Are you compliant to Breathing Air Quality Standards?
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Are you compliant to Breathing Air Quality Standards?

APA-MK3-Breathing-air-tester

Is the air from your Compressor safe to breathe? Did you know that you can test your Breathing Air Quality? 

The purpose of periodically testing air quality is to make sure that the control measures you have in place are delivering the air quality required. BS EN 12021 states: 'Compressed Air for breathing apparatus shall not contain any contaminants at a concentration which can cause toxic or harmful effects'. 

All employers have a duty of care to their staff to ensure that the breathing air supplied by their equipment is safe to breathe.

COSHH regulations require a maximum interval of three months between tests of breathing air systems. BS EN 1221 stipulates minimum quality standards for breathable compressed air. This covers levels of oxygen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, lubricants, water, other types of contaminents and odour. 

The purpose of the test is to make sure that the control measures put in place, such as inline filters, are delivering the air quality required by BS EN 12021:2014, which sets the following limits for breathing air testing:

  • Oxygen must be at 21% ± 1%.
  • Carbon monoxide must be as low as possible and must not exceed 5 ppm.
  • Carbon dioxide must not exceed 500 ppm.
  • Oil mist and vapour must not exceed 0.5 mgm-3
  • Odour/taste - without significant odour or taste. 
  • Water (liquid) – 290 mgm-3 at 5 bar and 20oC. 

In addition, the compressed air quality testing must show a dew point low enough to prevent condensation and freezing. The dew point must be at least 5% below the lowest temperature that the operators use and store the equipment. Furthermore, the dew point must not exceed -11oC where the conditions and storage are unknown. 

Whatever your needs, our team are happy to guide you through whatever your industry requirements are and will provide the most suitable solution. We can provide a worry-free programme for a certified Breathing Air Testing service, carried out by our trained engineers. Once the test is completed, we can issue you with a Test Result Certificate to prove your compliance to the relevant authorities.

If you would like to find out more or have a free quotation, please follow this link to send us an email: sales@air4ultd.co.uk