Oil Mist Filtration

We offer a wide variety of oil mist filtration solutions for a range of industries and sectors. We're experts at capturing oil mist and safely removing it to help your business provide a pollution-free workplace. We work in the metalworking industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical device manufacturing, power generation, and general precision machining. Our solutions include portable solutions and complex oil mist filtration systems.

Depending on your business's requirements, we'll help you specify the right CNC machine mist filtration system. We'll provide an effective CNC oil mist filtration solution to protect workers from metalworking fluids (MWF) (oil and coolant mist), oil smoke and metallic particles.

Our technology can help free your working environment from exposure to hazardous substances. By utilising the latest oil mist capture and filtration technologies to increase production efficiencies, profitability and even create energy-saving efficiencies.

Request a FREE, no-obligation LEV site assessment to discuss your requirements. Click the button to book yours today.

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What is Metalworking Fluid (MWF) and How is Oil Mist Produced?

Metalworking operations use complex, high-speed cutting tools that require large volumes of coolant to operate effectively.

MWF is used as a coolant to reduce the temperature of metal workpieces, lubricate the machinery's tooling during the operation and prolong the life of the cutting tool. They reduce friction and carry away debris, such as swarf and fine metal particles, from the cutting zone.

According to Q8 Oils: Engineer's Guide to Using Metalworking Fluids, there are three basic types of MWF fluids:

1. Conventional oil in water (milky type) - Mineral oil is finely dispersed into water by the use of emulsifiers.
2. Semi-synthetic or microemulsions (semi-transparent) - Mineral oil and synthetic components are very finely dispersed into water.
3. Synthetics or chemical solutions (transparent) - Oil-free emulsions or a true solution of water-soluble additives.

The cutting process produces by-products, including oil mist or oil smoke. Mists, vapours, or smoke can affect the sensitivity of machinery electronics and result in operational disruption.

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 Mock Up

According to the HSE's (Health and Safety Executive) Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002, a mist can become airborne and can come into contact with the skin or other body membranes. This can result in a health risk.

A thorough risk assessment should be undertaken to evaluate the hazards, the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the substances, and their effects on the body. This should include how they're presented, in what form, how they're produced, and the frequency and quantity. Find out more in the 'Essential Elements of COSHH' paragraph further down the page.

Centralised vs Standalone Oil Mist Solutions

Two common approaches to controlling oil and coolant mist are installing individual standalone oil mist collectors on each machine or connecting multiple machines to a centralised oil mist extraction system. Standalone or machine-mounted units can be a practical option for individual machines, particularly when you need to move equipment or where installing ductwork isn't suitable. However, as the number of machines increases, so does the number of extraction units that need to be powered, inspected, serviced and maintained.

Why Consider a Centralised System?

A centralised system allows you to connect multiple CNC or machining centres to a shared extraction and filtration unit. Instead of installing and maintaining a separate collector on every machine, you can manage extraction through a single purpose-designed system.

For larger workshops and production environments, this offers several advantages, including:

• Centralised filtration – one appropriately specified filtration system handles the oil mist from multiple machines.
• Fewer individual units to maintain – reduces the number of separate motors, collectors and service points throughout the working environment.
• Simplified servicing and maintenance – filtration and key system components are concentrated in one accessible location.
• Lower long-term maintenance burden – avoids the need to maintain separate oil mist collectors and associated components on every machine.
• Designed around your workshop – ductwork, airflow and extraction rates can be specified around the number and type of machines in operation.
• Easy to incorporate into a wider LEV strategy – providing effective source capture while helping businesses control exposure to metalworking fluid mist.

A centralised system typically requires more planning and infrastructure at the installation stage than individual machine-mounted units. However, for businesses operating several CNC machines, this initial investment can be more cost-effective and efficient in the long run than the whole-life costs of operating, servicing, and maintaining standalone units.

What Does the HSE Recommend?

In December 2019, the HSE released revised task-specific COSHH guidance for managers. The COSHH Essentials for Machining with Metalworking Fluids [MW] series guidance broke down metalworking tasks into five areas, which include:

• Advice for Managers 
• CNC Machining
• Control of Skin Risks During Machining
• Sump Cleaning: Water-mix Fluids
• Sump Cleaning: Neat Oil
• Managing Fluid Quality

The guidance helps employers, duty-holders, and managers ensure that exposure to all kinds of metalworking fluids and airborne metalworking-fluid mist is controlled in the workplace.

UKLA's MWF guidance states that "It is of paramount importance to provide adequate LEV to remove MWF mist from CNC machine enclosures," and that "It is essential that LEV systems are fitted and operated effectively."

Supporting the UKLA's guidance, HSE's MW1 - CNC Machining guidance advises: "Providing local exhaust ventilation (LEV) to the enclosure as either a standalone unit or a centralised system linking multiple machines together, for a cleaner and safer working environment."

HSE's G406: New and Existing Engineering Control Systems guidance walks you through design considerations, such as air volume, flow rate, and location of extraction point(s) to capture the level of mist generated from the machining process. Consider these elements when retrofitting or designing a new engineering control system.

How Can Oil Mist Harm Your Health?

How Can Oil Mist Exposure Harm Your Health?

HSE identified that MWF exposure can be hazardous to the skin, eyes and, more critically, to the airways and lungs, potentially resulting in serious respiratory diseases.

HSE's INDG365 - Working Safely with Metalworking Fluids guidance explains that metalworking fluids can affect workers in four main ways.

1. Inhalation - The mist, vapour or aerosol can be inhaled depending on the type of machining you're doing. Exposure is likely to be highest near the machine, when cutting workpieces with high-speed tools or cuts, or on machines where the process isn't fully enclosed, and inadequate ventilation engineering controls are in place.
2. Through the skin - Handling of workpieces, maintenance and cleaning operations, preparation and draining processes or if there are inadequate splash guards.
3. Through cuts and abrasions 
4. Through the mouth - If you eat or drink in the workplace

Bacterial Contamination

In addition to the risk of exposure to MWF, there's also the added risk of bacterial contamination. MWF systems that contain water can become highly contaminated with harmful bacteria.

On the HSE's main Metalworking Fluids webpage, they recommend: "That businesses maintain the circulation of the MWF to prevent stagnation. This discourages the growth of anaerobic microorganisms and the formation of noxious gases and volatile compounds."

Businesses can identify microbial contamination in MWF by noticing "Changes in appearance and odour (e.g. a rotten eggs smell)." In addition, "Over a longer period, a visible biofilm can form on the inner surfaces of sumps and supply pipes. Whilst fungal growth can be found on the inner and outer surfaces of machines and pipes and the surface of the MWF sumps," according to UKLA's (United Kingdom Lubricants Association) Good Practice Guide for Safe Handling and Disposal of Metalworking Fluids (Version 2.2) guidance.

Monitor and control bacterial contamination of fluids, associated machinery, and pipework.

Occupational Dermatitis

In addition to the risk of occupational dermatitis (skin disease), exposure to metalworking fluid mist/oil mist can also cause other serious health implications. Find more information about occupational dermatitis in HSE's G403: Health Surveillance for Occupational Dermatitis guidance.

Respiratory Health Implications

MWF can cause lung diseases, such as occupational asthma and occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis. The HSE has reported that occupational asthma is a growing problem, with 1,500-3,000 new cases each year, of which, on average, up to 20 of these cases were associated with exposure to metalworking fluids.

UKLA's MWF guidance states that symptoms may include: "Coughing, recurrent chest infections, breathing difficulty and weight loss in a machining operator may be an early indication they are developing serious lung disease. Whilst employees who have developed asthma before they started working with MWFs may also be at risk of aggravating this condition should they inhale MWF mist."

What Does the Law State?

As an employer, you have a duty of care to take adequate measures to protect your operators from exposure to MWF. The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 enforce this duty. It is also enforced under the more general Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Essential Elements of COSHH

Employers must complete regular COSHH risk assessments. Regulation 7 first requires employers to make every reasonable effort to follow the COSHH hierarchy of control. The hierarchical approach recommends substituting substances in the process to eliminate or reduce the risk of exposure. However, if elimination or substitution can't be achieved, employers should implement control measures, such as engineering controls, to control the risk.

COSHH regulations place the duty of care on employers to ensure employees (and other people in the workplace) who may be exposed to specific substances are protected. To find out more about the necessary steps to take to ensure your workplace complies with the COSHH Regulations, read our article, The 7 Essential Elements of COSHH [Infographic]. 

7 Essential Elements of COSHH

Workplace Exposure Limits

ULTIMATE GUIDE - What are the Latest EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits?

The EH40 guidance categorises important information about harmful substances, including whether substances are skin sensitisers, carcinogenic, or whether biological monitoring guidance is required. Click here to read our article, What are Substance WELs (Workplace Exposure Limits)? In the article, you'll find which hazardous substances have exposure limits and how their concentrations are measured over simulated working day periods.

It's important to remember that the HSE hasn't set details on oil mist exposure limits. HSE published its Consultation on Monitoring of Water-Miscible Metalworking Fluid (MWF) Mists, which detailed its analysis of guidance set by other countries. It was found that European countries (with the exception of the UK) and the USA monitor all forms of MWF mist by capturing it on filters.

However, the majority of exposure limits for MWF mist relate to mineral oil and not water-miscible fluids, but certain recommended exposure limits (RELs) have been set by NIOSH (USA) and INRS (France) that relate to MWFs.

How to Control Oil Mist Exposure

Following a suitable COSHH assessment, exposure should be prevented wherever reasonably practicable or otherwise adequately controlled. Measures may include enclosed machinery, effective local exhaust ventilation, suitable working procedures, fluid-quality management and appropriate personal protective equipment where residual risks remain.

In most cases, the most effective method for extracting airborne substances, such as fumes, is to capture them at the source. We always recommend at-source extraction, depending on the working processes undertaken. This prevents fumes and gases from dispersing into the broader working environment due to cross-draughts and air movement, thereby reducing the LEV system's efficiency.

HSE HSG258 Mock-Up

According to COSHH regulations and HSE HSG258: Controlling airborne contaminants at work (A Guide to Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) guidance), both state that: "LEV equipment should be thoroughly examined and tested at least once every 14 months." We offer a comprehensive LEV testing and maintenance service. Find out more about how we can help your business with LEV Testing services.

We Have the Right Coolant Mist Filtration Solution for Your Business...

Above all, it is important to deal with the problem at the source. A direct-connection LEV system is a highly efficient way to capture mist and high-temperature smoke. An oil mist filter can connect to a CNC mist extractor filter unit to improve the air quality in your workplace.

We have solutions for two main categories:

• Water-soluble-based coolants (used in applications such as machining, grinding, turning and milling) or
• Oil smoke generated from neat oil applications (used in processes such as cold heading, heat treatment and forging operations)

Checklist to Help You to Choose the Right LEV Supplier

Checklist - How to Choose a Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Supplier

If you’re in the market for a new Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) system, it can be a tough decision to decide which is the best LEV solutions provider to choose. We want to help, so we’ve assembled a checklist (and an article) to guide you in selecting the right LEV supplier for your business and requirements. Visit our article on How to Choose a Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) Supplier and download the checklist.

Learn How We Helped Businesses Like Yours

To find out more about the latest dust extraction LEV installations we've been working on, check out our Case Studies section.

Request Your FREE LEV Site Assessment Today

We'll call to arrange a convenient time and date to visit your site. We'll analyse your working processes, assess the substances used and the contaminants generated. We'll work out how best to control dust and fume in line with your COSHH risk assessment. Next, we'll design a comprehensive LEV system that adheres to HSG258 guidance and email it to you.

We'll do all this to ensure we fully understand your dust and fume extraction requirements and help you to provide a pollution-free workplace!

This is an amazing service we do for thousands of businesses throughout the UK and Ireland every year. We work with a wide variety of industries, from manufacturing, industrial, and woodworking workshops to pharmaceutical and automotive workshops, as well as schools, colleges, and military establishments.

Request your FREE, no-obligation LEV site assessment today!

REQUEST YOUR FREE ASSESSMENT