Cooling Towers

[pecmsg]

At work several questions have come up dealing with cooling tower safety issues. I’ve searched OSHA and I’m getting more confused.:gah:

Are they considered Confined Space?

Are Respirators and protective clothing required?

Are weekly / monthly water samples required?

I believe Yes to all the above but need something more in righting.

[Randy S.]

I don't know about the confined space issue.

Protective clothing and maybe a respirator may be a good idea in some water treatments, and in neglected towers.

Weekly water testing is highly recommended, in our case driven more by wanting to be on top of the water treatment.

A lot of help I am. :)

[zzonko]

I wont give an opinion on confined space, but we always treat it as such. Attached are the pertinant OSHA docs.

We also always do a legionella test of the water before entering a tower for repairs, at the minumum.

And always remember the electricity. On a recent tower repair we found 6 different feeds, all originating in different places

[y7turbo]

.....
I wont give an opinion on confined space, but we always treat it as such. Attached are the pertinant OSHA docs.

We also always do a legionella test of the water before entering a tower for repairs, at the minumum.

And always remember the electricity. On a recent tower repair we found 6 different feeds, all originating in different places

Those are good files you posted, thanks

[pecmsg]

I wont give an opinion on confined space, but we always treat it as such. Attached are the pertinant OSHA docs.

We also always do a legionella test of the water before entering a tower for repairs, at the minumum.

And always remember the electricity. On a recent tower repair we found 6 different feeds, all originating in different places

Thanks zzonko :yes:I’ll add those to the file.

These are what I found last week.
OSHA Technical Manual (OTM) - Section III: Chapter VII: Legionnaires' Disease

Legionella Management and Monitoring: Part 2
Legionnaires' Disease eTool: Source and Control - Cooling Towers, Evaporative Condensers, and Fluid Coolers

Cooling Tower Safety and Maintenance - Service and Maintenance - Extra Edition - Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration NEW

For something that’s critical the information can be confusing and many times vague.