Is an inexpensive shop vac right for your business?
Home Depot recently advertised an everyday shop-vac for $19.00. You may have a few lying around your manufacturing plant to suck up that pesky dust that is produced during manufacturing. They don’t cost much and they do the job, right?
That is probably what Geneva Wood Fuels LLC thought, because they were using “an unapproved spark-producing shop vacuum in a Class II, Division 2 location” (Occupational Safety & Health Administration, (March 9, 2010), Region 1 News Release: 10-205-BOS/BOS 2010-102) to pick up the dust generated during the manufacture of wood pellets. That $19.00 shop-vac, along with 5 other violations, cost Geneva Wood Fuels, $27,000.
That is cheap, though. It could have cost a human life – and we can’t put a price on that. Since 1980, more than 130 workers have been killed and 780 injured in combustible dust explosions in a variety of industries across the nation.
Of course, you could be like Fibrelite and not invest in a vacuum at all. They got slapped with a proposed $90,500 fine “for fire and explosion hazards at Pawcatuck, Conn., plant” – OSHA, (January 26, 2010), Region 1 News Release: 10-38-BOS/BOS 2010-046.
FRV110 Explosion Proof Vacuum
So – how much is your shop-vac worth? Investment in a legally certified, explosion proof vacuum cleaner is a small cost to pay to increase safety, life and ultimately your business growth. Ruwac has been manufacturing explosion proof vacuums for over 30 years. They are equipped to suggest the right vacuum for your hazardous location and application.
For example, Ruwac’s FRV110 and FRV110H (upgraded to a HEPA filter system) are the only certified explosion proof vacuums on the market that incorporate a TEFC explosion proof motors rated for continuous duty, while operating on a standard 20 amp service. The state-of-the-art multi-stage turbine delivers years of maintenance free performance and produces the most CFM available in their class.
With features and guarantees exclusive only to Ruwac’s explosion proof vacuums the FRV110 series of explosion proof vacuum cleaners provides years of maximum safety, high performance cleaning, low maintenance costs, and easy operation.
Call Ruwac today (800.736.6288) to insure that you are meeting the OSHA Standards and are keeping your business free from accusation. The investment in the right explosion proof vacuum cleaner is nothing compared to loss of life.