Ozarks Technical Community College: A Focus on Student Safety
Featured Solution: Senturion
Other Solutions: Fume Arms
Industries: Workforce Education
Applications: Manual Welding
Ozarks Technical Community College, located in Springfield, MO, operates a weld school to train the future stars of the fabrication industry. Their students count on the staff to be knowledgeable and the facilities to be safe. They came to RoboVent looking for a partner they can trust and depend on.
The Problem
The Ozarks welding program hosts several classes per day in order to teach students on the fundamentals of the welding process. There are 32 weld stations where students can master their craft. The ongoing welding created an unsafe environment with noxious fumes.
Before coming to RoboVent, Jim Bridwell, the Director of the welding program, was experiencing several symptoms indicative of Metal Fume Fever—and he noticed his students were exhibiting some as well. Mr. Bridwell tried employing a high-pressure, low-volume system provided by a competitor. “Within minutes of class beginning, there would be a thick cloud of smoke ten feet off the ground,” he said. As a result, many students began to complain about the smoky conditions.
The RoboVent Solution
Mr. Bridwell reached out to RoboVent for a better solution. After an initial diagnosis of the problem, RoboVent's trained Applications Specialists prescribed a solution of a ducted fume arm system with 32 arms. These would be connected to RoboVent's Floor Mount (FM) collector. This solution was installed in 2009 and has been working flawlessly ever since. Mr. Bridwell says, “Even if we forget to turn the machines on at the beginning of class, within minutes, the room is clear and the air is fresh.”
The Result
After the installation, Mr. Bridwell noticed an immense improvement almost immediately. The students are happy and Mr. Bridwell no longer exhibits any signs or symptoms of Metal Fume Fever. Mr. Bridwell is very thorough with the maintenance of the equipment, and is still using some of the original filters from the initial installation. The entire staff and faculty at Ozarks Technical Community College are extremely pleased with the results that RoboVent provided. Along with ongoing support, Mr. Bridwell plans on contacting RoboVent for his future expansion, and would “highly recommend RoboVent systems and products to not only my peers, but to any guests and visitors that frequent our facility!”
