Air Compressor Safety Tips

Air compressors are great tools to keep in your house. They come with a whole range of multiple purposes! You can use them for a variety of things, from DIY nailing jobs to pumping up a tire on your car.

However, to use your air compressor, you’ll need to know all the health and safety hazards and make sure you take precautions, so you don’t end up injuring yourself.

Here at Best of Machinery, we’ve included some of the most important safety features you’ll need to check for.

Always Wear Safety Goggles and Gloves

If you want to use an air compressor, you’ll need to wear goggles and gloves for protection. You don’t want to injure your hands or get something in your eye while you’re in the process of using the air compressor. There have been reports of people or employees not wearing either of them and getting hurt. For health and safety reasons, you should ensure all your employees wear safety goggles and gloves.

Gas Air Compressors Should Stay Outside

This tip doesn’t apply to you if your air compressor is electric. If you have an air compressor that uses oil to work, you’ll need to use it outside. When the air compressor is in use, it releases dangerous toxins, like carbon monoxide. If you’re using it in a small or large room, it’s likely the room will fill with carbon monoxide, which can be life-threatening.

This is exceedingly dangerous. When carbon dioxide is breathed in, it stops oxygen from getting to your brain, heart, and lungs, leading to carbon monoxide poisoning. You could be dead within minutes.

Always Check for Leaks

You should never hesitate to check for leaks, especially if you use your air compressor daily or for business. If your air compressor uses oil to work, then it’s even more important to check for leaks; otherwise, you’ll end up with a major danger hazard that could lead to an explosion or fire.

Electric air compressors can also be just as dangerous. If there’s a leak, it will prevent the machine from working properly. This means it could put you in a whole load of danger.

Maintain your Air Compressor

Maintaining your air compressor will prevent anything dangerous from happening to you and others around you. You should have received a manual with the air compressor, including instructions on its maintenance. If you didn’t receive a guide, you can always look it up online to find the digital version.

There are several things you need to do to maintain an air compressor. For instance, you’ll need to make sure it’s always clean and there are no leaks. If you have to use oil with it, make sure it’s always at the right level and dispose of any dirty oil.

Voltage

Purchase an air compressor that’s suitable for the electrical output you’ll want to use. If you do happen to plug it into a socket with a different type of voltage than what it actually requires, it could easily damage the electrical panel on the compressor. This means the panel won’t work properly, and it could damage the compressor itself. You could end up having to buy a new air compressor.

In more serious cases, it could also cause a fire. This is why it’s so important that you check the voltage required before purchasing an air compressor and see if it matches your sockets.

Conclusion

If you decide to purchase an air compressor, you must always take safety precautions! It’s important to check what type of maintenance your air compressor needs depending on what model and type you have. Avoid these precautions and it could cause injury to you or someone else. And in extreme cases, it could also cause death.

It’s always better to use these safety measures, even if it takes a little bit of extra time.