MEETING OSHA STANDARDS FOR CLEANING WITH COMPRESSED AIR

• Output Pressure

• Chip Guarding

• Noise

Noz

zle T

ype

Unbl

ocke

d N

ozzle

Tip

Bloc

ked

Noz

zle T

ipRe

com

men

ded

Guar

dair

Saf

ety

Air

Guns

Vent

uri

The

mai

n ai

rflow

acc

eler

ates

th

roug

h th

e bo

dy o

f the

noz

zle,

draw

ing

in s

urro

undi

ng a

ir th

roug

h th

e du

al, v

entu

ri si

de

port

s. T

he in

crea

sed

velo

city

and

in

crea

sed

air

volu

me

exiti

ng t

he

nozz

le t

ip in

crea

ses

thru

st

up t

o 25

0%.

100%

of t

he m

ain

airfl

ow is

di

vert

ed t

hrou

gh t

he d

ual,

vent

uri

side

por

ts. U

nder

thi

s co

nditi

on,

stat

ic p

ress

ure

at t

he n

ozzle

tip

m

easu

res

less

tha

n 30

psi

.

Air

Cone

As t

he m

ain

airfl

ow e

xits

from

th

e no

zzle

tip

, a p

ortio

n of

air

exits

from

sid

e sl

ots

arou

nd t

he

perip

hery

form

ing

a pr

otec

tive

air

cone

. Thi

s co

ne h

elps

pre

vent

ch

ips

and

othe

r de

bris

from

“fl

ying

back

” tow

ards

the

oper

ator

.

An in

tern

al, p

ress

ure

sens

itive

m

echa

nism

dive

rts

100%

of t

he

airfl

ow t

hrou

gh t

he s

ide

slot

s th

ereb

y re

duci

ng s

tatic

pre

ssur

e at

the

noz

zle t

ip t

o le

ss t

han

30 p

si.

Whi

sper

Jet

Hig

h-sp

eed

jets

of a

ir ex

it fr

om n

arro

w s

lots

aro

und

the

perip

hery

of t

he s

olid

con

ical

no

zzle

. Ai

rflow

from

the

se je

ts

adhe

res

to t

he n

ozzle

sur

face

, dr

awin

g in

sur

roun

ding

air

and

prod

ucin

g hi

gh-t

hrus

t at

ver

y lo

w

nois

e le

vels

.

Bec

ause

of t

he s

olid

con

ical

no

zzle

tip

, the

slo

ts c

anno

t be

bl

ocke

d. T

here

fore

the

out

put

pres

sure

nev

er e

xcee

ds 3

0 ps

i.

Quie

t For

ce

A ci

rcul

ar a

rray

of 9

3 m

inia

ture

no

zzle

s ar

e su

rrou

nded

by

a sa

fety

sh

roud

. Spa

cing

and

geo

met

ry

of t

hese

“no

zzle

ttes

” m

axim

ize

airfl

ow a

nd r

educ

e no

ise-

indu

cing

tu

rbul

ence

, pro

vidin

g su

perio

r th

rust

at

grea

tly r

educ

ed

nois

e le

vels

.

100%

of t

he a

irflow

is d

ivert

ed

thro

ugh

the

side

por

ts o

f the

saf

ety

shro

ud. U

nder

this

con

ditio

n,

stat

ic p

ress

ure

at th

e no

zzle

tip

mea

sure

s le

ss th

an 3

0 ps

i.

ME

ETI

NG

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

OU

TPU

T P

RE

SS

UR

EFa

ctor

y co

mpr

esse

d ai

r sy

stem

s ty

pica

lly r

un a

t pr

essu

res

betw

een

80 a

nd 1

20 p

si (p

ound

s pe

r sq

uare

inch

). Pn

eum

atic

too

ls, i

nclu

ding

saf

ety

air

guns

, req

uire

the

se h

igh

pres

sure

s to

ope

rate

effe

ctive

ly.

How

ever

, OSH

A re

quire

s th

at if

the

tip

of a

n ai

r gu

n is

“de

ad-e

nded

”, th

e st

atic

pre

ssur

e at

the

poi

nt o

f blo

ckag

e “m

ust

be r

educ

ed t

o le

ss t

han

30 p

si.”

All G

uard

air

safe

ty a

ir gu

ns m

eet

the

30 p

si r

equi

rem

ent

by in

corp

orat

ing

nozz

les

that

ope

rate

in t

he fo

llow

ing

man

ner:

Thum

bsw

itch

900

Jet G

uard

74

SJe

t Gua

rd

74SK

Thum

bsw

itch

980

Whi

sper

Jet

80

Noz

zles

mee

t OSH

A St

anda

rd:

29CF

R Pa

rt 1

910.

242

(b)

Han

d an

d po

rtab

le p

ower

ed t

ools

an

d eq

uipm

ent,

gen

eral

.

OSHA

Inst

ruct

ion

STD

01-1

3-00

1O

SHA

Prog

ram

Dire

ctive

#10

0-1

Red

uctio

n of

Air

Pres

sure

bel

ow 3

0 ps

i for

Cle

anin

g Pu

rpos

es.

Long

Joh

n Se

ries

75

LJLa

zer

Seri

es

LZR6

00

Forc

e 5

Quie

t For

ce S

erie

sIn

forc

er Q

uiet

For

ce S

erie

s

Whi

sper

Jet

Ser

ies

80LJ

Alw

ays

wea

r ey

e an

d ea

r pr

otec

tion

whe

n op

erat

ing

air

tool

s an

d re

late

d eq

uipm

ent.

2

SE

E P

AG

E 3

SE

E P

AG

E 5

Boos

ter

76S

29CF

R Pa

rt 1

910.

242

(b)

Han

d an

d po

rtab

le p

ower

ed t

ools

an

d eq

uipm

ent,

gen

eral

.

This

sta

ndar

d re

quire

s th

e st

atic

out

put

pres

sure

of a

ir no

zzle

s w

hen

bloc

ked

be le

ss

than

30

psi.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n on

th

ese

OSHA

Sta

ndar

ds, v

isit

w

ww

.gua

rdai

r.com

/osh

akit

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

OU

TPU

T P

RE

SS

UR

E

2 3

Jet G

uard

74

SJe

t Gua

rd

74SK

Boos

ter

76S

Noz

zle T

ype

Unbl

ocke

d N

ozzle

Tip

Bloc

ked

Noz

zle T

ipRe

com

men

ded

Guar

dair

Saf

ety

Air

Guns

Air

Cone

As t

he m

ain

airfl

ow e

xits

from

th

e no

zzle

tip

, a p

ortio

n of

air

exits

from

sid

e sl

ots

arou

nd t

he

perip

hery

form

ing

a pr

otec

tive

air

cone

. Thi

s co

ne h

elps

pre

vent

ch

ips

and

othe

r de

bris

from

“fl

ying

back

” tow

ards

the

oper

ator

.

An in

tern

al, p

ress

ure

sens

itive

m

echa

nism

dive

rts

100%

of t

he

airfl

ow t

hrou

gh t

he s

ide

slot

s th

ereb

y re

duci

ng s

tatic

pre

ssur

e at

the

noz

zle t

ip t

o le

ss t

han

30 p

si.

ME

ETI

NG

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

CH

IP G

UA

RD

ING

Whe

n cl

eani

ng in

clo

se q

uart

ers

with

com

pres

sed

air,

wor

kers

are

oft

en s

ubje

ct t

o “c

hip

fly-b

ack”.

Thi

s te

rm r

efer

s to

the

ten

denc

y of

loos

e pa

rtic

les,

or

chip

s, t

o fly

bac

k in

to t

he o

pera

tor’s

face

, eye

s,

or s

kin.

For

such

ope

ratio

ns, O

SHA

requ

ires

that

“ef

fect

ive c

hip

guar

ding

” be

inco

rpor

ated

into

the

wor

kpla

ce. M

any

Gua

rdai

r sa

fety

air

guns

pro

vide

chip

gua

rdin

g by

inco

rpor

atin

g no

zzle

s th

at o

pera

te

in t

he fo

llow

ing

man

ner:

Alw

ays

wea

r ey

e an

d ea

r pr

otec

tion

whe

n op

erat

ing

air

tool

s an

d re

late

d eq

uipm

ent.

4

Noz

zles

mee

t OSH

A St

anda

rd:

29CF

R Pa

rt 1

910.

242

(b)

Han

d an

d po

rtab

le p

ower

ed t

ools

an

d eq

uipm

ent,

gen

eral

.

OSHA

Inst

ruct

ion

STD

01-1

3-00

1O

SHA

Prog

ram

Dire

ctive

#10

0-1

Red

uctio

n of

Air

Pres

sure

bel

ow 3

0 ps

i for

Cle

anin

g Pu

rpos

es.

SE

E P

AG

E 3

SE

E P

AG

E 5

OSHA

Inst

ruct

ion

STD

01-1

3-00

1O

SHA

Prog

ram

Dire

ctive

#10

0-1

Red

uctio

n of

Air

Pres

sure

bel

ow 3

0 ps

i for

C

lean

ing

Purp

oses

.

Bec

ause

OSH

A St

anda

rd 1

910.

242

(b) i

s of

ten

m

isin

terp

rete

d th

is d

irect

ive w

as is

sued

to

prov

ide

clar

ifica

tion.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n on

th

ese

OSHA

Sta

ndar

ds, v

isit

w

ww

.gua

rdai

r.com

/osh

akit

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

CH

IP G

UA

RD

ING

4 5

ME

ETI

NG

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

NO

ISE

Noz

zle T

ype

Unbl

ocke

d N

ozzle

Tip

Bloc

ked

Noz

zle T

ipRe

com

men

ded

Guar

dair

Saf

ety

Air

Guns

Whi

sper

Jet

Hig

h-sp

eed

jets

of a

ir ex

it fr

om n

arro

w s

lots

aro

und

the

perip

hery

of t

he s

olid

con

ical

no

zzle

. Ai

rflow

from

the

se je

ts

adhe

res

to t

he n

ozzle

sur

face

, dr

awin

g in

sur

roun

ding

air

and

prod

ucin

g hi

gh-t

hrus

t at

ver

y lo

w

nois

e le

vels

.

Bec

ause

of t

he s

olid

con

ical

no

zzle

tip

, the

slo

ts c

anno

t be

bl

ocke

d. T

here

fore

the

out

put

pres

sure

nev

er e

xcee

ds 3

0 ps

i.

Quie

t For

ce

A ci

rcul

ar a

rray

of 9

3 m

inia

ture

no

zzle

s ar

e su

rrou

nded

by

a sa

fety

sh

roud

. Spa

cing

and

geo

met

ry

of t

hese

“no

zzle

ttes

” m

axim

ize

airfl

ow a

nd r

educ

e no

ise-

indu

cing

tu

rbul

ence

, pro

vidin

g su

perio

r th

rust

at

grea

tly r

educ

ed

nois

e le

vels

.

100%

of t

he a

irflow

is d

ivert

ed

thro

ugh

the

side

por

ts o

f the

sa

fety

shr

oud.

Und

er t

his

cond

i-tio

n, s

tatic

pre

ssur

e at

the

noz

zle

tip m

easu

res

less

tha

n 30

psi

.

To a

ddre

ss e

xces

sive

noi

se in

the

wor

kpla

ce, O

SHA

has

deve

lope

d pe

rmis

sibl

e da

ily n

oise

exp

osur

e sp

ecifi

catio

ns. S

ince

air

guns

can

pot

entia

lly c

ontr

ibut

e to

hig

h le

vels

of o

ccup

atio

nal n

oise

, Gua

rdai

r sa

fety

air

guns

inco

rpor

atin

g no

ise

supp

ress

ion

nozz

les

can

be a

n im

port

ant

com

pone

nt in

mov

ing

tow

ards

noi

se le

vel c

ompl

ianc

e.

Forc

e 5

Quie

t For

ce S

erie

sIn

forc

er Q

uiet

For

ce S

erie

s

Thum

bsw

itch

980

Whi

sper

Jet

80W

hisp

er J

et S

erie

s80

LJ

Noz

zles

help

mee

t OSH

A St

anda

rd:

29CF

R Pa

rt 1

910.

95

Occ

upat

iona

l noi

se e

xpos

ure

Alw

ays

wea

r ey

e an

d ea

r pr

otec

tion

whe

n op

erat

ing

air

tool

s an

d re

late

d eq

uipm

ent.

6

SE

E P

AG

E 7

29CF

R Pa

rt 1

910.

95

Occ

upat

iona

l noi

se e

xpos

ure

This

Sta

ndar

d go

vern

s no

ise

expo

sure

in t

he w

orkp

lace

. B

ecau

se c

ompr

esse

d ai

r us

ed fo

r cl

eani

ng c

an s

omet

imes

gen

erat

e ex

cess

ive n

oise

, use

rs m

ust

mee

t sp

ecifi

c re

quire

men

ts. P

age

1 of

th

is m

ulti-

page

Sta

ndar

d is

sho

wn.

For

mor

e in

form

atio

n on

th

ese

OSHA

Sta

ndar

ds, v

isit

ww

w.g

uard

air.c

om/o

shak

it

OS

HA

STA

ND

AR

D F

OR

NO

ISE

6 7

A

B

C

D

E

SELECTING THE PROPER SAFETY AIR GUN

Distance – Close-in or far-away application?For maximum efficiency choose a safety air gun with a short or no extension for close-in work. Use an extended reach safety air gun for cleaning far-away surfaces.

Air Supply – Size of compressed air line?Match the airline at the workstation with the safety air gun. Small diam-eter air lines (1⁄4” to 3⁄8” ID) power low-thrust models; larger diameter air lines (1⁄2” to 3⁄4” ID) power high-thrust models.

Ergonomics – “Thumbswitch” or “pistol-grip”style handle?Thumbswitch style safety air guns are often preferred for applications with overhead air line feeds. Pistol grip style safety air guns are generally pre-ferred for air lines fed from below. Operator preference, including comfort and grip, is key.

Additional Safety Features – Additional operator protection required?Choose a safety gun with blind-hole capabilities, or chip-fly-back protection where necessary. Choose a silencer nozzle where hearing protection is important.

Thrust – Low or high thrust required to move debris?Choose a safety air gun that delivers appropriate thrust for the surface to be cleaned; low thrust for light debris; high thrust for heavy or stubborn debris.

47 Veterans Drive • Chicopee, MA 01022-1062Toll-Free: 800-482-7324 | Fax: 413-594-4884Email: info@guardair.com • guardair.com