Features of labor safety during the operation of sewer networks

Abstract

The maintenance of drainage facilities during emergency repair or maintenance work is an important part of the life support of urbanized areas. The greatest danger during the operation and repair of sewer systems is posed by poisonous gases formed in sewers – hydrogen sulfide, methane, carbon monoxide, etc. Workers in sewer facilities must strictly adhere to occupational safety measures to avoid poisoning by harmful gases and death. However, as practice shows, during planned and emergency recovery work in sewer networks, fatal accidents occur worldwide every year. The paper characterizes the gassiness of sewer collectors in Kharkiv on the concentration of hydrogen sulfide and the danger of gas emissions from sewer shafts and wells for the urban environment. The main reasons influencing the state of injuries on sewerage networks include non-use or absence of personal protective equipment, safety and protective equipment, the unsatisfactory condition of ventilation systems in sewerage facilities; unsatisfactory organization of repair and emergency works on sewer structures, non-compliance with the requirements of labour protection instructions and performance of works with gross violations of occupational safety requirements; lack of training sessions at water supply and sewer enterprises, etc. To reduce injuries at sewer facilities, water supply and sewer workers should be provided with special means of communication, and in some cases, “personal alarms” to give a signal in case of immobilization. As means of individual protection, it is better to use not gas masks and oxygen respirators of various designs.