Health and safety are high-priority issues for the stainless steel industry, says safety and instru-ment products provider Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) Africa.

“Being a leading supplier to the local stainless steel manufacturing industry, we have witnessed the dedication to, and importance of, health and safety in the industry,” says MSA Africa mining segment manager Andre Eloff.

He believes that safety is a way of life at most stainless steel manufacturing plants, with manufacturers complying with internationally accepted safety standards. Independent audits are regularly conducted to ensure that standards are adhered to and to help manufacturers focus on areas where safe work practices can be enhanced.

“Stainless steel manufac-turers have extremely hazar-dous conditions in their production plants and any lapse can have catastrophic results,” he says.

Some of the most common hazards found in stainless steel production plants include heat, hand injuries, high levels of noise and exposure to toxic and carcinogenic gases.

“The biggest hazard is heat released from the arc furnaces. Accidents result from moisture build-up inside the melting pots, which creates a combination of hydrogen and molten metal, an explosive combination with devastating results,” says Eloff.

Heat stress is also a hazard. Eloff explains that there are regulations that specify the amount of heat stress an individual may be exposed to over a certain period. He emphasises that the industry exercises extreme care to ensure strict adherence to regulations.

“Being a heat-application industry, the release of gases is always a concern. During the stainless steel heating process, a chemical reaction takes place, resulting in exposure to hexavalent chromium, known as chrome 6, a carcinogenic fume,” Eloff says.

Chrome 6 increases the risk of lung cancer and repeated or prolonged overexposure can damage the mucous mem-branes of the nasal passages. Further, skin exposure to chrome 6 over prolonged periods can cause ulcers to form, as well as cause perman-ent eye damage in some cases.

“High risk areas are clearly identified and have extractor fans removing the gases from the work areas. That is why our airline supply systems, which clean the air to the user through a high-pressure compressor, are widely used by producers of stainless steel. Our permanent and portable gas monitoring systems that measure gas content in high-risk areas are also widely used,” he says.

High levels of noise result in hearing loss and hand injuries are a common occurrence as a result of the razor sharpness of final products.

Despite these hazards, Eloff explains that the local stainless steel industry has one of the best safety records in the country, with a number of certificates and awards recognising its dedication to prioritising safety standards.

“Stainless steel producers consider safety to be a key factor in the effective running of their businesses. A local stainless steel producer has achieved one-million work hours without disabling injury, eight times since 1996, demonstrating their zero tolerance to safety. 
“It is a way of life for them,” says Eloff.

Meeting Industry Application Requirements


He says that safety is a primary concern for the company and that the company continually tests safety products at a local stainless steel production facility to ensure that they meet industry application requirements.

He adds that MSA Africa has a wide range of head-to-toe personal protection equipment suited to the stainless steel industry.

“We are the only manufacturer of a heat-resistant safety cap. The HeatGard safety cap has the same mould as our V Gard caps, but is manufactured from a completely different material, which retains its protective 
properties in high-heat applica-tions, such as radiant heat in furnace work,” Eloff says.

The cap is able to withstand a maximum heat exposure of 190 ºC, as well as a maximum ambient heat temperature of up to 100 ºC and meets the applicable requirements for a Type 1 helmet as outlined in SANS 1397:2003.

The company also supplies hearing protective devices that have been tested at varying pitches and frequencies and can be used at different levels of high noise levels. Eloff adds that MSA also supplies industries, including the stainless steel industry, with specialised cut-resistant gloves, heat-resistant boots and shoes, as well as specialised eyewear that fits onto the brim of the protective cap and helps the worker to differentiate where the slag and the stainless steel starts.

Eloff says: “This product serves a dual function as a personal protective equipment and cost saving benefit to the plant, which is at the heart of MSA Africa. We, at MSA Africa, are committed to sup-plying high-quality products that are cost effective.”

The company is also on a safety drive to educate the industry on the importance of using the correct safe protection eyewear.

“Retina damage is commonly seen in industrial workers, where visual exposure to damaging radiation may be intensified. Often employers provide tinted safety protection glasses in the belief that they provide the necessary protection, only to find that they have the opposite effect and can actually cause more damage,” says Eloff.

He explains that in a dark medium, the pupil enlarges to absorb more light to see more clearly. He adds that tinted glasses create a dark medium, which causes the pupil to enlarge and as tinted glass does not absorb the radiation, burning of the retina commonly occurs.

“We supply a lens combin-ation for protective eyewear for industrial workers that reduces 99% or eliminates the transmission of eye-damaging wavelengths to the wearer, thereby preventing impairment of the vision of the lens wearer, while facilitating sight of work, particularly in certain industrial settings,” says Eloff.

He adds that the ill effects to the human eye owing to the absorption of radiation emitted by artificial light sources can be particularly detrimental, produ-cing harmful ocular effects, principally to the cornea, although radiation at certain wavelengths may reach the lens and cause damage to that structure. It may also produce corneal or lenticular opacities, commonly known as cataracts.

“It is for this reason that we are trying to educate the industry that tinted eyewear protection does not necessarily protect the eye, and more atten-
tion should be given to radia-tion absorption,” he concludes.