Diesel Fume Extraction & Control at QAGOMA

Case Study Overview

The maintenance team at QAGOMA were tasked with the dismantling and removal of a very large chandelier art piece. This meant a diesel-powered boom lift was required on-site, in an indoor environment.

The team at QAGOMA approached RVT Group seeking a temporary system for controlling and extracting the diesel fumes that would be produced during the operation of the diesel boom lift, in view of reducing the risk of fume exposure to those visiting and working in the gallery.

Challenge

Exposure to diesel particulate fumes can be extremely damaging to the health of workers on site. This is due to the very high risk of carbon monoxide poisoning - especially because the machinery is being operated indoors.

This site is a museum and remained open to the public during the operation. This meant that there were also members of the public who were at risk of being exposed to diesel fumes.

The QAGOMA maintenance team attempted to use an electric boom lift to complete the task, but due to the size of the piece being dismantled and the location requirements, there was no other option but to use a larger diesel boom lift unit. A RAVEX Exhaust Fume Extraction Kit was added to site to extract the diesel fumes out of the building.

Solution

A RAVEX Exhaust Fume Extraction Kit was installed onsite alongside the boom lift.

The extraction kit helped to remove the diesel fumes away from the machine and out of the building into the atmosphere. This unit features a heavy-duty steel centrifugal fan; this means that the airflow does not pass over the motor, making it safe for use with hot and potentially flammable fumes. The centrifugal fan is very efficient and made it possible to extract the fumes up 3 floors from ground level, over 70 meters and then out of a window into an area where no one could be affected by the fumes.

The team was impressed with the capabilities of the system, and the office staff working nearby were thankful for the measures taken to remove the diesel fumes from the building.