Rank: Forum user 
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I've been asked a question regarding Space Heaters being used during cold weather in industrial units. Am I right in saying that as long as the use of the heater has been risk assessed and that the heater itself is safe to use then there won't be an issue with its use from a Health and Safety perspective? I know there could be insurance implications that would need to checked to ensure that the policy covered the use of space heaters.
Thanks
Martin
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Risk assess the heater/s and revise your fire risk assessment to include the heaters.
I have experience of LPG heaters causing fires and damage to personal property when not sited correctly.
Store the gas properly and don't have cylinders free standing.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Hi Martin,
How many buildings is it an issue in? We have a policy placing a blanket ban on them without board approval, and even then only on a case by case basis. Mind you, we do have knocking on 200 sites, all high density storage of mixed product.
Do you have the resource to police their safe use?
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Rank: Forum user
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Firesafety101 wrote:Risk assess the heater/s and revise your fire risk assessment to include the heaters.
I have experience of LPG heaters causing fires and damage to personal property when not sited correctly.
Store the gas properly and don't have cylinders free standing.
Risk assess the heater/s and revise your fire risk assessment to include the heaters that's what I thought would be required
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Rank: Forum user
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Safety Smurf wrote:Hi Martin,
How many buildings is it an issue in? We have a policy placing a blanket ban on them without board approval, and even then only on a case by case basis. Mind you, we do have knocking on 200 sites, all high density storage of mixed product.
Do you have the resource to police their safe use? Its only in one property and the site manager would be responsible for the heater and its use.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Apart from high moisture content, various combustion products of the heater and other combustion products if the unit has anything in the atmosphere from whatever process is running within ?
Is it gas ?
Or is it kerosene/diesel (if so, get me outa there)
You can also get heaters where the air is blown over electrically heated ceramic exchangers...much more sociable.
I expect we're talking rock-bottom cheap here though....so probably they will be red diesel....high sulphur content.
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Rank: Forum user
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JohnMurray wrote:Apart from high moisture content, various combustion products of the heater and other combustion products if the unit has anything in the atmosphere from whatever process is running within ?
Is it gas ?
Or is it kerosene/diesel (if so, get me outa there)
You can also get heaters where the air is blown over electrically heated ceramic exchangers...much more sociable.
I expect we're talking rock-bottom cheap here though....so probably they will be red diesel....high sulphur content. the heaters are kerosene fueled
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Rank: Super forum user
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Kerosene.
I'd still be out of there.
I flatly refuse to work in any area where heating is by anything that exhausts into the workplace atmosphere.
That includes propane/butane.
You would have to ensure that there is an adequate supply of air, and that should not mean an open window but more an open door.
The only ones I consider even slightly useful are those where the burner waste gases are vented externally to the heated building....via a chimney/flue.
Exhaust gases include carbon monoxide/dioxide, carbon (soot) as well as water vapour.
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Rank: Super forum user
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We temporarily used propane run ones last winter whilst looking for a better source of heating for our workshop units (roller shutter doors up and down on a regular basis) and they didn't last long due to:
1) The fumes
2) The fact that we caught the staff putting the propane bottles slightly in front as they saw them with frost on them and this way they didn't frost up - seriously.
3) Half the time they were left in areas where the whole lot could be hit by moving fork lifts.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Putting the bottles near[er] to the heat source increases the output from the bottle.
Seriously.
LOADS of people use a bottle too small for the heater.
Seriously.
If the bottle is too small the gas drawn from the bottle will exceed the withdrawal rate FOR that bottle, leading to excessive frosting and reduced gas flow (because the liquid gas cannot vaporise fast enough to match the needed amount)
Seriously.
At one time, with the temperature in the minus figures, and with a large heater, the amount of gas needed for that heater at that temperature meant that two large propane cylinders were used per heater.
I went home. Even with the heater[s] the temperature was too cold....due to the need for an ample air supply the doors could not be closed.
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