Commercial heating systems are crucial assets in most workplaces. In offices and other types of commercial premises, employee and visitor comfort is vital, which is why commercial heaters need to be in top condition.
These types of systems – when integrated with cooling technology – also provide much-needed control and protection for perishable goods in food manufacturing facilities, digital equipment and servers in data centres, and maintain good air quality in sports centres, gyms, and leisure facilities, to name just a few.
While it’s undeniable that these systems need to work autonomously all year round, they can pose significant safety risks if they’re not properly maintained. Recent workplace safety failings have been prominently highlighted, which is why heating systems – even when they’re not being used all the time – need to be regularly maintained and checked.
Find out how you as a facilities, office, or workplace manager can ensure the long-term stability and safety of your commercial heating units to keep workplace health and safety intact.
Understanding Your Heating System
Firstly, it’s important to understand the type of heating system that you have in your facility. Not all are made the same and some may suit certain applications over others. For example, public sector commercial heating systems may need to be configured to dispense continuous heating and hot water, while others may benefit from having a rotational cycle.
Whether you have a vented HVAC unit for your office, a ceiling-mounted radiant heater, or a destratification unit for temperature levelling, it’s important to understand how often you will need to implement regular repairs and maintenance checks, to keep them in perfect working order.
The Importance of Regular Commercial Heating Maintenance
Neglecting regular system maintenance checks can result in goods or products being spoiled due to poor temperature regulation, discomfort for your employees working in unsafe temperatures, an unintended increase in your energy costs (which are already astronomically high), and other problems.
Therefore, after having established what system you have in place, it’s important to focus on a few key areas:
- Thermostats: Make sure thermostats are correctly installed, cleaned, and working properly to prevent any inefficiencies.
- Ventilation cleaning: Clean grills, valves, and filters, or replace them to prevent any excess dust and debris buildup which can increase fire risks.
- Boiler maintenance: Annual boiler services and maintenance are vital, with qualified professionals inspecting the flues, pressure levels and internal components to ensure they’re working correctly.
- Leaks: Inspect areas around and beneath heating units for signs of leaks, and identify the source. They could point to serious issues.
Oil filters: Clean and replace oil filters regularly, especially before using your boiler regularly, such as in the winter.
Additional Safety Measures for Heating Systems
Beyond routine maintenance of your heating system, it’s wise to implement some additional safety measures to reduce and mitigate as many commercial heating risks as possible.
This includes inspecting and reviewing the effectiveness of a few essential extras:
- Carbon monoxide detectors: Install and test detectors near heating units which can quickly trigger alerts when dangerous gases are present, and occupants can quickly evacuate without being affected.
- Smoke alarms: Smoke and fire alarms are mandatory, which is why extensive, regular testing of them ensures that – in the unlikely event of a fire – the risk to life and damage is properly contained. Where possible, install additional alarms near central heating equipment.
- Fire extinguishers: Make sure that the correct types of fire extinguishers are accessible near any central heating units. Similarly, all staff should be regularly trained on their usage.
- Space concerns: Ensure that there is sufficient space around heating systems, making sure that no flammable or combustible materials are nearby to cause additional health and safety risks. This is particularly important for laboratories and medical facilities.
Other Important Factors to Consider
Commercial office and facilities managers have a duty of care to ensure their employees’ health and well-being. It’s all well and good checking and confirming the right safety measures are in place, but it doesn’t stop there.
Consider the following steps to prevent commercial heating risks from spiralling:
- Educate your staff about the importance of heating system safety. Ensure they know what issues warrant investigation (strange noises, smells, etc.) and whom to contact and report concerns to.
- Invest in professional, regular commercial heating maintenance services from accredited and industry-approved providers. Routine checks can, by all means, be conducted in-house, but only use certified professionals for major repair and maintenance services.
- Keep detailed records of all servicing, maintenance, and repairs for future reference and to confirm compliance.
- Familiarise yourself with relevant HSE guidelines on workplace temperatures and any changes in regulations that might affect your workplace or heating system management.
- Regularly assess the energy efficiency of your heating system, upgrading older systems to more eco-friendly alternatives, which can come with additional safety features.
Accident Reporting and RIDDOR Compliance
In the event of a workplace incident involving heating units, proper reporting is vital. The RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) 2013 requires employers to report certain workplace incidents. This includes accidents involving heating systems that result in:
- Work-related deaths
- Specific heat-related injuries such as burns or scalds
- Injuries that span over seven days or more
- Dangerous occurrences like explosions or fires
Employers should report incidents to the HSE through their online system or via telephone for fatal or catastrophic incidents. Specified incidents and injuries that span over seven days must be made within a certain timeframe. Alongside this, employers should implement a feasible internal reporting system for all heating-related incidents or accidents, even if they don’t fall under RIDDOR reporting rules.
Use this information to prevent future incidents and improve your existing safety measures. Align this with your inspection, repair and service logs to isolate particular instances which could have caused or exacerbated a heating-related incident. Regularly review these records to identify patterns or recurring issues.
Commercial heating safety is a serious process – it cannot and should not be overlooked. Once installing, testing, and confirming the safety of your system, it’s crucial to ensure that it can work autonomously all year round without posing any health and safety risks to anyone who may use it.
Implementing a comprehensive maintenance schedule and understanding the necessary compliance regulations around heating safety and reporting will help you maintain a risk-free workplace that can keep everyone at a safe and healthy temperature all the while.
