Andrea Duca
National Sales Manager, Festool UK
“Employees expect to be able to operate in a safe and healthy environment when they go to work. Safety equipment is vital to ensure all employees are safe at work.”
Dust is a common hazard, and depending on the cause of the dust, the air can range from mildly irritating to toxic and dangerous to health in some working environments. Having dust masks and protective glasses can offer some protection, but ventilation and dust extraction systems are also a pivotal part of the process.
According to the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), health and safety approaches in the workplace are “often inadequate” within smaller firms, where there tends to be higher risk of work-related accidents and illnesses.
Dust extraction
Rolf Stelzie, who owns a painting company says: “Having healthy employees is the basic prerequisite for running a healthy business. That’s why health and safety in the workplace should be simply a matter of course.
Employees expect to be able to operate in a safe and healthy environment when they go to work. Safety equipment is vital to ensure all employees are safe at work.
“Our employees greatly value healthy work. They don’t sand without dust masks. They never leave the building without a dust extraction system. They always strap up when working at dangerous heights. And they are proactive about talking to me when they need something.
“My employees are my most important asset,” he adds. “Without them, I would have to shut down operations. That’s why it’s important to me that they work healthy and stay healthy in the long term.”
High-quality system
As a hazard, dust can create numerous problems: it affects visibility, clogs tools and machinery, but can also be a serious health hazard for workers if it gets into an individual’s airway. Philipp Stahl is a master painter, who works as an application technician at Festool. He is looking for ways the company can help improve the health, safety and cleanliness of painters and decorators work to the best standards possible.
Festool provide a range of high-quality dust extractors, with the new range of cordless dust extractors offering more flexibility and mobility around building sites with equipment designed to work alongside power tools.
Festool emphasises on the importance of choosing a dust extractor that is appropriate for the material being worked on and ensuring that it is operating correctly. For example seeing that the connection between the hose and the extractor is secure and has the correct filtration for the type of dust involved. The correct equipment helps ensure a healthy workforce, cuts the risk of accidents and reduces staff sickness because of injury.
