to review a specific suspicion – is quickly clear when we consider the list of risks that could harm consumers and result in foods unfit In the name of the consumer
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