Corporate Social Responsibility Sustainability Series
Part 5: Reduce Injury Rates By Insulating to Safe Touch
In this week’s Sustainability Series by Syneffex™ we’re going to focus on another key area that is highlighted in nearly every Corporate Sustainability Report (CSR), which is Employee Health & Safety.
Reducing injury rates and lost time on the job due to injuries is of huge importance to organizations. They want to ensure their employees stay healthy and happy and productive. They also want to keep their Worker’s Compensation expenses and related insurance premiums as low as possible. That’s why Employee Health & Safety receives its own section on CSRs and is one of the top sustainability goal categories for many organizations globally.
One way to reduce employee injuries is to ensure all surfaces in the working environment are safe-to-touch so no one gets burned. While there is no specific OSHA guideline on the temperature considered “safe-to-touch,” it is widely recognized in factories around the world as 140F/60C.
The nearest guidelines found by OSHA on the subject are as follows:
1910.261(k)(11):
Steam and hot-water pipes. All exposed steam and hot-water pipes within 7 feet of the floor or working platform or within 15 inches measured horizontally from stairways, ramps, or fixed ladders shall be covered with an insulating material, or guarded in such manner as to prevent contact.
1910.262(c)(9):
Steam pipes. All pipes carrying steam or hot water for process or servicing machinery, when exposed to contact and located within seven feet of the floor or working platform shall be covered with a heat-insulating material, or otherwise properly guarded.
OSHA increased their penalties for violations in 2016. You can read more about that here.
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Syneffex™ coatings keep heat where it belongs.
Keeping your business running safely and sustainably.
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Syneffex™ insulating coating technology allows hot surfaces to be quickly and easily brought to a safe touch level just by spraying on the recommended number of coats, which can be done while the equipment is in operation. If sprayed onto a hot surface, the Nansulate™ EPX-H2O coating will dry in just a few hours and lower the surface temperature significantly. This benefits several industries like plastics manufacturers, pulp & paper, food and beverage, asphalt, metals, and many other types of manufacturing using hot steam processes.
How Much Can Syneffex™ Nansulate™ EPX-H2O Reduce A Hot Surface?
In this case study which was done on the boiler of a major hospital, just 6-coats of EPX-H2O were applied to the boiler exterior, reducing the surface from a too hot to touch, 230F/110C down to the safe touch level of 136F/57.8C for a total reduction of over 40%, or -94F/-52.2C.
Three Important Employee Health & Safety Benefits Related to Temperature
Our line of Nansulate™ coatings were aptly named. These thermal barrier coatings keep heat where it needs to be not only to reduce energy costs, but provide a number of employee health and safety benefits:
1. Safe Touch/OSHA: Our insulating coatings are used widely to lower hot pipes, tanks, ovens, steam pipes, boilers and other hot equipment surfaces to a non-burning, safe-to-touch level.
2. Improve Hot Working Conditions: Many factory environments can get extremely hot, especially in the summer, making the environment unhealthy for workers. Our insulating coatings reduce the heat radiated into the working environment by heat process equipment to reduce the chance of heat stroke and lower air conditioning costs too.
3. Keep Handrails from Heating Up: Exterior structures like handrails, benches, and playground equipment can get extremely hot when the summer sun beats down. Our Nansulate™ Translucent PT coating provides the perfect solution, with a smooth, clear, matte finish to keep surfaces cooler.
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We have made it our mission to make the lives of Sustainable Leaders, in a word, Simple!
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