Safety shower specialist Krusman Noedduschar has delivered an emergency shower to Statoil's new Sleipner West development, having supplied eight units for Sleipner East. It will also supply two new emergency showers for Statoil's Mongstad refinery, where to date it has provided 45 units.
Krusman was the first European supplier of emergency showers and, as far as chairman Lennart Krusman is aware, the first to supply this equipment to an offshore installation in the North Sea (over 10 years ago). The Norwegian offshore sector accounts for much of its business.
Because the showers are rarely required, a client is often tempted to place an order for equipment without considering whether it is really adequate for the job, says Mr Krusman. In many countries the lack of emergency shower standards doesn't help - the US has them, but Sweden and Norway don't.
The emergency shower may never be needed, but if it is, it must function as intended and without any delay. A worker injured by chemical or other hazardous material, and possibly in a state of shock, is reliant on an instant response from the shower. If this is forthcoming the injuries can be minimised; if not, they may be permanent.
From the company point of view, he argues, it is best to invest in a high quality shower, both to reduce the time an injured worker is off work and to minimise exposure to compensation claims.
The company's standard offshore unit in stainless steel is the Krusman 821 3820, which delivers 150 litres/min of cold water through the shower head and 5gl/min through the eyewash, in both cases at 2.4 bar.
Pressure and flow control valves ensure that the flow through the eyewash does not exceed this pressure, otherwise damage to the eyes could result. Unless specified otherwise, the units are made of stainless steel, giving them a virtually unlimited lifetime.
Because showers are often sited in the open, it is important to ensure that the water does not freeze. This is achieved by placing insulating foam between the water-pipe and the jacket of the shower and installing a heating cable around the pipe.
All parts of the shower are totally enclosed to prevent the ingress of water which might cause corrosion or cracking.
A drainage valve has recently been incorporated to ensure that there is no standing water in the shower which might freeze when it is not being used. The first unit to include this new feature was the delivery to Sleipner West.
For more information contact Lennart Krusman, Krusman Noedduschar: telephone +46 220 20155 or fax +46 220 20107.
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