Mining Health and Safety Solutions

Many people are aware that mining is a dangerous business. In addition to traditional risk factors, the mining sector now faces a wide range of risks and challenges. Therefore, modern mining techniques and equipment are important when it comes to protecting the health and safety of workers. This infographic should be of value to companies involved in this high risk industry.

To reduce the hassle of choosing an appropriate safety solution for the mining sites, ProjectLink has listed out the top safety equipment from its online database of Australia’s leading suppliers. These safety products will help executives make mining workplace safer and better.

Intrigued?

Go ahead and integrate them into your safety practices.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/mining-health-and-safety/

Storage System: How to Avoid Potential Accidents on Construction Sites

Construction sites are not only the most busy places of work, but also accident-prone areas. Brimming with hundreds of construction workers, site safety comes into limelight. The safety of the people working at the construction sites becomes a matter of great importance. Amongst many safety issues relating to the construction sites is the issue of storage. For the safety of the construction workers, a good provision of safety storage needs to be given. Storage is not only essential for safety purposes but also to organise the equipment and tools that are used by each worker. Storage spaces are also used to keep the personal belongings safe as well as the tools. There are safety storages that are specially designed to keep important documents and contracts.

Why are storage spaces important in construction areas?

Storage is the capacity of an area to hold material and goods for a certain period of time in a way that it can be retrieved whenever required. A good storage space will not only contain the material but also keep it protected against external contaminating agents, weather, theft and vandalism and breakage. The factors that bring about a requirement of storage space for any construction project can be broadly classified into five sections:

1. Physical Nature of the Material to be Stored

When building projects are undertaken, after the planning stage comes the material sourcing stage. The material that is required for construction differs in size, shape, medium, weight etc. All this material requires a proper storage else it will go bad over a period of time. This is where a well-maintained storage facility comes into play. Space requirements of every material will differ. Bricks and cement bags will require a different type of storage facility in comparison to tool and equipment.

2. Protection of the Material

There are construction material that need to be protected from getting contaminated. There are materials that can contaminate other things around it and require protection. Such materials need to be kept in specially designed storage boxes or containers that are airtight and do not permit any escape of the substance contained within. Flammable goods also need to kept in a well protected space to avoid any sort of accident. Site safety plays a major role in storing such goods.

3. Security of the Goods

Building projects always require purchase and storage of large amount of goods. These goods need to be kept safe from harms way.
A secure storage facility will make sure that these materials will stay safe from theft and vandalism. Construction safety is not the only area that is to be looked at here.
There is need for safety of tool and equipment used by the construction workers as well. Security Lockers and storage cabinets can solve this problem.

4. Ownership of the Equipment and Material

Whose equipment is it anyways? This is a very important point of consideration when you are working at a construction site. There are hundreds of people who come to work each day and in such a situation, the security of one’s personal belongings as well as tools comes in one’s own hands. In order to save your things from getting misplaced, tool boxes and personal lockers offer a good storage solution.

5. Organisation of the Tools

A construction site is pretty much an organised chaos. In such a chaos it becomes difficult to organise your own equipment. Construction workers put to use tool boxes and document holders to keep their paraphernalia in order. There are many options available for commercial storage that lets the people working at sites enjoy an organised storage space.

ProjectLink offers a lot of varied option for storage requirements at construction sites. You can study these options and choose the ones that serve your purpose the best »

ProjectLink suggests ideas for storage at construction sites:

A lack of proper commercial storage facilities at building sites affects the overall site safety. Storage is indeed a small aspect of the entire project but it plays an integral part in many functions. Without proper storage provisions people will experience lack of organisation, space and security of their personal belongings.
Construction safety lies in the safety of not only the site and materials and goods being used for construction but also for the people working in and around it. To ensure a workplace free of accidents and mishaps, there are many options for storage of goods, equipment, documents and everyday-consumption resources like drinking water. At the same time, these things need to be easily accessible to the workers.

ProjectLink has an array of storage related products that offer a safe and durable storage solutions. Let’s take a look at some of the options:

1. Storage Trolleys:

Storage trolleys are always handy at a construction site. From storing tools to storing barriers, these trolleys provide a great space utilization solution.
These storage trolleys are designed to carry both classic as well as retractable barriers.
See options of storage trolleys here »

2. Corrosive Storage Containers

A lot of building projects make use of corrosive substances during the process of construction. At the site, these require proper safety storage facility else it might either act as a contaminating agent or be a cause of some accident.
To keep such substances in a safe and protected environment, corrosive storage containers are used at sites. These cabinets have lockable doors. These come with a vent to enable the airflow to let any trapped gas escape. These cabinets are designed in such a way that their levels can be adjusted according to the surface it has been placed upon. There are many features that these have.
Know more about corrosive storage containers here »

3. Safety Cabinet

There are cabinets that are specially designed to contain toxic poisonous liquids that pose a threat to the surroundings. Such materials require special care during storage. These cabinets make it easy to lock and isolate such substances from exposure to the workers. These cabinets come with a set of shelves and adjustable feet. It is designed to provide insulation from excessive external heat that may affect these toxic or flammable substance.
Get to know more about safety cabinets here »

4. Lockers

Safety lockers are always useful at construction sites. It enables the construction workers to organise their tools and belongings and keep them safe under lock and key. The lockers usually have a keyed lock system but some also come with a padlock locking system along it. These lockers are made of steel hence provide enough strength to withstand an attempt of theft or vandalism. The storage space that these provide are good enough to keep the things one would require at work.
Check out the range of safety lockers here »

5. Document Boxes

Papers, important documents and blueprints are always a part of construction work. Many times it becomes difficult to keep these safe from wear and tear. Document storage boxes make it possible for the architects and construction managers to keep these documents safe, dry and clean within a box or container. These boxes are available in various sizes and you can take a pick as per requirement.
Purchase document boxes for your projects here »

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/storage-systems-to-avoid-accidents-construction-sites/

Compressed Air Tools: Factors to Consider While Making a Choice

The existence of air compressors goes back to the beginning of the life on the earth. The best example of an ancient air compressor is our own lung system. Human lungs are the oldest and most powerful air compressors or say compressed air tool that we have ever had. For thousands of years, lungs have been used to compress air and blow it to stoke the fire, and for many other purposes. This phenomenon, to a great extent, got replaced by ‘Bellows’ that the human beings invented as they evolved.

The bellows are tools with hand-held flexible bags fixed in-between wooden hands. They have been used to produce a concentrated blast of air, ideal for enhancing the intensity of the fire. The invention of Bellows was one of the most important ones in the human history, and it paved the way for many more inventions of the recent past. Even after years, these bellows did not vanish from the world and still can be seen at European countrysides. However, this device was largely replaced by a water-wheel-driven blowing cylinder designed by professional engineer John Smeaton, in 1762.

Since this point of time, the updates and modifications on the compressed air tools have made them much more efficient than the earlier ones. This continuous advancement led us to the present time when we have numerous options of equipment to choose from.

The market is full of diverse types of compressed air systems with various attractive features. These features include reciprocating, oil-less pumps, multiple coupling options, thermal protection and so on. So, if you are looking for a compressed air system to cater to your specific requirements, we would suggest that you know all the basic features of an air compressor.

Top Features of Air Compressors in a Compressed Air System

Every air compressor manufacturer has something unique to offer to the users. While such unique features may be quite attractive to a potential buyer, it is the basic features that buyers need to be assured of first. The majority of the buyers weigh the product on the basis of four most important and basic features: power, CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute), size, portability.

Power

It is essential that you, as a future user, should thoroughly analyze the system requirements against your business plan. This would help you decide the right amount of power you require in the air compressor according to its planned usage. For instance, a high power air compressor should be chosen to operate/work with heavy-duty machinery. Such air compressors sustain high volume and pressure capacity.

On the other hand, if it is an air knife or spray gun, you should always go for low power portable air compressors.

High horsepower (HP) is most important factor for industrial purposes. For instance, while a typical manufacturing unit requires an air compressor with power up to 200 HP, power in the range of 1.5 to 6.5 HP should work well for any portable system.

Cubic Feet per Minute (CFM)

If you have ever researched for a compressed air tool, you would be familiar with the term CFM. CFM is the most common rating factor of these equipment’s power and capacity. It is specifically used for measuring the volume of air that the compressor is capable of delivering into the compressed air tool.
In order to choose the right air tool for the requirement, it is recommended that the buyer checks the standard CFM label before making the purchase decision.

Size

The possible usage of the compressed air tool should be considered while choosing the size of the air compressor. Though it is a given that heavy applications would require larger sized tanks, it is essential to ascertain what size of tank would be required given the planned usage in future.

Portability

It is possible that your business might work with more than one type of compressed air tools. In such case, a portable air compressor would be an attractive deal. There are many portable air compressors available in the market with different sizes and power, giving you a wide range of choices. Most of these are also designed with wheels and long hoses to increase your ease of use.

Other Features

Pressure Switch

A pressure switch is typically used to detect the excess air pressure in the compressor tank. Whenever the air pressure reaches the pre-assigned limit, the switch automatically turns the motor off. These pressure switches are the most important element for safety at any workplace. These switches also spare the operators of constantly checking and turning the motor off manually.

Oil-less Pumps

Air compressors with oil-less pumps are becoming more popular day-by-day. This feature reduces the overall maintenance cost of the system and brings in efficiency in the business processes. Usually, it takes a day or half for the regular maintenance of compressed air tools. Oil-free pumps spare you from shutting down your work regularly by decreasing the requirement frequent maintenance.
These oil-less pumps also prevent the equipment from any accidental mixing of oil into the compressed air, hence become a safe and clean solution for any rotary screw air compressor at the workplace.

However, the short lifespan of the oil-less pumps could be a disappointing factor.

Thermal Overload Protection

This is another safety essential for compressed air systems. The tool is designed to reduce the power supply to the motor whenever overheating is detected in the unit. Overheating can damage the air compression system and sometimes can end up in life threatening accidents, such as blasts. This might not be a basic feature of a compressed air system but should be considered as a priority for safety purposes.

Drainage Valve

After your workers’ and workplace safety, comes the safety of the equipment. You need to be assured that the tools stay safe and last longer. In that quest, the drainage valve could be one of the aids that you need. These valves are primarily designed to remove all condensate from the compressor without losing much excessive compressed air. Condensate is atmospheric moisture that can wash away the lubrication of the equipment resulting in a downtime and unplanned maintenance.

Drainage valves protect the system from rust or corrosion especially when the tool is made of cast iron.

Air Filter

These small and replaceable parts of the system prevent the equipment from internal damage caused by tiny particles floating in the atmosphere. Small particles that contain high moisture content can cause a significant damage to the entire system. The air filters are positioned at the intake valves of the compressors and prevent these harmful particles from entering the tank.

These are the highly recommended features that you should consider while browsing for a compressed air tool for your business. However, there could be more features added to this list in accordance with your business requirements. If you need more help, check out our comprehensive online directory here that offers you all the leading brands and top rated compressed air tools that you can browse and opt from.

Source: https://www.projectlink.com.au/blog/air-compressor-selection-101/

A Peek into Popular Pumping Systems

Technology is growing at a pace faster than ever, and this holds true for almost all kind of businesses. Invariably, we find some or the other advancement in technology getting announced every single day. To be able to stay ahead in the game, it becomes imperative for businesses to keep up their pace with the growth in technology.

So be it about reducing the manpower costs in the construction industry or about improving the efficacy of pumping systems, moving up the technology value chain always helps.

Talking of pumping systems, these are equipment that have regular requirement from diverse industries in Australia. These industries could vary from mines that deal with chemical slurry to construction sites. Operationally, pumps facilitate movement of large volumes of liquid to either empty considerable quantum of water, or to even displace waste liquids in construction processes. Conventionally, such tasks would take a lot of time and energy to accomplish. But now the market offers a huge variety of pumps with advanced technology features; this puts your worries about the waste of cost, time and energy, at bay.

ProjectLink has put together a list of advanced pumping systems that can enhance your productivity and improve the efficiency of your operations. Have a look at the top 4 pumping systems that you should know about.

Advanced Slurry Pumps

Known by different names such as end suction pumps, vertical column pumps, or submersible pumps, slurry pumps are mainly deployed when abrasive slurry is to be managed. These pumps are usually made of high nickel cast iron (also known as the white iron) which gives them the endurance to handle abrasive wear of slurries. These pumps may also be lined with rubber for more round-edged slurries.