alright dudes, i'm currently working for red row homes doing mainly 2nd fixing so plenty of horrible mdf dust to deal with. i've been using a 110v henry vacuum on my mitre saw. health and safety have said this isn't good enough, it needs to be an m class dust extractor with m class filter. not only are m class extractors very expensive they seem to be around 3000 watts so i'll need a very powerful generator to power it and the mitre saw (which is 1675 watts) together. what is anyone else using on site? health and safety have said you need this at all times, whether you're inside or outside, whether its mdf or just timber so it affects anyone 1st fixing as well, and that this rule is coming in across all sites! can anyone give some advice? have you been told this? cheers, rob
For me I use my festool vacuum it's a 110v with plenty of cord & also starts & stops when you use any machine also most cone with attachments when purchasing another thing is if you pick up those magazines from the builders supply festool are always giving vouchers
I have the Trend T30 110V version, it has a power take off, but do note that the 110V versions can only power medium duty equipment, you won't be able to power a 1/2" router from this, so do check the spec. This has a pre filter and another protecting the motor which collects dust down 0.5 microns. A lotof dust associated with MDF becomes airborne, how is the site setup to deal with this.
looks like the trend t30 isn't m class so not good enough. i might have to dig out my old mitre box and do it by hand
If you are employed it should be up to Red Row Homes to supply extraction. If you are S/E its probably up to you. But ask the site manager. He may be able to help.
Who's H&S? The counci's? The main contractor's? Or the REAL HSE? I've had direct discussions with the local HSE inspector twice in the last 18 months and he's perfectly happy that I'm using a standard industrial vacuum, not a Class M one. If challenged I'd ask to be shown exactly where in law it says that Class M is required. So far as I'm aware it isn't in UK law (although the Germans, predictably have it in their law)- it certainly wasn't mentioned when I renewed my SMSTS in December (and we did cover dust extraction at point source and design of tools on the refresher course)
I've been working on site 2nd fixing for 18 months with just a henry attached to my mitre saw, without using a respirator. The mdf dust has finally caught up with me! Just spent £600 on a m class makita dust extractor but wish I had bought this when I started.
A bit late, there is also the Bosch GAS 35 M AFC Dust Extractor M-Class, Wet/Dry, Automatic Filter cleaner & Makita 447M another M class cleaner.
Have you seen the Starmix M class? That's a pretty good vacuum. Very tough and has a 2200w power take of as standard at 110v
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