New ISO Standard Unveiled for Dry Cleaning Machines
ISO recently published a three-part International standard that provides safety requirements for dry-cleaning machines. Laundry and dry laundry cleaning frequently use perchloroethylene or combustible solvent which are potentially dangerous to health.
ISO 8230:2008, Safety requirements for dry-cleaning machines, will help manufacturers and designers to eliminate or reduce risk associated with these substances. ISO 8230-1 is applicable to dry-cleaning machines of all sizes intended for industrial and commercial use (not at the disposal of the general public) for the cleaning of articles made of textile, leather, furs and skins, using exclusively either perchloroethylene (ISO 8230:2008-2) or combustible solvent (ISO 8230:2008-3) as their cleaning medium.
Part 1 of ISO 8230, Common safety requirements, deals with all significant hazards arising from the use of dry-cleaning machine, both intended use and foreseeable abnormal situations, and includes commissioning, use and maintenance. It covers mechanical, thermal, noise, vibration, electrical hazards or hazards related to emergency stop and lack of cooling, energy supply disconnection, failure of the power supply, loss of stability, etc.
Part 2, Machines using perchloroethylene, deals with the hazards specific to the use of perchloroethylene (PERC), the most commonly used dry-cleaning solvent, including inhalation of vapors, to perc contact with the skin or eyes of the machine operator and those of other personnel and members of the public, as well as to water and ground contamination.
Part 3, Machines using combustible solvents, deals with all significant hazards related to dry-cleaning machines and which require specific action by the designer or manufacturer to eliminate or reduce the risk.
For more information, visit http://www.iso.org.