I noticed this article and was reminded of the recent discussion of local exhaust ventilation design and maintenance. This article may be valuable for people who work with design engineers on lab ventilation issues.
- Ralph
https://synergist.aiha.org/201902-new-standard-for-lev
The New Standard for Local Exhaust Ventilation
An Overview of ANSI Z9.2-2018
By D. Jeff Burton
Professional OEHS practice always follows recognized standards of practice‰??codes, regulations, standards, guidelines, NIOSH-approved methods, and so on. Why? Because when we follow recognized standards of practice we give ourselves the best chance of protecting the health and well-being of workers and occupants, applying and utilizing the most cost-effective compliance approaches, and avoiding legal liabilities. (The lawyers always ask, ‰??Did you follow the standards of practice?‰??)
ANSI/ASSE Z9.2-2018, Fundamentals Governing the Design and Operation of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Systems, the most important standard of practice for LEV, was revised, updated, and reissued in July 2018. The 22,000-word standard is formatted in two columns: the left column presents the standard‰??s requirements, and the right column explains how to comply with the requirements. For the 2018 version, almost every section was revised and updated. The revision committee consisted of experts in the fields of OEHS and ventilation.
Does this standard affect you? If you are an OEHS professional, it likely does. LEV is found almost everywhere. Do you have a kitchen or cafeteria in your facilities? If you do, then LEV systems are probably there controlling ovens, dishwashers, and other kitchen equipment and operations. Do you have carpentry or metal shops? Labs? Medical facilities? Manufacturing activities? Maintenance shops? Painting facilities? Welding operations? LEV is almost always found in these locations. Also, standard requirements often refer to a ‰??User,‰?? a person responsible for implementing the standard‰??s requirements. In many cases, the User is either an OEHS professional like you and me, or a person who relies on us to assist them in complying with the standard.
Below are summaries of some important provisions of the new standard that every OEHS professional should know and follow. I have added a few comments in italics that show how and where we might be involved.
(more specifics at URL above)
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