Water Pipe Freeze Protection for Hand Washing Stations  | nVent

As construction sites around the nation slowly get back to work, new precautions have been put in place to help keep workers safe.  

Many states have expanded requirements in workplaces and jobsites to ensure a safe working environment and many of those guidelines are around hand washing stations. With winter weather on the horizon, ensuring water pipe freeze protection should be a priority.  

What are the Guidelines for Workplace Hand Washing Stations? 

OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recently updated their safety protocols for construction sites to include new sanitation management procedures.  

Some of these new guidelines include:  

• Strict social distancing and sanitization practices, including providing hand washing stations with soap and hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol  
• Using EPA approved chemicals to clean commonly handled tools, machines and surfaces  

But OSHA has already established rules for handwashing stations on all worksites.  

The Final Rule for Field Sanitation, 29 CFR1928.110 states that employers with 11 or more hand laborers in the field provide adequate hand washing facilities that include potable water, soap, and single-use towels. The same rule also determined that waterless cleaners were not a suitable solution.  

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This means  not having a potable water hand washing station at a job site with more than 11 workers could place you in violation of OSHA standards. Keeping those hand washing stations protected from winter weather is essential.  

Water Pipe Freeze Protection for Hand Washing Stations  

Electrical self-regulating heat tracing technology is one solution to ensure that water source lines do not freeze.  

When temperatures dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, water lines become in danger of freezing. And if they have sustained previous damage from freezing weather before, they can fail entirely. A self-regulating system does the following:  

• Adjust its power output as the ambient temperature rises and falls, ensuring that the system runs efficiently  when needed  
• Generally maintenance free, these systems allow you to get to work without having to worry about frozen pipes after installation 
• Can be installed on just about any water line, even in complicated or tight spaces  

The Farmer’s Almanac is already predicting a cold winter for many states, and with the added complication of heightened safety regulations this may be the year to consider some upgrades to your facility.  

Don’t skimp on safety in 2020. Setting up a self-regulating system now can mean years of maintenance and worry-free operations for years to come.  

Looking to connect with an nVent RAYCHEM Winter Expert? Use our Where to Buy locator to find the nearest nVent distributor near you.