Case Study: Egmont Air Provides Custom Dust Extraction Solution for Placemakers Wiri

Background
When new dust regulations were introduced – the Placemakers Frame & Truss manufacturing plant in Wiri, Auckland, management acted promptly to safeguard their 103 workers. The plant already had an Egmont Air dust extraction system in place, and regular independent monitoring confirmed they were meeting health and safety standards. However, when the allowable dust limit was reduced from 5mg to 2mg per cubic metre in 2012, adjustments to some of the wood-working machines were required to comply with the updated regulations.

Challenge
Despite individual extraction systems on two-thirds of the machines, including drop saws, it was identified that the dropsaws were not meeting the new requirement. The integral extraction points that are part of the drop saw machine needed updating, to reduce dust levels in this specific area of the plant. The Placemakers team needed a cost-effective and reliable solution to bring dust levels down while maintaining workflow efficiency.

Solution
Egmont Air, in collaboration with Placemakers’ plant engineer John Daniels, designed a custom prototype hood made from plywood to enclose two-thirds of each drop saw, particularly targeting the area where sawdust was being expelled. This innovative booth captured dust and woodchips, allowing for more efficient extraction and connection to the centralised Egmont Air Dust Extraction System.

WorkSafe and Massey University’s Centre for Public Health Research assessed the effectiveness of this solution, using video monitoring and dust level testing. The results showed a significant reduction in airborne dust around the saws, bringing levels down to 0.5mg per cubic metre—well below the recommended limit.

Laurie Smith at Placemakers commented that “adding proper hoods at the saws made a massive difference to capturing the dusts, it’s obvious a correctly designed hood is always the answer and after the upgrades the airborne dust levels dropped and the problem disappeared”.

“At Egmont Air, our goal is to provide practical, efficient solutions that truly improve workplace safety. The custom extraction hoods we designed for Placemakers are a great example of how innovative, yet simple, modifications can drastically reduce dust levels and create a healthier environment for workers.” – Cameron Prestidge, Egmont Air

Results
Placemakers saw immediate success with the installation of the plywood hoods, reducing dust levels and improving air quality for workers. As a result, the hoods were installed on all five drop saws at the Wiri plant and later modified for even greater efficiency, further reducing dust levels to 0.47mg per cubic metre. This solution was also rolled out at Placemakers’ manufacturing plants in Wellington and Hamilton, although newer drop saws with built-in extraction features have since been installed.

Egmont Air’s innovative and cost-effective extraction solution allowed Placemakers to create a safer, healthier working environment for their staff. The collaboration between Placemakers’ engineers, Egmont Air, and industry health and safety experts proved that simple, well-designed modifications can make a significant difference in maintaining workplace safety and compliance.

If you have a dust or fume extraction compliance issue that needs a custom solution, give us a call, we’d love to help you work it out.