Purex Fume Extraction Systems

Organisations & Regulations

There are three main areas of legislation regarding extraction equipment.

The safety and suitability of the extractors is the responsibility of the manufacturer. In Europe this is covered by the CE marking requirements. America and Canada generally require equipment to be tested and approved to an appropriate international standard by UL, CSA or other approved test house. China and Japan have their own standard but will generally accept one of the above, as does most of the rest of the world.

The safety of the workers using the equipment is the responsibility of the employer. The extraction equipment is normally used for local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to capture harmful dusts, fumes or vapours that if not captured would pose a health hazard to the operators. Legislation is in place in most countries to prevent exposure to harmful substances and to ensure equipment installed for this purpose is working correctly. The EU issues guidelines for Europe, but most European countries have their own occupational exposure limits (OEL's). In UK the Health and Safety Executive is the legislative body and the requirements are covered in the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations whilst the exposure limits are set out in the HSE booklet EH40.

Hazardous waste is the responsibility of the end user. The particulate, fume or vapour captured by the filters in the extractor may cause the spent filters to be classified as Hazardous waste. In which case they will need disposing of in line with the appropriate legislation. In Europe this is covered by EU Directive 2008/98/EC.

For specific legislation information, please select a country from below:

USA

The Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) is responsible for setting standards regarding Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL). The list is based on the ACGIH (USA) Threshold Limit Values.

The scientific basis is the use of ACGIH criteria documents. The Secretariat of Commerce and Industrial Development (SECOFI) publishes the standards in the Official Journal of the Federation. The standards have legal force. The Diario Oficial de la Federación (Mexican Federal Official Journal) is available via website of the Secretaría de Economía.

CANADA

Canadian autonomous regions have different OSH systems, which are applied according to the provincial regulations. The Provinces are also presented at the Canada - EU Co-operation site on Workplace Safety and Health.

Québec

The Regulation of the Quality of the Workplace deals with OELs, its appendix A contains a list of contaminants. The Joint Committee of the Board of the Directors of the Commission for Occupational Health and Safety revises the OEL list. There are employer and trade union representatives. The Joint Technical Committee (JTC) consists of employer and labour representatives and experts advisers. In the list of OELs, all substances listed by the ACGIH (USA) are included. Types of OELs are TWA, STEL and Ceiling. There are carcinogenity notations but no BEIs.

The OELs and their criteria are published in the Official Gazette. The OELs have legal force and they are often reviewed.

Ontario

The OELs are reviewed through the OEL Task Force, including labor, management and ministry representatives. For the revision, criteria documents from other countries are used. Revised or new OELs are published in the Ontario Gazette. Some regulations for specific substances can be found on the Internet in the electronic "Gazette" under Occupational Health and Safety Act. A complete list of OELs is available only as paper version. The OELs have legal force.

Alberta

The OELs are contained in the Chemical Hazards Regulation (Alberta Regulation 393/88). The Technical Committee of Occupational Exposure Limits, established by Alberta's Occupational Health and Safety, recommends and revises OELs. The committee consists of experts from the industry, academia, labour and government. The OELs and criteria documents are published in the Occupational Health and Safety magazine and legally binding.

MEXICO

The Secretariat of Labor and Social Welfare (STPS) is responsible for setting standards regarding Permissible Exposure Limits (PEL). The list is based on the ACGIH (USA) Threshold Limit Values.

The scientific basis is the use of ACGIH criteria documents. The Secretariat of Commerce and Industrial Development (SECOFI) publishes the standards in the Official Journal of the Federation. The standards have legal force. The Diario Oficial de la Federación (Mexican Federal Official Journal) is available via website of the Secretaría de Economía.

Purex Fume Extraction Systems
3714 Alliance Dr., Suite 100 
Greensboro, NC 27407 
 TEL: (336) 288-1613
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