The environment at water and wastewater treatment plants is inherently prone to the presence of moisture. Tackling the risk surrounding working in wet and corrosive environments is best approached with a three-pronged attack, according to Dodds Pringle, MD of Vital Engineering, manufacturers of high quality gratings, stair treads, pressed floors and safety handrails to the local and overseas market.
Aside from education and awareness programs about on-site risks and how to alleviate or eliminate them and the provision of suitable safety equipment, such as non-slip footwear, to employees and visitors, suitable measures should be taken to install adequate and OHSAS compliant walkways, stairs and handrails, Pringle advises.
The use of handrails can prevent slips and falls.
Furthermore, he points out that, as exposure to OHSAS regulations has become more pronounced, the company has seen an increase in the call for high-quality products which are engineered to suit the arduous conditions at desalination plants, municipal sewerage plants, water purification plants, water treatment plants in paper and packaging industries, mine washing plants, power station cooling towers, dams and pumping stations.
"Because there are a large number of products on the market, customers often assume that they are comparing apples with apples. However, we have made it our mission to educate our client base on the critical differences between cheaper, non-conformant products and the higher end of the market, where products are designed and manufactured to stringent OHS and quality standards," he maintains.
Safety in industry: Vital Engineering's stainless steel handrails and gratings.
"We place great emphasis on designing for safety. This means that when the installation is for an industrial application, we design with 350WA steel. The use of this grade of steel naturally affects the design we implement, with the platforms that the walkway rests on being placed further apart than if we were specifying a lower grade or commercial steel," Pringle adds.
Pringle points out that a full risk and needs analysis needs to be performed before a particular product is specified for the application at hand. "We need to ascertain, in advance of supply and installation, factors such as anticipated volumes of traffic, presence of water and chemicals expected to spray or fall onto the product. This would include products such as Vitagrid fully serrated non-slip surface stainless steel, aluminium or galvanized mild steel safety gratings, stair treads and handrails; as well as Vitaglass UV-resistant non-slip fibreglass gratings, stair treads and handrail systems. If a walkway, platform, staircase or handrail is exposed to the elements and chemicals used in purification process, one would need to consider a corrosion-resistant compound such as fibreglass as an alternative to steel."
Benefits offered by fibreglass products include their resistance to chemicals and moisture, lighter weight as well as a reduced cost in manufacture. "In addition, fibreglass products entail less maintenance, since they do not require special coatings for their longevity and because they are non-conductive, greatly reducing the risk of shocks or electrocution. On a practical level, they have no scrap monetary value once installed so they are unlikely to be stolen for resale," he says.
For more information contact Kendal Hunt on tel: +27 11 704 5649 or email: kendal@kendalhunt.co.za
