Safety Hazards Presented by a High Pressure Steam Leak
Over 5,000 workers died on the job in 2019. High-pressure leaks are major safety hazards that can lead to the injury and death of your employees.
Your facility needs to adopt the proper procedures to mitigate risks from stem leaks to improve your overall safety strategy. Read on to find out some of the major safety hazards caused by high-pressure steam leaks.
That way, your company can continue to expand its culture of safety to reduce workplace incidents and employee injuries.
Burns and Scalding Injuries
One of the dangers of steam is that it can cause serious burns and scalding injuries to employees exposed to it. Steam starts at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the boiling point of water.
This temperature is enough to cause major burns, but steam can get much hotter than this in the industrial setting. Therefore, if any employees are in the vicinity of a steam leak, they will suffer terrible and even fatal burn injuries.
Explosive Safety Hazards
High-pressure steam leaks are very volatile system failures that can be catastrophic. When steam is released from a leak at a high volume, it can cause explosive consequences.
A steam explosion may hurl debris far distances at incredible velocities. These can injure your employees, damage your equipment and destroy your property. This is particularly true in close corridors or confined areas.
A steam leak can rupture your pipe and cause it to fail. This is a violent process that can cause large pipes to swing uncontrollably or hurl shrapnel into the air.
A big enough pipe rupture can compromise your facility and leave injury and death in its wake.
Slips Trips and Falls
Even the aftermath of a steam leak can cause safety hazards. Once the leak is stopped, puddles of water and condensation may still occur. These can pose problems for employees in the form of a slipping hazard.
Small leaks can cause condensation to form on the ground and go undetected. This makes it all the more important to get leaks repaired fast and to have their aftermath cleaned up right away.
Hearing Damage
Steam leaks can produce very loud noises with enough decibels to damage human ears. If you have ever boiled water to make tea and left the kettle on the stove for too long, you know the loud whistling noise it makes.
Picture the much louder version of this for an industrial steam leak. The onset of these leaks can occur very fast, and employees not prepared with proper ear protection may suffer partial or total hearing loss.
Steam Leaks Constitute a Major Hazard
Steam leaks are major safety hazards and should be considered catastrophic to employee safety. They are the main reason why it is important to inspect your piping systems and industrial equipment as often as possible.
If you have a steam leak that needs repairing or would like an inspection, contact us today. That way, you can ensure the integrity of your industrial equipment and the safety of your employees in the process.
