8 November 2012

WorkSafe has prohibited a portable shower design that uses a gas-fired flueless instantaneous water heater to supply the hot water. The shower unit is similar in design to a portable toilet and the units in question have the water heater installed inside the shower unit.

The Prohibition Notice prohibits the manufacture, importation, sale or use of the shower unit.

Gas installation codes prohibit the installation of instantaneous water heaters in bedrooms, bathrooms, or toilets unless they are of the room-sealed type.

The codes also state a minimum room size for flueless instantaneous water heaters in other rooms. The minimum room size for a water heater with a consumption of 25–40 MJ/hour would require a room size of around 62–100 m3 while the room volume of these shower cubicles are around 2 m3. These requirements are necessary to prevent the build-up of carbon monoxide and other harmful products of combustion of gas to dangerous levels.

The prohibited showers are unsafe because there are not measures in place to ensure that persons are not exposed to carbon monoxide and other harmful products of combustion of gas.