Heat Trap’s Cooling Systems, Emergency Safety Showers and Eyewash Stations

Emergency equipment fully operational and not presenting a hazard, despite extreme heat.

In 2015, Rio Rail requested help at their sites in the Pilbara for managing Legionella Bacteria and high water temperatures in their Emergency Safety Showers and Eyewash Stations (safety showers). Heat Trap resolved these issues with continuous water circulation:

1. from a chiller, 
2. to safety showers, 
3. through a UV sterilizer, 
4. back to the chiller.

Heat Trap provided Chiller Systems supplying safe and sterile, tepid water to safety showers in all of RIO Rail’s coastal facilities.

Heat Trap received more requests from the Pilbara region, as these problems were far from unique.

It became apparent that safety shower water temperature is generally unregulated across all of Australia. The Australian Safety Standard requires safety showers to provide tepid flushing fluid within one second, to mitigate the risks of handling hazardous materials. Yet, Heat Trap became aware in 2015 that, in warmer months, the vast majority of safety showers in outdoor locations in Australia are likely unusable and can actually cause harm when needed, with:

• scalding water causing 3rd degree burns, 
• water above 40°C causing irreversible blindness if used for the time specified for an eyewash, 
• stagnant water harbouring prolific bacterial growth, a high risk of causing infections and outbreaks (fatal in 10% of cases).

When accidents happen, consequences can be horrific and catastrophic.

Heat Trap Chillers—tried and tested for nearly a decade—are now servicing over 400 safety showers across Australia, making Heat Trap proudly the premium provider through whom Australia’s largest mining companies are achieving compliance with the Australian Safety Standard (AS4775).

But they are just getting started.

Over 8000 Safety Shower and Eyewash Stations remain in Australia that may present as unacceptable risks during warmer months.

With your help, Heat Trap aims to resolve this serious problem. And your help really is needed to spread awareness of this problem.

As Heat Trap investigated conditions in the Pilbara, more problems were revealed. Basic sanitation needs were going unmet: 

• With water temperatures at 47°C, hand-washing stations and showers can be unusable, 
• Bore water cannot be effectively treated through reverse osmosis unless cooled to suitable temperatures, and workers using untreated water for sanitation can be exposed to contaminants such as arsenic, cadmium and other blacklisted heavy metals.

Heat Trap resolves these problems with Chillers and  Reverse Osmosis Treatment Systems, allowing industry to adapt to inhospitable environments.

In 2019, Heat Trap engaged with water temperature problems at the Telfer mining village. Management wanted cold showers for workers to recuperate from the conditions. Heat Trap installed Cool-Off Systems to workers’ dongas, each giving cold showers to up to 12 people, twice a day, boosting well-being and morale.

Heat Trap’s Cool-Off Systems offer profound benefits including improved willpower and reflexes, muscle relief, reduced anxiety and depression, boosted immunity, while reducing sickness absenteeism by up to 29%.

In 2020, evaporative and ice-cooled vests were insufficient to mitigate the intense heat that boilermakers encountered in the mine’s bucket repair shop at FMG’s Cloudbreak site. Workers were requiring 45 minutes to recuperate from the heat every hour. In partnership with Accumax, Heat Trap developed a Water Vest Chiller and fitted specially designed vests with continuous circulation of cooled water via hoses up to 40m long.

The solution was 100% effective. Due to the Water-Cooled Vests’ profound effects on regulating body temperature, workers no longer needed to take extra breaks.

Heat Trap’s Water-Vest Chillers are ideal for recovery from heat stroke and reducing chronic heat stress. They are also used as an excellent treatment option at First Aid Offices.

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