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90% of saunas in Uganda a ticking time bomb, says study
Women in a sauna. A new report indicates that most saunas and steam baths in the country lack basic safety measures, posing a health risk to users. Photo/File
What you need to know:
- According to the safety guidelines NBRB released on November 6, the water pressure at a steam bath should be at between 15(1bar) and 20 Pounds per square inch (PSI) (1.4 bars) and if necessary further decreased accordingly.
Nine out of every 10 saunas and steam baths (health clubs) across the country could explode anytime since they are using firewood where the pressure regulation is done manually, posing a health risk, a new study by a government institution has revealed.
The study recommends the use of electric devices since the electric steam and hot water generators are manufactured with standardised precautionary measures against system overloads.
Speaking at the release of the findings at their headquarters yesterday, Ms Flavia Gutto Bwire, the National Building Review Board (NBRB) executive secretary, said the unsafe installations with no monitoring devices (temperature, pressure) and control mechanisms have increased the risks of explosions and fire outbreaks in health clubs, putting the safety of the users at stake.
“….the Risk Assessment concluded that for every 10 health clubs, nine were potentially explosive and required immediate corrective action,” she said, adding that locally fabricated biomass, fired steam and hot water generation system designs and installation methods are not based on engineering principles.
“This has resulted in unsafe installations with no monitoring and control mechanisms and hence increased risks of explosions and fire outbreaks,” she said.
The close to three-year study by NBRB examined 21 health clubs with special focus on the steam and sauna heating equipment and all related gear, which found out that people visiting saunas are at high risk of losing their lives to explosions because they lack safety measures to control pressure and temperature.
Ms Gutto said the study was commissioned in 2021 following two separate incidents where saunas exploded, one in Kira in September 2019 and another occurred on July 2, 2021 at a health club in Wakiso District, claiming two lives.
At the Wakiso health club, where deaths were registered, the operator died on the spot, and a client died after five days in the hospital due to burns.
“The investigation revealed that the primary cause of this explosion was very high pressure resulting from over-heating water in the steam tank that had no pressure release mechanism. The pressure build-up at the time of the explosion was simulated and found to be 272 percent of the installed capacity, hence the explosion,” she said, adding: “This high rise in pressure was associated with an unregulated change in temperature of up to 320 degrees, which was unnecessary, wasteful and catastrophic.”
According to the safety guidelines NBRB released on November 6, the water pressure at a steam bath should be at between 15(1bar) and 20 Pounds per square inch (PSI) (1.4 bars) and if necessary further decreased accordingly.
Health clubs must also have a hydro pneumatic device that helps in reducing pressure or install a stop valve in the accessible area of the water supply line.
“Tap water contains impurities for example lime that can cause calcium deposits and block the internal parts of the steam generator. To prevent this…..it is recommended to install a water filter and softener,” the guidelines read in part.
The study covered seven districts of Kampala, Wakiso, Mbale, Iganga, Mbarara, Kabale and Jinja in the eastern, western and central regions which have health clubs.
