Archive for August, 2010

Ear Protection Can Help Prevent Critical Conditions

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Ear protection is a single from the least understood needs of OSHA, the United States Occupational Health and Security Administration, and its detailed rules governing workplace conditions.  Really little else is taken for granted with the most casual ease as our hearing, and this is precisely why OSHA standards for ear protection ought to prevail! It is essential to have protection supplies throughout the body yes but the specific ones that may be open to fatal losses are most suggested to protect.

Even if 1 isn’t rendered permanently deaf, hearing loss in itself could well place one at an increased risk of danger.  For example, in the industrial settings in which hearing protection is so essential, a reduced capacity to hear increases the chance of an accident – an unheard command or alert may be downright fatal. You can find a lot more reasons to abide by this rule especially since no one wants to lose something that crucial.

Sadly, ear protection is pretty low on the list of priorities for several firms.  Naturally, 1 is very much a lot more concerned about losing life and limb, but being without the capability to hear, or hear clearly, is also not desirable.  Yet both management and labor routinely ignore OSHA needs regarding protecting the ear whilst at work. 

And indeed, sometimes ear plugs numerous even interfere with hearing, for the prevention of sound waves from entering the ear isn’t selective and all sounds are hindered as a lot as physically feasible.  The laws of physics will prevent softer sounds, for instance the human voice, even when shouting, whilst barely able to hinder let alone stone a lot more intense ones, such as that from a jackhammer.  And so numerous rather rightly, after this line of reasoning, perceive hearing protection to do more harm than great.

But the truth is that protecting the ears is at worst an inconvenience in practically all cases and practically never a source of harm per se.  Of course, situations exist by which no ideal solution is possible, and compromise is the order of the day: working in a wind tunnel, for instance, will need hearing protection on this kind of a high level that communication should be entirely based on sight, using the worker constantly alert to visual cues from colleagues.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, or NIHL, is a serious matter, and not basically a matter of time (length and/or frequency of exposure) but intensity as well (how loud the sound is).  What it’s, is when the sound, or traveling air pressure – which is what sound is, physically – is just too great for our delicate ear structures, overstimulating them and causing damage as a result.  OSHA takes NIHL seriously, and so ought to you!  Moreover, it’s essential to note that OSHA standards provide only for minimal safety, and individual needs can call for levels nicely below what OSHA stipulates.

Solar Water Heater

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Although most people think of solar power as a excellent way to produce power, it can additionally be used to heat the water in your home. A solar water heater makes use of the thermal component found in sunlight and can heat all the water your home usually needs with only simple sunlight for fuel. A solar water heater is a very economical way to reduce your monthly power bills and is easy to install.

Containing only a few components, solar hot water systems can be installed on your home in an afternoon. The key part in the system is the solar collector and this is usually installed on a southern-facing roof. The solar collector looks very similar to a solar panel used in a normal solar power system, but is essentially different in every other way. A netting of of thin pipes are mounted in the solar collector’s weatherproof enclosure. These thin pipes are all connected to an entry and exit plumbing fixture and will guide any water passing through the collector into this meshing. During the day these thin pipes become very hot when exposed to sunlight and can rapidly heat up any water that is passing through them. You can use this thermal collector to heat the water you use for bathing and cooking by linking this solar collector to your home’s hot water system. The best part is this system can be very passive and will use the water pressure in your home to circulate the water through the collector naturally.

A slightly more sophisticated solar water heater is used in colder climates or on larger homes that require more substantial amounts of hot water. These sorts of solar hot water systems use a small circulating pump to force a specialized liquid through the solar collector and back down into a thermal holding tank. This circulation system is a closed loop and the same liquid makes the round trip through the collector several times each day. The home’s hot water plumbing is also passed through this thermal storage tank and as it sits in the tank, it is warmed by the hot solar plumbing. The home’s water never touches the liquid passing through the solar water heater; it is simply heated through contact with the pipes.

The benefit of this type of system is that it can be used in colder climates where water would freeze if it were passed through the solar collector directly in the winter months. By using this specialized liquid you can enjoy all the benefits of a solar water heater without the possibility of freezing. By using a thermal storage tank you will always have the other advantage of a good source of hot water for use. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of a solar water heater through the evenings when the sun is no longer able to heat the water.

These classes of systems have also been tailored for heating the water in pools. The solar collector is connected to the circulatory system for the pool’s water and heats it with the sun in this variety of system. This offers a very economical way to keep your pool at a comfortable temperature for swimming without spending any money on fuel.

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