Safety Question Regarding Maximum Temperatures for Manhole, Vault or Tunnel Entry
Len-IDEA
Posted on behalf of IDEA member Ted Sniegowski, Manager, District Energy, We Energies:
I’m hoping IDEA can help me and my organization with this safety question.
My question is regarding how other members handle entry in to manholes, vaults and tunnels as it pertains to a maximum ambient temperature. I don’t see any answers being sent on the one forum question currently posted so I thought I would try it this way. Could the question be sent out to applicable members?
- Has anyone or organization set a hard limit (maximum temperature) for manhole, vault or tunnel entry? If so, what is that temperature and how was it determined?
- Is the maximum temperature limit for entry situational? If so, what are the considerations, control measures, etc. and who makes the go/no go decision?
- Is there any requirement to document the ambient temperature before entry?
- Does IDEA have any information or guidance on the subject?
Any assistance in greatly appreciated!
Ted
Sniegowski
Manager, District
Energy
We Energies
Office: (414) 221-4780
Mobile: (262) 497-2874
Fax: (414) 221-2458
Phelps, Tom
Before setting any guidelines for your staff working in these hot environments, this section in the OSHA Technical Manual on Heat Stress should be consulted. https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_4.html .
- Charts, tables, and formulas are provided to help set limits for various levels of exertion.
- However, the environmental limits suggested are likely to be difficult or impossible to create with ventilation only (particularly in summer) when working in ‘heat-soaked’ environments such a steam distribution tunnels.
BOTTOM LINE:
These guidelines may not be practical in some/most real-world circumstances in hot utility tunnels. However, if you set different, more practical guidelines for your staff, consultation with your Health & Safety folks and a familiarity with the OSHA reference is advised.
Tom Phelps, PE, P.Eng.
Principal
Combined Heat & Power / District Energy
Stantec
801 Jones Franklin Road Suite 300 Raleigh NC 27606-3394
Phone: (919) 865-7527
Cell: (919) 522-3922
Fax: (919) 851-7024
tom.p...@stantec.com
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Edward T. Borer Jr.
Our EHS office would agree with Mr. Phelps assessment below. Typically they would encourage anyone who enters a tunnel or area where there is the potential for exposure to excessive heat, to complete an assessment (job hazard analysis or JHA) of the area with their supervisor prior to being exposed to the heat. If there is work that needs to go on in a particularly hot area, we would expect that there would be some sort of temporary shutdown and active ventilation measures taken to help relieve that potential exposure prior to the work beginning. Evaluation is one aspect of the issue, but working in the environment can bring on a totally different set of circumstances and conditions.
We typically collect a list of non-emergency work on the district steam and condensate systems to be performed on the one day each year that our steam system is off-line. I usually have a list of 20 – 30 small and medium-size projects that all get coordinated on that day. These can involve steam trap replacements/repairs, insulation replacements and repairs, new building tie-ins, etc.
Ted Borer, PE, CEM, LEED AP
Princeton University
Energy Plant Manager
MacMillan Building, Elm Drive
Princeton, NJ 08543-2158
Cell: (609) 731-2327
Home: (609) 466-3322