February 1, 2002—CECO Environmental Corp., an independent air quality control company, has engineered a new system for the protection of workers handling suspicious mail.
Touted as “more advanced than any other solution currently on the market,” cAir Mail offers a double layer of protection through two individual units, which can be utilized independently or together.
The first unit, known as the CECO Sorting Table, is designed for use during general mail sorting and handling. Unopened mail is placed on the desktop portion of the unit for sorting, examination, and opening. Any loose contaminants on the outside of the envelopes are contained by the downdraft airflow, as are any contaminants that spill when the envelopes are opened. Contaminants measuring 0.3 microns or more are trapped by CECO’s sophisticated filtration technology at 99.97 percent efficiency. The unit comes equipped with a bag-in, bag-out system, for the safe removal and replacement of filters.
The second unit is the “last line of defense.” It is designed around a quarantine chamber, and is used to completely isolate suspicious mail and keep any potential hazards within the confines of an enclosed system for increased protection. A mailroom worker places the suspicious letter or package into a slot at the side of the unit using gloved hands. As the suspect mail makes its way through protective flaps, any contaminants that may be present on the outside are vacuumed inwards through a HEPA filter and fan. Once the mail is inside the quarantine chamber, the worker can safely open and examine the letter manually in a negative pressure environment, from which biohazards are unable to escape and enter the ventilation system or harm any employee. If the worker sees anything spill from the envelope during that process, he or she would remove their gloves, turn off the equipment, bag the entire machine, and call emergency hazardous materials personnel.
For more information, contact CECO Environmental.
