Thursday, August 8, 2013

Spill Containment Pallets Means Less Spills For You

By Andrea Davidson


Looking into the problems of chemical leakage, most managers will look for ways to keep this from happening. They look at different barrels and drums and different ways of handling them and leaks still happen. What needs to happen is preventing the many leaks from turning into spills is by using spill containment pallets within their material handling system.

When certain chemicals spill onto the floor or other processing surfaces, everything must stop until proscribed procedures are conducted. These are mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency and have to do with making sure the area is made safe and some thought has been extended to prevent this from happening again. These will be intrusive, paper work oriented and costly.

The thing that happens when a spill does occur brings an alarm to the general area. People are to shut down their equipment and move from the area. Barriers will keep other people out and material that is not contaminated can be removed as well. No production can resume until everything is made clean and safe for all.

The crew that makes up the hazardous material team will then be called in. They will be gowned properly to help protect them from this substance. The report that has to be sent to the authorities has already been sent. It requires information about what type of chemical was involved and what happened. These are desired, by the agencies involved, to help prevent other cases of spills in other locations.

They will provide an appropriate amount of absorbent material that will create a gel or semi solid out of the chemical. This will be placed a specially labeled container for removal to a disposal company. This company will charge a premium for this service. After this chemical has been picked up, a complete cleaning will be conducted. After that a test will be administered to make sure no residue remains. The authorities may also want to test the space themselves which will slow down the recovery.

An alternative to the scenario that requires all of this non productive work are the containment pallets that prevent the leak actually becoming a spill. When the drums or barrels leak, they will leak into a reservoir in the bottom of the pallet. This will contain as much chemical as are in the drums placed on them. This chemical will stay in the leak proof polyethylene until cleaned out.

When that leak occurs, the entire pallet can be moved out of the area. A pallet of new chemical can be brought in and production can continue. The pallet containing the leaking containers will be taken to a special cleaning area. The drum is drained, the pallet is drained and cleaned. The new container with the chemical from the leaking drum is placed back in service and the pallet is placed back into service as well.

Taking care of the spill before it even happens is the way to be proactive in hazardous material prevention. With these spill containment pallets that is an easy task to perform. Safety in the workplace is important as people can be injured or made sick because of any lapse in precautions. This is an important step to take to make sure your plant is as safe as it can be.




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