Decontamination facilities for those who work with hazardous materials not only have to meet the latest requirements and regulations governing health and safety, they also now have to operate effectively in extreme climate conditions.
With the worldwide search for oil and other natural resources ever widening, multi nationals are turning their attention to increasingly inhospitable environments. The extraction of such resources, which previously concentrated on areas such as the North Sea, now encompasses land mass in countries such as Kazakhstan and Alaska.

Potential hazards

With breakthroughs in drilling techniques, it is now possible to operate in the most extreme climate conditions. With temperatures dropping to -40°C and scorching up to 40°C, goal posts are having to be moved with regard to coping with potential hazards.
Previous less stringent rules governing safety in plants operating in such places as the Far East and Asia are long gone. Even in the emerging markets, health and safety requirements surrounding quick, effective decontamination are getting tougher with companies having to meet strict specifications.
Such requirements should be encouraging operators and specifiers to look at quality of the units, their operational needs and length of service. Going for cheap is not necessarily going to be economical in the long term.
So how can industry get it right for the right environment?
The problem is two fold. In very hot countries, where the water supply feed is exposed to extreme heat, the water would be heated naturally by the sun to a dangerously high temperature. If the water was to remain at this temperature, it could cause or increase injury to the user.

Contaminant

In situations where the contaminant is a burn-inducing chemical, the hot water would intensify the burns and cause the substance to be absorbed further into the skins pores. As the water quickly cools, the pores close, trapping the contaminant and hampering attempts to wash it off.
At the other end of the climatic scale, to suddenly douse someone with freezing cold water would either shock them to death or give them hypothermia. The pores would close immediately, and decontamination would be ineffective.
We have resolved these problems by developing a customised GWC750 water cooler and a GWH750 water heater, both of which are very compact, measuring just 2mx1.5mx2m, and will give a safety shower 15minutes of continuous flow of water.
In very hot climates the cooler, which chills a cylinder of water down to 5°C, is fitted to the mains feed. This chilled water is then mixed automatically with the naturally heated mains fed water to a preset temperature.
In cold climates, where temperatures reach down to -40˚C, the water supply needs to be heated. Acting in reverse, the GWH750 unit is fitted to the mains feed and the cylinder insulated to keep the water temperature constant. The heated water is then mixed automatically with the naturally chilled mains fed water, again to a preset temperature.
Water cooler units are currently installed in the oil and gas fields of Saudi Arabia, and water heater units in the oil fields of Sakhalin Island, Russia.
There is also an obvious need in freezing temperatures to protect personnel during decontamination. In this instance we recommend self contained tank showers which are heated inside, have spring-loaded doors and are lit both inside and out. Importantly, the water stored in the header tank has its own heating element to ensure it meets the required ANSI standard, which states that delivered flushing water should be tepid and range between 15 to 37.

Predictive intelligence

Moving away from dry land to the sea, safety showers on oil and chemical tankers have to meet different design specifications to those on oil and gas fields.
The units need to soak up huge wave momentum, while also delivering an uninterrupted flow of water to wash away hazardous spills and materials. The water tank of a decontamination shower can hold up to one tonne of liquid 3 metres up in the air. When static on land, this tremendous weight is not a problem.
However, out on the high seas, a vessel is being tossed every which way. This will twist a solid water tank unit, as the constant shifting of its load exerts a huge strain on the framework. By using a 316 external reinforced stainless steel framework, the forces involved can be absorbed, as well as withstanding the salty atmosphere.
An additional special GRP internal baffle effectively de-compartmentalises the load, thus reducing momentum.

Allen Yates is managing director of Showers & Eyebaths Services, St Helens, Merseyside. www.safety-showers.com