Category one – Best solution to an identified work health and safety issue
Cutting concrete, brick and stone releases crystalline silica into the air which can be breathed into the lungs. With enough exposure, this can result in silicosis, an irreversible and potentially fatal disease.
This type of work carries several other risks including carbon monoxide poisoning from equipment exhausts and manual handling issues from kick-back of the saw. There were no products on the market that addressed all of the hazards. Electric angle grinders dry cut causing a lot of dust and they are prone to kick-back. Large hand-held concrete saws emit carbon monoxide from the exhaust and are known for their manual handling risk when cutting over-shoulder.
Envirochasing Sales invested a significant amount of time and resources into researching, testing and producing the 'SafeChase' saw. The SafeChase is connected to a wet vacuum system and water is delivered to the blade guard during cutting. The water mixes with the dust inside the blade guard and the vacuum removes most of the slurry and carbon monoxide fumes into the vacuum barrel. The saw is designed with a longer arm to extend the reach and a small blade to dramatically reduce saw kick back. This engineering control allows for multiple hazards to be controlled at the source—a truly innovative solution.
