Breathing air testing
‘Employers have a duty of care to ensure that the breathing air they supply to their employees is safe to breathe, breathing air testing is necessary at regular intervals’
Many companies use their compressed air system for breathing air. Breathing air is usually necessary when staff are working in hostile environments (such as paint shops). Air supplied by a standard air compressor is not of a quality required for breathing air. It is normally necessary to include additional filtration to the air line in order to get air of the correct quality. The specified standard for breathable air is BS EN12021: 2014 ‘Respiratory protective devices Compressed gasses for breathing apparatus’
Extract from BS EN12021 – Clause 6
‘Compressed gas for breathing shall not contain contaminants at a concentration which can cause toxic or harmful effects. In any event, all contaminants shall be kept as low as possible and shall be less than one tenth of a national 8h exposure limit’.
- Oxygen (21 ± 1) % by volume
- Carbon dioxide ≤ 500ml/m3 (ppm)
- Carbon monoxide ≤ 5ml/m3 (ppm)
- Oil ≤ 0.5 mg/m3
- Water (vapour) dew point sufficiently low to prevent condensation and freezing.
- Odour / Taste Free from unacceptable odour / taste
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£125.00 per test
The HSE states that breathing air should be tested based on risk assessment, but it must be tested at least every 3 months and more frequently if local situation demands it. This is necessary to ensure the breathing air is meeting all necessary standards. Each point of use needs to be tested.
A breathing air test usually checks the level of oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, water vapour, and oil in the air.
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