News

Zoro UK, a one-stop-shop for industrial consumables, tools and business supplies, has more than tripled its supplies of PPE in 2020 compared to 2019 to medical and other healthcare professionals, and to other sectors, in the UK including engineering companies, helping to keep manufacturing working. 

From facemasks to safety footwear, Zoro drew on its supply chain to meet the huge demands in the wake of the pandemic. Stocking over 350,000 products, Zoro supplied more than three and a half times more PPE, not only selling to consumers, but also health care professionals and engineering business alike, playing its part in the coronavirus effort. 

You probably have a dirty job and there is no way around it. But that dirt, industrial solvent, oils, built up salt from sweat and more can impact the longevity of your harness. 

Just like the importance of washing the salt off your car in the winter – cleaning your PPE occasionally will pay in the long run!

Spot cleaning your equipment can usually be done with a mild detergent and a sponge or cloth. Letting it air dry afterwards. 

The world focus on a growing “Green Agenda” has caught the imagination of Taste International, a specialist niche glove manufacturer under the Aquila brand, who have taken up the challenge in the way that small companies can, by making a series of small steps forward.

Trying in their own way to lead with fully recyclable (compostable) packaging and extended life gloves – reducing energy use and waste in the hope that others will follow. For example, demand is high at the moment for cut protection gloves across many industries, such as building, food production, energy and engineering - so it is good to find that their own proprietary Alkimos cut yarn, which Aquila have developed for their cut protection gloves, can be laundered up to 14 times without compromising the protection or usability of the glove.

EN/IEC 60079-0 specifies the basic requirements for electrical equipment intended for use in explosive atmospheres at standard atmospheric conditions and the ‘normal’ ambient temperature range for Ex equipment is generally given at as –20 °C to +40 °C unless marked otherwise. 

IEC 60079-14 (selection and installation of Ex equipment) also includes requirements for users to select and install equipment so that it is suitable for the ‘environmental conditions’ but does not provide any specific guidance for installations outside of the standard conditions. 

IEC/TS 60079-43:2021 has been produced to address this, it is a guide for ‘Ex’ equipment subject to adverse service conditions such as low temperature, humidity, corrosive media, powder snow, precipitation, spray from waves, high winds, solar radiation, and mechanical effects.

The new enclosures of the EJBC series are characterized by a multi-step joint that allows the installation in areas with danger of explosion and/or fire due to the presence of all the Gases of Group IIA - IIB - IIC classified as Zone 1, 2, 21, 22. 

This is the element that distinguishes the new EJBC series enclosures from the historic EJB series enclosures characterized instead by a flat flanged joint and suitable for the IIB + H2 gas group.

Environments where flammable gas, vapors, combustible dusts or fibers are present increase the risk of explosion. Equipment manufacturers are responsible for designing and obtaining certification for equipment to meet safety standards in these high-risk areas.

Multiple systems exist for safety standards around the world. All systems cover Gas, Dust, and Fibers but each is classified slightly different and there is some overlap. Europe has standards set by IECEx/ATEX but many countries throughout the world participate in the IECEx scheme. North America and Canada are covered by NEC and CEC standards.

AirBench, the UK’s leading manufacturer of downdraught benches and cross-draught systems, is pleased to announce the release of VertEx VX – an ATEX rated version of the popular VertEx cross-draught system.

Suitable for zone 22 applications, VX uses the same principles as the VA range but applies ATEX fans and electrical systems alongside fully earthed filtration.

For the fifth year in a row, the team at Dust Safety Science has compiled and analyzed combustible dust incidents from around the world.

As of December 31, 2020, they captured almost 1000 incidents in their  incident reports along with a detailed analysis of the materials, industries and equipment involved.

NEBOSH has partnered with Great Britain’s regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, to launch an introductory qualification that provides straightforward, practical health and safety risk management skills.

The NEBOSH HSE Award in Managing Risks and Risk Assessment at Work is rooted in a proportional approach to risk; it provides the fundamentals people need to build an effective approach to risk management in their workplace that focuses not only on the risk assessment itself, but on the practical actions needed to control and monitor those risks in order to protect people from harm.

The first competency qualification for water jetting has been launched in a move the Water Jetting Association describes as a game changer.

The new Level 2 Water Jetting Technician Certificate is accredited by the Awarding Body for the Built Environment (ABBE), which is regulated by Ofqual.

The Water Jetting Association (WJA), the member organisation for the UK water jetting industry, has created it to support the upskilling of operatives, improving productivity and safety.