Published on 7 February 2020
Posted in blogNews
You may or may not already know, but the roots of the SpaceVac system can be followed all the way back to the first product that we ever released onto the market – our high level gutter cleaning system.
This new cleaning system was a revolutionary new development at the time and in no time at all – the system quickly became popular across the UK where the system was first developed and then seeing fast adoption further afield internationally.
As the popularity our new product began to grow – we would frequently take enquiries from cleaning companies and facilities managers who loved the capability and theory behind our cleaning technology but weren’t quite able to find a way of properly utilising the gutter cleaning tools in internal areas – where dirt, dust, organic combustible materials and all manner of other waste matter can build up at high levels as well.
This new demand then, led to the first development of our Internal cleaning system (now known as our 38mm Internal classic range) which was designed and built around a slimmer and lighter weight cleaning pole. In addition to a new pole system, this fledgling line of systems also featured a brand new range of specialist brushes and specialist tools for cleaning work in internal settings; but even this new range didn’t quite meet up to the rigorous demands of some of the new clients we were meeting.
The problem you see – is that lots of buildings – including manufacturing facilities like wood shops or textiles facilities like laundries can all feature areas that are defined as
Division 2 rated areas – this means that the atmosphere within, can be potentially explosive – with a single spark or discharge of static enough to potentially cause an explosion or even a secondary explosion which can bring with it – huge damage and potential injury as well as even criminal liability and jail time for building owners not cleaning in accordance with the regulations governing these areas..
In the summer of 2015 – a single event in the UK took place, that bought the need for our cleaning equipment into sharp focus: the Bosely Mill explosion.
This huge explosion at a flour mill, reduced the building to a pile of rubble and more tragically still, claimed the lives of four employees who were working inside, when explosive material was ignited accidentally – causing a huge blast that completely destroyed a four storey building and a ignited number of large fires throughout various areas of the premises.
It was a landmark case and one that sent shockwaves throughout the the local community and the wider cleaning and FM sector and it was an incident that very clearly identified the need for us to go back to the drawing board and develop what became the Division 2 version of our cleaning systems.
The Division 2 system is a completely conductive iteration of our high level cleaning system that is guaranteed to provide safe, spark-free operation in
Division 2 certified zones. This new development meant that operators were now bale to quickly, easily and safely remove combustible dust and other hazardous materials from above head height – quickly improving cleanliness in these areas and drastically reducing the potential risk of explosion and danger for employees.
This innovative new product has quickly become the centrepiece of the Spacevac cleaning range and we are very proud that the system was the first of its kind available anywhere in the world to be certified as safe for use within these specialist environments.
Bringing the range up to date for 2020 – our dedication to innovation sees the launch of our new ATEX range featuring the entry level LITE through to the heavy duty PRO and ULTRA versions. Be sure to check out the range and book a demo today!
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