The New Jersey Institute of Technology's
Electronic Theses & Dissertations Project

Title:	Reducing health and safety risks by replacing compressed air with an electromechanical system
Author:	Schwed, Joseph Michael
View Online:	njit-etd1993-140 (ix, 60 pages ~ 2.6 MB pdf)
Department:	Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering
Degree:	Master of Science
Program:	Occupational Safety and Health Engineering
Document Type:	Thesis
Advisory Committee:	Gage, Howard (Committee chair) Park, Min-Yong (Committee member) Abdel-Malek, Layek (Committee member)
Date:	1993-05
Keywords:	Compressed air -- Safety measures Pneumatic tools -- Safety measures Electromechanical devices
Availability:	Unrestricted
Abstract:	The continuous use of compressed air in many applications can often be expensive and very noisy. When compressed air is blowing freely from a nozzle, it can be used in a variety of processes. One of these is checking for the presence of a product inside a box. In the manufacturing field, a facility has been using compressed air as a quality assurance inspector, to make certain that products are shipped properly. As the products go by on a conveyor, two employees must insert them into a carton as it is transferred to another conveyor. If an employee does not insert the product into a carton, it will be closed and processed the same way as if it were full. The carton will then pass over a compressed air jet; if it is too light it will be blown out of the way, if not, it will continue down the conveyor for shipping. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the problems associated with the current setup and to correct them by installing a quieter and more economical system. It will examine the amplitude of noise for compressed air, the costs involved, the safety and health risks for employees, and the pro's and con's of various experimental ideas that can mitigate these problems.