Air-filtration solutions company Aircure released its 360° air-curtain helmet, the Airhead, which reduces the amount of harmful contaminants to which workers are exposed, in Johannesburg last month.

The Airhead is attached to the hard hats of workers who are exposed to polluted air containing fumes, dust and gas.

Aircure owner and product developer Darren Bibby said at the launch that the Airhead could potentially also limit the amount of diesel particulate matters (DPMs) inhaled by workers in industry.

“The Airhead emits 98.5% clean air at 0.5 µm and some DPMs are larger than that, so it can potentially prevent the inhalation of DPMs bigger than 0.5 µm,” he said.

Bibby explained that the Airhead comes in three power-supply versions.

The first is the permanent electrical supply, which will retail for about R8 000 and is available in 220 V 380 V and 525 V. This version uses a base station for its fan, filters and controls. Bibby added that, in the mining sector, this version was ideal for use by mostly winch, breaker and crusher operators.

“In workshops, this version can be used by grinders, cutters, packers, sanders and any other worker who works in a stationary position,” he said.

He noted that the concept primarily came about because rock drillers, winch operators, locomotive drivers and workshop workers were often exposed to polluted air and dust.

Bibby added that it took about two years to develop, test and improve the Airhead to what it was currently, adding that the product had been patented.

“One of the challenges we faced was the design criteria of hard hats – we were legally not allowed to drill into it or modify it in any way; we had to retain the integrity of the hard hat, so we developed the Airhead as a product that can simply be clipped onto a standard hard hat,” he explained.

The battery-operated Airhead is the second version and uses a 24 V fitted base station, which also powers its fan, filters and controls.

“This slim-line version is small, can be plugged into the battery of any vehicle and costs about R7 000,” Bibby pointed out.

It comes with an optional magnetic mounting bracket and is ideal for locomotives, forklifts, cranes and any other mobile vehicle.

The compressed-air Airhead can be connected to any clean air supply and it uses a minimal amount of compressed air. It is supplied with a backpack, which can be connected to a hard hat and enables the user to easily disconnect from the air supply to move between areas.

In mining situations, it is ideally suited for use by rock drillers, stope workers, tip attendants and other workers who have access to compressed-air supply, while it is also ideal for grinders, cutters, sanders and packers working in industry workshops.