Energy Gas Supervision warns about the prevention of heat injuries

Heating systems are potentially hazardous as they use water, steam, and other substances as heat transfer fluids at high temperatures and pressure, posing a risk to the life and health of both operating personnel and the public. As an example, an accident occurred in July 2021 in Minsk on school grounds. A janitor, while performing groundskeeping duties, stepped into a blowhole above a heat network pipeline and fell into a mud mixture, resulting in leg burns.

Furthermore, danger can lurk in everyday life. For instance, an accident occurred in August 2022 in Gomel. A 22-year-old woman wanted to take a photo on an overpass above railway tracks. She climbed onto a pipe using a technical ladder, lost her footing, and fell from a height of over nine meters onto a concrete support. The woman died from her injuries before the ambulance arrived.

In September 2020, in Pinsk, a person died at a repair site on a heat network section. At night, while riding a bicycle, he rode into an embankment and fell into a concrete channel for laying heat networks. The man died at the scene from his injuries.

To prevent heat-related injuries and avoid accidents associated with burns and traumas, the following are prohibited:

— Descending into and crossing trenches and channels where work is being carried out on the laying or repair of heating networks in unequipped areas;

— Touching steam and hot water pipelines, damaging the thermal insulation of pipelines, descending into open heat chambers and manholes;

— Climbing

— enter open thermal chambers, wells, and trenches;

— be in close proximity to flange connections, shut-off and control valves, and operate shut-off and control valves on pipelines;

— damage or remove fences, warning signs, and safety signs;

— enter thermal point rooms, damage thermal insulation, control and measuring instruments, and automation equipment, etc.

— approach washouts formed at the rupture points of heat network pipelines.

— it is forbidden to touch pipeline sections with damaged thermal insulation, as well as to damage it, as a person may receive a thermal burn due to the high temperature of the heat transfer medium.

If erosion, soil subsidence are detected in the areas of excavation, testing and repair of heating network pipelines, as well as open manholes, you should report this to the nearest housing and operational service or call the single number 115.

Sergey GURIN, energy and gas inspector of the Vitebsk inter-district department of the State Energy and Gas Supervision branch for the Vitebsk region.