Compressed Air: Caught in the Wind

 Have you ever blown dust off yourself or equipment with compressed air at the end of the day?

 

It's a satisfying feeling! The dust is no more. You're clean.

As you can probably guess, we're about to tell you why that's not a great idea. OSHA says in a letter of interpretation that it strongly recommends against using compressed air for cleaning a person and / or their clothing.

OSHA says you can used compressed air for cleaning in general, but with a couple of big if's:

1. The pressure must be reduced to 30 psi or lower.

2. Effective chip guarding and PPE must be used.

This one seems like one of those rules meant to just ruin fun. Like eating raw cookie dough -- you're not supposed to do it, but oh so tempting, and hard to see the harm in it.

Here's what could happen if you do this the wrong way:

- Eye injury: If you've ever gotten a dust particle or worse in your eye from high winds, you'll know it's not pleasant. The same principle applies.

- Respiratory issues: If compressed air enters the respiratory system from your mouth, it could rupture your lungs.

- Embolism: Just as scary as it sounds -- compressed air can enter the skin through a break in the skin or small cut, pushing a bubble of air into your bloodstream. This can be life-threatening and can result in symptoms similar to a stroke or heart attack.

Reducing the pressure to 30 psi is easy, but what about chip guarding?

Here's a picture for reference. The guard is designed to keep particles from flying toward you. 

 

Eye protection at a minimum would also be recommended.

Hopefully next time you're tempted to clean something off with compressed air, you'll follow these steps to protect yourself. If not, the results could even be life-threatening.