Carrying Out an Air Compressor Risk Assessment

Carrying Out an Air Compressor Risk Assessment
Carrying Out an Air Compressor Risk Assessment

Carrying Out Risk Assessment on Your Air Compressor

Compressed air is widely used to maintain a specific environment in the food industry. It has several purposes, which is why it’s very important to maintain and monitor the air quality in compressed air. Assessment of risks associated with contaminants in compressed air should be a priority. It’s important to identify these risks, report them and take measurable steps to avoid or reduce the dangerous harm they can cause to the product or consumer. Experts can evaluate activities and analyze the probability of products getting harmed. There are several ways to avoid contamination of products as compressed air is used by the industry every single day. It’s a huge part of the food industry. There are several rules and regulations that stress the analysis of risks and hazards associated with compressed air.

The usual sources of contamination are:

There are 4 different categories of contaminants that need to be removed from compressed air.

  • Oil (aerosol, liquid and vapor form)
  • Water (liquid and vapor form)
  • Dirt particles (Usually from the atmosphere)
  • Microorganisms

Risk Assessment

A risk assessment is done of a compressed air system to check the quality and risk levels of the system. Most of the assessment is documentation. What the manufacturers actually look for is the source, the points, the connections in the system that might expose the system to vulnerability and contamination. After a thorough check, the risk levels are given a numerical value, with 0 meaning no risk and 5 being a definite risk. Every feature and element of the compressor is given a numerical value to indicate where the priorities should lie when it comes to avoiding risk.

How to Carry Out an Assessment?

There are many different ways to assess a system and its elements. The easiest way is to choose one critical point of the system. Assess the sample from that point, record information, and move on to another point and do the same. Taking a single sample at a time is an organized way of connecting the dots and analyzing the data.

You can even take 3-4 samples at a single time. Make sure the points are close and far from the compressor filtration to give accurate results. This way you can check at what point the air quality drops and whether it gets worse as it travels further away from the main filtration point.

It’s also effective to take 3-4 samples before and after the compressor filter changes. This way you can analyze any major changes that would take place. The analysis would establish whether the quality of air was affected and If there’s any variation in production levels or not.

When exactly should you carry out the assessment?

  • Every 3 months
  • Every 6 months
  • Once a year

The frequency of assessment depends on the data representing air quality. Once you think you have enough efficient data, you can reduce the frequency as you like.

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