Nilfisk Supports State and Local Government Efforts in Morwell Cleanup

Nilfisk Australia is proud to be heavily involved in assisting the residents of Morwell who now face the challenges and after effects of the Yallourn coal mine fires.

 

Nilfisk is the world's largest manufacturer of cleaning machinery and the first company to develop the domestic vacuum cleaner in 1910. In April, the Australian subsidiary was set to launch the world's only domestic vacuum using HEPA14 filtration - the Nilfisk Elite.

 

"Yes, vacuums with HEPA14 exist today, but these are industrial or commercial vacuums, normally used for microscopic particulate collection of such matters as asbestos or silicon chip manufacturing remains," says said Jim Athanas, Nilfisk's ANZ Managing Director.

 

Nilfisk Australia has donated ten Nilfisk Elite HEPA14 vacuum cleaners and multiple dust bags to Latrobe Council being utilised in the remediation of dust fallout from the mine fires especially impacting the homes of frail, disabled and elderly people serviced by the Council’s Home and Community Care Services carers.

 

Nilfisk has also been working closely with the Victorian state government and has arranged for 70 additional Nilfisk Elites to be used by the State Emergency Management Team (Local Government Victoria) within the Department of Transport, Planning & Local Infrastructure to be used for a loan program for Morwell residents to ensure the most rapid and effective clean up possible.

 

"Nilfisk firmly believes these vacuums will provide the most effective vacuum process in the essential task of collecting and ridding Morwell homes of the fine particulate matter resulting from the fires," adds Jim.

 

Nilfisk is also donating two Elite vacuum cleaners to the CFA’s Morwell Recommissioning Centre in order to clean the fine dust particles from equipment being removed from the mine as well as the fire trucks. A further two vacuums are being purchased by the CFA at a greatly reduced cost.

 

Having discussed the Morwell crisis with its retailers, Nilfisk can confirm that the Moe and Traralgon Betta stores agreed to offer the Nilfisk Elite Classic vacuums at 50% off retail price to Morwell residents.

 

The essence of a fully effective vacuum cleaner is that it has sufficient suction power to lift dust and dirt from a surface and then a filtration process which traps it inside the machine rather than exhausting microscopic dust particles back in to the air impacting on general well being and hazardous to those with respiratory conditions. "At the end of the day, it's not just what is sucked up, it's what stays inside that vacuum that counts," says Jim.

 

Media Contacts:

Diane Tannous, Marketing Manager, Nilfisk ANZ, T: 1300 556 710

Dolores Diez, Rivers of Communication, M: 0417 330 881, dolores@riversofcom.com

 

Photo attached:

Deputy Premier, Peter Ryan; Premier Denis Napthine, Latrobe Council Mayor, Sharon Gibson; Member for Morwell & Parliamentary secretary for small business, Russell Northe MP

 

Background on ultra-filtration
Elite's HEPA14 filter is designed to capture microscopic dirt such as smoke, bacteria and pollen - in addition to animal hair, dust particles and dust mites - ensuring that when dirt goes in only clean air comes out. Elite's high density dust bag and airtight construction has resulted in the only vacuum able to deliver Ultra Filtration.

 

HEPA14 is the highest grade filter you can buy - and the Elite is the only domestic vacuum using HEPA14 today. The Elite removes 99,999% of particles down to 0,0003 mm - the equivalent of 0.3 of a micron. This is the kind of dirt and particles that include pollen and dust mites that can settle in the human organism and trigger allergies in the short term and do severe harm to health in the long term. (Nilfisk's HEPA14 filter is so efficient it is more effective than the human lung!)

 

The quality of Nilfisk's Elite dust bag is equivalent to other machines' complete filter system. And its airtight construction ensures all the air coming out of the machine must pass through the HEPA14 filter. The Elite is recommended by the French and English Allergy foundations and is currently being reviewed by other agencies.

 

 

The facts about HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters

Vacuum with HEPA10 filter releases max 50,000 particles back in to the air

Vacuum with HEPA11 filter releases max 5,000 particles back in to the air

Vacuum with HEPA12 filter releases max 500 particles back in to the air

Vacuum with HEPA13 filter releases max 50 particles back in to the air

Vacuum with HEPA14 filter releases max 5 particles back in to the air

 

Therefore, HEPA14 is 10 x more efficient than HEPA13: for every 1,000,000 particles vacuumed off a surface, HEPA13 fires 500 back into the air we breathe whilst HEPA14 exhausts just 50.

 

Today, only Nilfisk's Elite vacuum cleaner uses HEPA14 filtration.