Safety conditions of steam boilers in companies associated with a professional risk administration company in Antioquia, 2009

Objective: to determine the safety conditions of steam boilers in companies associated with a professional risk administra-tion company in Antioquia, Colombia. To this end, their op-eration conditions shall be characterized, the associated risks identified, and their safety level assessed. Method...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Diego L. Sepúlveda M, Jairo Ramírez G
Format: Article
Language:Spanish
Published: Universidad de Antioquia 2011-07-01
Series:Revista Facultad Nacional de Salud Pública
Subjects:
Online Access:http://aprendeenlinea.udea.edu.co/revistas/index.php/fnsp/article/view/6268/10324
Description
Summary:Objective: to determine the safety conditions of steam boilers in companies associated with a professional risk administra-tion company in Antioquia, Colombia. To this end, their op-eration conditions shall be characterized, the associated risks identified, and their safety level assessed. Methodology:. a descriptive crosssectional study was carried out in twenty companies whose production processes involve boilers. A survey on the conditions for operation was applied on both the maintenance managers and the boilers’ operators in each company. A hazard risk assessment matrix was made as in-structed in the GTC-45 Colombian technical guide, and an assessment instrument was applied to determine the safety level for each boiler. Results: 70% of the assessed boilers obtained a low score (less than 65 points) according to the scale, which has been validated by experts; the remaining boilers obtained an acceptable score (66 to 81 points). It was also found that 85% of the boilers had no operating instructions, and 60% of them did not have any kind of alarm. Conclusions: the stud-ied boilers had poor security conditions, mainly related to the absence of operation protocols, boiler operator training, and poor supervision by competent authorities
ISSN:0120-386X