GEA BUCK® Digital Canary protects operators

Occupational and product safety are paramount in any manufacturing and production process. GEA therefore developed a digital, continuous real-time monitoring system for production processes in the biopharmaceutical industry, the GEA BUCK® Digital Canary, for its customers. Based on the traditional concept of a live coal-mine canary, the 21st century equivalent from GEA is a continuous real-time monitoring system that’s been designed to detect product leaks from contained pharmaceutical production lines and reduce the need for routine occupational health monitoring.

The patented innovation comprises a sensor that provides a constant reading (compared with a baseline) of any dust exposure at the sampling point. Adjustable to suit a specific particle size distribution if required, the information is relayed to a control system that initiates an alarm or corrective action if out-of-specification data is received.

Modern pharmaceutical equipment is designed to operate in a completely dust-tight manner; but it’s absolutely critical to be fully prepared for worst-case scenarios, such as an unexpected containment breach. As the level of potentially dangerous airborne particles is often far below what can be seen with the naked eye, the GEA BUCK® Digital Canary is designed to be a fully integrated part of your production line.

As soon as the sensor detects powder levels that are above the allowed limit, a warning is sent to the operators allowing them to leave the contaminated area as soon as possible. Once the concentration of airborne particles has returned to an acceptable level, the system will inform the operators that it’s safe.

Compatible with a wide range of new and existing solid dosage applications, the GEA BUCK® Digital Canary reduces the need for industrial hygiene testing, provides an audit trail in terms of cross-contamination risk and regulatory compliance, and can provide the trigger for preventive maintenance activities — potentially reducing the need for secondary personal protection equipment (PPE) — by offering real-time containment monitoring.

Downtime is costly. Product loss and/or exposing personnel to toxic or highly potent dust could be catastrophic. The GEA BUCK® Digital Canary is designed to prevent this.