Photo of Chimney, possibly in Ohio, Credit: JuergenPM from Pixabay
The most important part of an industrial chimney or smokestack inspection, is how thorough and effective it is performed. Many work environments feature industrial chimneys and smoke stacks as a means of maintaining work place health and safety standards. However, they can only do this effectively with proper industrial chimney maintenance and inspection. Thorough stack inspection is the easiest way to reduce the amount of commercial chimney repair you’ll need to schedule, so use these steps to make sure your inspections are thorough enough to help you reduce the amount of repairs you need.
Confined Space Hazards
Smokestacks are typically installed when a workplace needs to vent harmful toxins or atmospheric conditions that develop as a result of the specific type of manufacturing or other work being done. When smokestacks work properly, these harmful conditions are well-managed. However, if not properly maintained or kept in top working order, toxic atmospheric conditions can build up, causing confined space hazards to become a more significant issue. In a confined space without a working smokestack, employees are at risk of either too much or too little oxygen. Atmospheric oxygen concentration below 19.5 percent or above 23.5 percent are dangerous or even fatal.
No matter how thorough your individual stack inspections are, you’ll need to consistently schedule inspections in order to keep up with any changes in the state of your smokestacks. Just because a thorough inspection didn’t turn up anything a year ago doesn’t mean things haven’t changed since then. All new stacks should be accessed and inspected 12 months after entering service to ensure anticipated performance under load. After that, regular inspections and maintenance are still necessary; while the largest changes are likely to happen within the first 12 months, there are still many times when something can go wrong.
Use Multiple Vantage Points
When you’re conducting inspections on your smokestacks to determine if they require additional industrial chimney maintenance, make sure that you’re not just making your judgment call on the basis of a single point of view. Binocular inspections of a commercial chimney are a start, but you’ll need to get up close and personal in order to properly determine just what sort of work needs to be done, if any.
Most business owners don’t necessarily have someone on staff ready to tackle industrial chimney maintenance, and this can cause a problem when it comes time for inspection. Having someone with the right knowledge and experience is essential to keeping your smokestacks working as intended. Hiring an outside expert industrial chimney contractor is a sure way to know that your industrial chimneys are getting the attention and maintenance they need. Thorough inspection of your commercial chimneys is key to maintaining your work place’s overall health and safety. Smoke stacks manage the atmosphere and efficiency of your environment, and so keeping them in as best shape as possible is essential. For more information on commercial chimneys or to schedule a professional inspection, contact Continental Chimney today.
Is your industrial chimney smokestack in need of maintenance? For more information on chimney inspections or to schedule maintenance with an expert industrial chimney contractor today, contact us, Continental Chimney, for all your industrial smokestack needs. Safe, efficient, and OSHA approved, we work worldwide. Call us today for a free quote or binocular inspection.
By Donald Perry 07/29/2019 Manufacturing
Most Effective Ways to Inspect Your Industiral Smokestack Chimney