Boilers
Best practice in boiler management.
There are provisions in the Health and Safety Code of Practice for State and State Integrated Schools requiring classrooms to be kept at certain temperatures. It is also important for the comfort of staff and students to maintain the school at a pleasant temperature for staff and students to work in.
If you heat your school by means of a boiler there are some matters you and your caretaker should be aware of. Boilers are expensive capital items and can become dangerous if not used correctly. A checklist of suggested best practices in boiler management is as follows:
- Caretakers should be skilled and trained in the use of boilers - there may be regulations affecting the use of boilers which operate above a certain pressure - ask an expert whether yours is one of them.
- Use high-grade coal - lower grades of coal, which contains higher levels of sulphur, can cause corrosion and shorten the life of your boiler. You should also be aware of any Resource Management Act restrictions in your area against the release of emissions into the air - check with your Territorial Authority as you may need resource consent to run the boiler.
- Do annual inspections at the end of each heating season; hire a suitably qualified boiler engineer to inspect and report on this equipment.
- Keep up the maintenance - some components may take months to get so boiler inspections should be undertaken early to ensure boilers are in full working order for the new heating season.
- Plan well ahead; some components are expensive and any capital work will need to be programmed into your 10YPP and 5YA budget.