Safety first, and last, and always
Working with high water pressure is known to be a high-risk job. Just a small slip-up or tiny mistake could have disastrous consequences and result in life-altering injuries. But by knowing the risks, you can reduce or even eliminate them, meaning that making risk assessments a daily habit could very well be the difference between life and death.
SVB is a Swedish company that provides industrial and environmental remediation services and concrete and surface treatment work for corporate customers in the industrial, construction, and real estate sectors. They are aware of the risks when working with high water pressure and are constantly working on bettering the safety of their operators.
– Before we start any job we do an evaluation together with the team. Here we look at where the job is taking place, how many operators are needed, and any potential dangers with the job. Then we work out how to eliminate them, says Viktor Lövstedt, Business Area Manager for Industrial Cleaning at SVB.
A safe workplace is achieved through knowledge,
planning and the right protection.
Like every worksite and high-water pressure job is different so is also the risk it poses. To protect operators, passersby, machines, and the environment there’s a need to plan. To make a sufficient risk assessment, it is a good idea that the operator performing the tasks assesses with the one who knows the local risks the best, the client.
– Once our operators arrive at a new worksite, they do a risk assessment with the client where local risks and risks with our work in their environment are identified. It could be anything from the risk of falling objects and collapse to chemicals and hazardous gases. The clients know the location best and the operators know the risk of the job itself and together they will get a great overview of potential risks. Then we look that we have the right skills, the right operator for the job, that we possess sufficient work permits and adequate protective clothing and equipment, says Viktor Lövstedt.
A big part of keeping the operator safe is making sure they’re wearing appropriate protective clothing. At TST Sweden we have a wide range
of protective clothing for pressures up to 3 000 bar / 43 500 psi. Our revolutionary comfort and compliance combined with the fact that products are CE certified, tested and of the highest quality, made us SVB’s and many others first choice. We and our distributors are more than happy to help with the right PPE.
– When determining the necessary protective clothing for a specific job, the first step is to assess the required water pressure, flow, and nozzles, and select the appropriate level of protection thereafter. Then you look at what areas of the body require protection. Will they be hot or cold during the work shift? If the operator works in a warm environment, it’s a good idea to have protective clothing with ventilation as an option. Another thing to take into consideration is what type of positions the operator will work in, will they have to move, climb, and crawl or will they be stationary? If operators are comfortable, they’re a lot more likely to be wearing their Protective clothing. Meaning that they’re also a lot safer, says Peder Lindström, Market & Sales Director at TST Sweden.
Once you have made sure the operator is properly protected it could be, depending on the worksite, relevant to also protect both machinery and passersby. In a lot of workplaces, there are often electronics and machinery sensitive to water that cannot be moved. Protection for these is usually built with, for example, plywood or metal. But an easier, smoother option is to use TST’s protective Curtains. They help to block and shield off the work site, making the work area smaller and protecting both people, machinery, and the environment by hindering stones, concrete, and dirty water from flying everywhere. Beyond physical protection, the Protection Curtains contribute to a quieter work environment and help contain hazardous air and contaminated water, making the work site safer in more than one way.
With TST Sweden’s Protective Curtains, several operators can work at the same time, on a smaller workspace. The Safety Funnel offers a safer, time-saving and more environmentally friendly way of cleaning heat exchangers.
Water pressure, flow and type of nozzles are just some of the factors that affect the type of PPE the operator should wear.
Another thing that is important to protect, and where the requirements for the industry to act are increasing, is the environment. AT TST Sweden we offer products for collecting contaminated water. Our Safety Funnel is used during the cleaning of heat exchangers, and in 2024 we launched the Safety Pipe Cap for pipe cleaning.
No matter how many precautions you take accidents can still happen, but if you’re properly prepared the outcome can be less severe. Make sure to know what procedures to follow if disaster strikes. Take notice of the evacuation plan and routines on your current work location, and whether to directly contact emergency services or the facility’s control room if an accident were to happen. And remember to always put safety first.