Health Hazard Control Solutions for Engineering Shutdown and Maintenance Projects based at Industrial Facilities

Discover how to keep workers safe during activities such as abrasive blasting, welding, painting, grinding metals and more...

Fabric maintenance work could include; exterior building maintenance, ceiling or floor repairs, applying industrial coatings, thermal insulation upgrades, fireproofing etc. Naturally, this type of work incorporates a lot of cutting, grinding, drilling, and the use of hazardous substances, which could expose workers to significant health risks.

Here are some of the challenges you need to be mindful of:

- Activities such as painting, welding and burning assets such as tanks, chambers and boilers during fabric maintenance works can create dangerous fumes that can quickly damage a person's health if not controlled correctly.

- Welding may be necessary on heavy equipment, large vessels designed to hold liquids and gases, valves, and high-pressure pipes. Welding fumes must be controlled inline with COSHH regulations

- During fabric maintenance and repair work, the use of power tools to cut, grind, drill or prepare a surface can create harmful dusts as well as other hazardous and flammable airborne contaminants. This dust needs to be captured, contained and controlled at source, especially flammable dust, to ensure that it does not harm the health of workers or create an explosion risk

- There will be scenarios where fabric maintenance workers will need to work in confined spaces, such as inside a boiler. There are various risks involved in this situation, such as a build up of noxious fumes, reduced oxygen levels or a risk of fire. When a project is based in this environment, it is required by law to ensure that sufficient measures are put in place to protect the safety of workers.

- For projects based in a confined space, such as deep inside a furnace, you are likely to require a high pressure fan to provide a constant flow of fresh air into the work area through long lengths of ducting.

Download a copy of this guide to discover how to manage these challenges, remain compliant with legislation, keep everyone safe and your project on track.