Standards are a lot like apple pie recipes. Some make great-tasting apple pie, and some get used only once. Good standards produce results and quickly become “the standard” way things are done.
I was pleased to hear from a mine inspector at a recent industrial hygiene conference who, while not knowing I had anything to do with the standard, told me why ISO 23875 was critical. I will summarize her enthusiastic comments:
In the absence of a standard, there was no definition of acceptable cab air quality.
There was not a means to assess the effectiveness of the filtration and pressurization system on a machine cab.
Cab air quality engineering was inconsistent and did not produce a consistent result.
Machine owners were in the difficult position of trying to solve a problem that was not clearly defined with a less defined solution. The result was confusion and frustration.
Without a clear understanding of the problem, it is impossible to provide an appropriate solution.
ISO 23875:2021 with Amendment 1 has given us a definition and a clear solution that has produced excellent results for machine operators and those responsible for addressing operator air quality.
Each week we are hearing and seeing more use of the standard in various industries that use machines or workstations that are environmentally controlled. The word is out; ISO 23875 produces excellent results and is rapidly becoming “the standard” way operator enclosures are engineered, retrofitted, performance-tested, and integrated into the workplace.
Please comment on this post if you have had a similar experience.
Check out the ISEEE online course on implementing ISO 23875 with Amendment 1. This course will accelerate your understanding of the standard and provide time-saving templates for the required maintenance manual and performance tests.
The remarkable advent of a 'common denominator' compatible ISO standard is that it gives the end user, the machine operator, the fleet owner, the equipment manufacturer, a 'measurable' and 'achievable' performance goal.
It's pretty rewarding after all the years of work and capital expensed to study, understand, develop the standard, get worldwide participation and agreement on the ISO 23875:2021standard, and the engineering to develop the enclosure control systems to meet the standard to receive a non-solicited positive affirmation of a job well done. I am so thankful to the early team and then the ISEEE organization for the commitment and effort to make such a positive difference for worker health and safety. - James Moredock