Westerbeke applauds NIOSH tests
LAS VEGAS – Preliminary data collected from tests performed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to substantiate the safety-enhancement claims made by Westerbeke Corp. for its new Safe-CO Series generators indicate that the generators produced extremely low carbon monoxide emissions, Westerbeke said in a release yesterday.
On-water research by NIOSH was recently completed on Lake Mead in Nevada.
Representatives of the U.S. Coast Guard, the houseboat industry, regulators and other concerned groups were on hand to oversee the testing of two houseboats, each equipped with a different model from Westerbeke’s Safe-CO line, used to eliminate carbon monoxide emissions, a lethal gas dangerously present in exhaust from other gasoline-fueled generators.
While NIOSH’s final written report has not yet been released, the preliminary collected data showed that the generators produced “extremely low carbon monoxide emissions, a huge improvement in safety and environmental protection,” Westerbeke said.
“Westerbeke’s development of a “Safe CO” generator is a significant technological development for the boating industry, and they are to be commended,” said Scott Earnest, acting branch chief of NIOSH.
“We are very pleased to have NIOSH perform precise CO measurements and to verify not only the performance of our generators but also to show that houseboating, along with other forms of boating, can now be made much safer,” Tom Sutherland of Westerbeke said.
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