Safe and healthy working conditions: it cuts both ways A safe and healthy workplace contributes significantly to a decrease in sick leave and disability among employees. This is not only good for the employees, it also benefits the bottom line. The new Occupational Health and Safety Act came into effect in the Netherlands (Arbowet) in 2007. The act gives employees and employers more freedom and responsibility with regard to how they put into practice working conditions policies within the organisation or sector. The Labour Inspectorate sees to it that employers and employees comply with the law and ensure that it is properly applied.

Safety Apart from being detrimental to the health of employees, high temperatures also constitute safety risks. When temperatures are high, concentration wanes, increasing the chances of accidents. This is particularly the case if concentration and attention to detail is important, as it is for machine operators and those in technical positions. The danger of burning, through direct contact with the hot surfaces of machinery, equipment, pipes and ancillaries, is not uncommon. This is especially the case in production processes involving steam and thermal oils: minor but also serious burn injuries often occur. Apart from ensuring that proper protective clothing is worn and that safety procedures are drawn up, many organisations pay little attention to the actual dangers that their staff are exposed to. Often employees will alert each other to the fact that a certain machine part is hot. But when this is overlooked, the consequences can be dire. Burning hazards are not visible because metal only changes colour at extreme temperatures, whereas direct contact with anything hotter than 50°C will result in burn injuries. Sometimes fencing is erected around these areas for the protection of personnel. This, however, is a solution that only reduces the risk, it does not address the cause. Using Thermatras® insulation blankets to cover hot machine parts can provide a solution to these hazardous situations.



Health Working in high temperatures can be detrimental to health in a variety of ways. It can cause heat rash, cramps, heat exhaustion and in some cases heat stroke. Temperatures in excess of 40°C in the workplace invariably constitute health risks and physical discomfort. Appropriate measures should be taken to improve these unhealthy conditions. In engine rooms containing machinery and equipment such as central heating installations, hot water, steam, condensation, thermal oil etc, the ambient temperature can easily exceed 40°C. Insulating ancillaries, piping, heat exchangers, autoclaves and other machinery is a measure that can provide the desired result.