Case study Enhancing Safety at Outokumpu Background Outokumpu are the global leader in stainless steel, boasting the widest product portfolio in the market. With 100 years of expertise in metals and mining, they aim to become the best value creator in stainless steel. Outokumpu’s Sheffield facility includes a melt shop, continuous casting, a bar finishing facility and rod mill which are part of their Long Products business. Output from the site consists of stainless steel in various forms from finished to semi-finished products. They supply a myriad of industries from automotive and construction to food manufacturing and energy. Objective The Sheffield facility has different process lines with varying mixtures of acids and caustics, bulk storage areas and effluent treatment. To ensure workers who could be exposed to any of these hazardous substances have access to quality and functional safety showers and eye/face wash equiment, they decided they needed to replace their old safety shower models. Customer Profile Established 1914 Industry Metal Product type Stainless steel Countries Over 60 sites in over 30 countries worldwide Head Office Helsinki, Finland The first challenge Outokumpu faced with the provision of safety showers was a lack of reliable water pressure on site due to the high level of water usage on site for various processes. The facility also needed a larger number of showers than is usual for a site of this size. Operatives at the site work on different levels and regardless of how close a shower is, it is vital that there are no obstacles in the way, including stairs. Annual Turnover €6.4 billion (2019) EN 15154 and ANSI Z358.1-2014 standards both state that the path to a safety shower should be free of obstacles and obstructions. If a casualty is temporarily blinded by a spill or splash, or in a rush to decontaminate quickly, stairs are an extremely dangerous hindrance and can result in further injury. Additionally with regular servicing of their safety showers being a priority, it was essential that this was simple and safe to do. “the new showers are much bigger and are visually more prominent [...] When suiting up in a full chem-suit they help to instil confidenc

Solution Tank showers were the ideal solution, they are stand-alone units with no need to rely on a plumbed in water supply. Designed to meet and exceed EN and ANSI standards, the 1500L tanks offer a flow rate of 76 litres per minute and are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, perfect for Outokumpu’s large and varied site. The polyethylene tank and GRP panelling allow for high corrosion and UV resistance, while the tank shower frames are built to California earthquake code. They’re also very simple to operate with a quick activation panic bar and walk-on foot panel. With emergency tank...