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Tag: coolant

Coolant mist extraction: what the HSE audit will look for in 2026

Posted on by Codeller

The workplace exposure limit for MWF mist is still 1 mg/m³. That has not moved. What has moved is what an HSE inspector will now expect to see on the wall next to the machine.

What's different in 2026

  • LEV thorough examination reports every 14 months, not “annually”. Inspectors are pulling dates now and calculating gaps.
  • Face-fit test records for anyone still relying on RPE, refreshed every two years or after any facial change (weight, dental work, beard).
  • Written scheme of examination for the fluid itself, not just the extractor. That is new for a lot of shops.

Practical fixes

If you inherit a cell with no paperwork, the fastest way to a compliant position is:

  1. Book an LEV test through a P601-competent tester. Two-week lead time is typical.
  2. Move the LEV logbook out of the office drawer and onto the machine. Inspectors want it at the point of use.
  3. Sign off a fluid-management written scheme. A one-pager is fine as long as it names who is doing what, and how often.

The audits we have supported in the last twelve months have all gone well when the paperwork was on the wall, and badly when it was in a file the operator could not find. That is worth more than any spec sheet.

Anti-bacterial tank wash: when to schedule, when to skip

Posted on by Codeller

Anti-bacterial machine and tank wash is not something you do on the calendar. You do it when the coolant is telling you it is time. The rest is money you did not need to spend.

Signs the sump wants a wash

  • pH creeping below 8.6 and refusing to come back up with a top-up.
  • Rotten-egg smell first thing on a Monday, gone by mid-shift. That is anaerobic activity in the low-flow zones of the tank.
  • Dermatitis reports from the operators. That one is not optional. Book the wash.

Signs the sump is fine

  • Refractometer reading holding steady week to week.
  • Skimmed tramp oil coming off cleanly and consistently.
  • No visible biofilm on the return pipe when you dip a torch in.

What a proper wash includes

If it is scheduled, the job we quote covers: pump-out, mechanical clean of the tank walls, chase every dead-leg with the sanitiser, refill and re-inhibit, and a follow-up refractometer check at 48 hours to confirm the ratio held. Anything less is a rinse, not a wash.

The shortest-lived washes we see are the ones where the tank got cleaned but the machine bed did not, so the biofilm was seeded back in on the first cycle.