How to clean with an air compressor safely

Is Cleaning with Compressed Air Legal in Australia?

Yes. In Australia you are legally allowed to use compressed air to clean, but air compressor manufacturers and government bodies like the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety in Western Australia recommend against using compressed air for cleaning.

There are also certain PSI limitations that should be observed when cleaning and various pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) that should be worn when operating an air compressor.

If you are an employer, you have a General Duty of Care to provide a safe work environment that doesn’t risk the health of your employees, meaning you could get in some serious trouble if an employee is injured due to misuse of compressed air for cleaning.

What are the Dangers of Cleaning with Compressed Air?

Here are some of the ways that cleaning with compressed air can cause harm when used irresponsibly:

High-Velocity Projectiles from Pressurised Air

The compressed air produced by industrial, and even portable air compressors, can turn objects like screws, nuts, bolts, and pieces of plastic into dangerous projectiles that can cause damage if they hit somebody. Smaller particles blown by compressed air could even scratch someone’s skin or damage their eyes when shot at high speed.

Compressed Air by Itself

Even if you’re not firing car engine parts across the workshop, compressed air can be a danger on its own. If compressed air gets into someone’s mouth, it can cause serious damage to the lungs and stomach, and pressurised air can cause damage to a person’s intestines if it enters their navel.

Compressed air can actually cause death if it makes its way into the bloodstream through an open wound or scratch, as air bubbles can block a person’s arteries causing an embolism.

Air pressure of as little as 12 PSI can cause serious injury to a person’s eyes, pressurised air blown near to or in the ears can cause permanent hearing loss and with sound levels of large air compressors reaching 90dB+, damage to your ears can occur just from working close to a compressor.

How to Safely Clean Using Compressed Air

With the dangers now firmly in your mind, let’s take a look at the ways you can clean safely with compressed air.

Turn Down the PSI and Use a Safety Nozzle

The first thing you’ll want to do, as recommended by safety regulators in Australia and other countries, is to turn the pressure of your air compressor down to 30 PSI or less when cleaning. For extra safety, you should use a pressure-regulated nozzle that can bring the air produced by your system down to 10 PSI and can help to reduce the noise of the compressor to between 10 and 14 dB.

Check That Your Air Compressor is Safe

Another way to protect yourself is to perform proper air compressor maintenance and safety checks to make sure that all the valves and hoses related to your compressor are in working order. Cracked hoses and loose valves can cause pressurised air to leak, which has the potential to cause more severe problems down the line. You’ll want to be aware of loosely attached hoses as well, as they could send pressurised air in the wrong direction if they get detached.

Use Chip Guarding

Screens and barriers may be useful to help protect others who are near the operator of the air compressor from flying projectiles and loose particles if there is likely to be a lot of debris. If you’re looking for a way to protect yourself, there are nozzles with plastic cones attached that act as a chip guard for the operator.

Use an Extended Nozzle

At Repco, we stock a range of different air blowguns with varying nozzle lengths. While a 110mm nozzle will certainly get the job done, you might want to consider the Repco 300mm Air Blow Gun, as the longer nozzle means you’ll be further from the object you’re cleaning, which can help you avoid loose debris.

Never Clean Clothes or People

While this might seem like common sense, injuries often occur when compressed air is used to blast dust and dirt off people’s clothing after particularly messy jobs. As mentioned, air produced by a compressor can be incredibly dangerous when it comes in direct contact with skin, eyes, and ears, so you should never shoot compressed air directly at another person or yourself.

Always Wear Proper Protective Gear

Wearing the correct PPE for air compressor use is a big factor in reducing injury.

Protective Eyewear

Protective eyewear is a must when working with pressurised air, as one third of all air compressor injuries are related to the eyes. You’ll want to be using goggles that have impact-resistant lenses to protect against flying objects and an adjustable strap is always helpful so that they fit correctly over your eyes.

Gloves

Gloves are also a useful piece of gear to have on, as open wounds can be a serious problem when working with compressed air and hand injuries are common. Thick work gloves or mechanics gloves that offer the flexibility required to handle tools are best, as you’ll be reducing the likelihood of compress air making contact with your skin while still having full control of your pneumatic tools.

Other PPE

Other types of PPE to consider would be a mask to protect from the dust and debris that gets kicked up during cleaning, hearing protection, and steel-toed boots can help to mitigate any problems that may occur when moving the compressor.

Consider Your Cleaning Options

While there are certainly instances when cleaning with compressed air is the best and most efficient way to work, there are also many times where a simple brush or vacuum cleaner will do the job just as well.

Always consider what the safest option is, and if you need air compressor fittings and accessories, safety equipment like goggles and gloves, or an air blowgun, head into your local Repco store or shop online today.