From Ian Smith, British Nuclear Fuels
Cumbria
Yes, the Health and Safety Executive is very serious when it warns about
oxygen deficiency as a result of rust formation
(Feedback, 17 January).
It has long been recognised that rusting of the internal surfaces of a closed
steel vessel can remove so much oxygen that not enough remains to sustain
life.
Should an individual then enter the vessel without adequate precautions the
consequences can be fatal. Several people die each year in Britain through such
accidents. Newly fabricated or shot-blasted, carbon-steel vessels are
particularly vulnerable to this effect, especially those with large
surface-area-to-volume ratios such as heat exchangers.
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Anyone wishing to find out more on such matters can refer to the HSE’s
publication, Safe Work in Confined Spaces.
