Winter brings with it extra occupational hazards to many areas of life. Safety Shower Units are no exception. As temperatures drop and water freezes, the risk of damage to your Safety Showers increases and it’s all the more important to take extra steps to ensure that these units remain in operable condition throughout the cold winter months. Let’s take a look at some steps you can take to ensure that your Safety Showers remain in full working order during this period.
Are your Safety Shower units protected against frost?
If there is no protection on the Safety Shower’s feed pipes then there’s a risk that the water could freeze. Not only will this prevent it from reaching the shower, but it can also cause damage to the unit, putting your Safety Shower out of commission and resulting in costly repairs. This is why you should ensure that all feed pipes are lagged. For temperatures down to -25c, trace heated products can protect the feed pipes from frost.
Have you considered using an immersion-heated Safety Shower?
For temperatures down to -35c, immersion heated Safety Showers are available. An example of this would be the Hughes STD-MH-15KS/11KS, which is also pre-insulated.
Thermostatically controlled Safety Showers are available
The Hughes STD-TC-100K/45G Safety Shower Unit
Intended for use in low ambient temperatures, the Hughes STD-TC-100K/45G Safety Shower unit has a 300l tank and a 3kW heater with a mixing valve that is thermostatically controlled. This is designed so as to ensure the delivery of warm water for over 15 minutes should the need arise, in compliance with ANSI and European standards. You can even use this Safety Shower to feed heated water to other showers nearby.
You may need to use Heated Tank Safety Shower units
In some situations, such as cold climates where there isn’t a constant or reliable water supply, a heated tank shower may be useful. Hughes even makes a polar tank shower with a double-skinned fibreglass cubicle to protect the user from external factors while using the shower unit. These can even provide protection in temperatures as low as 50c thanks with internal heaters.
Are your Safety Shower units serviced regularly?
It is recommended that Safety Shower units are serviced annually. Not only will this serve to ensure that your Safety Shower units are maintained in operational condition and comply with the relevant European and International standards, but it will also help to highlight any issues. Such serving will also help to resolve any ongoing maintenance problems that the shower equipment may have.
Are you regularly activating your Safety Showers?
Weekly inspection and activation of your Safety Showers and Eye Wash Units is a legal requirement. It serves a useful function too; not only does weekly activation ensure that your Safety Shower units are operational, but it also helps flush them free of any sediment that may build up when not in use. Of course, it also helps to highlight any damage or issues the units may have developed.
Hopefully this article has given you some insight into the steps you may need to take in order to maintain functional Safety Showers on site in a cold working environment. At Gaslines, we’ve been providing Safety Shower and Eye-Wash Units to a variety of different Irish worksites for years. If you’re unsure of anything or would like to discuss your requirements further, please do get in touch. You can email us at sales@mahealy.ie or call us on 0402 32116. Alternatively, you can fill out our contact form.
