Why then are so many plants still using brooms and compressed air to handle dust and debris? “Part of this may be due to misconceptions about industrial vacuum cleaners and sheer oversight when reviewing production processes,” says David Kennedy, general manager of VAC-U-MAX vacuum cleaning division. “When a process has been in place for decades, it becomes somewhat transparent and the standard, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ often prevails.”

Secondary dust explosions occur when dust accumulated on floors or other surfaces is lofted and ignited by a primary explosion. Dust accumulation was cited as the cause of the Hayes Lemmererz International facility explosion that killed one worker and injured several others. An in-depth investigation by the CSB states that scrap aluminum being conveyed to the scrap processing area generated explosive aluminum dust that was pulled into a dust collection system that had not been adequately vented or cleaned, causing a primary explosion that spread through the ducting, emerging as a large fireball from the furnace. A secondary explosion then occurred when accumulated dust on overhead beams and other structures ignited.

The investigation also revealed that workers had not been trained on the explosive nature of the dust and that the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration (IOSHA) had not identified dust explosion hazards during previous facility inspections.

As the manufacturers and regulatory bodies become more proactive in addressing dust accumulation, the use of industrial vacuum cleaners as a common housekeeping tool will become more prevalent.

“Using industrial vacuums isn’t new to industrial manufacturers,” says Kennedy, “but many companies have tried in the past to use shop type vacuums to clean up dust and debris, and have found them inadequate under the rigorous demands of the manufacturing industry.”

VAC-U-MAX has been a pioneer in industrial vacuum technology since introducing the first air-operated vacuum cleaner, or air vac, in 1954 that was three times as strong as its electrical counterpart and posed no sparking hazard.

“These industrial vacuums suck up tons of material an hour and most people don’t associate that type of volume with vacuum cleaners,” asserts Kennedy. “People have a concept of what they have at home or in the workshop and are surprised by the size. It’s not common sense and they often need some education.”

Jim Grayem, president of Air Cleaning Specialists agrees. “People are somewhat educated about vacuum cleaning systems for housekeeping.” But he says that manufacturers should look beyond typical housekeeping benefits that vacuum cleaning applications afford.

In industries where heavy dust and debris accumulate, such as cement or steel shot, vacuums can help reduce fall hazards or back injury that can occur when manual methods of cleaning are involved.

The use of industrial vacuums to put steel shot back into the abrators is an ideal solution to eliminate fall hazards and back injuries in abrator operations.

Just as each manufacturing plant has proprietary processes, each industrial vacuum cleaning system is different. “No two vacuum cleaning applications are alike,” says Grayem. In some cases, small air and electric powered drum-style units will suffice, while others require large electric and diesel powered units for multiple users and filtration systems capable of capturing particles that are invisible to the naked eye.

“When somebody calls for an industrial vacuum, you need to find out if it’s wet or dry? How many people are going to be using it? There are 20 questions and then you design a system to that application.”

“Users of industrial vacuum cleaning systems may assume they need a custom, one of-a-kind solution when their application actually calls for a pre-engineered product,” says Kennedy. “In other words, most applications require standard equipment that offers option capabilities to best fit their application.”

When designing a central vacuum cleaning system, VAC-U-MAX takes into account the characteristics of the material being cleaned (such as abrasiveness, corrosiveness, flammability, or explosion hazard); volume collected; bulk density; particle size; filtration goals; maximum temperature; total number of pick up points; the number of simultaneous operators; hose size, longest vertical and horizontal tubing runs from vac; available floor space; and collection container considerations. FSM