What Cheating Fisherman And Improper Hazardous Waste Storage Have In Common
Manufacturers storing raw material from paint to corrosives will face much heftier fines and stiffer “we got you” sanctions – all the way up to temporary plant closures – if storage cabinets don’t meet regulations.
– By Isaac Rudik
As anyone who fishes can attest, getting caught over the limit – whether it’s one too many trout on a line in an isolated, northern lake or a huge trawler netting too many tons of albacore in the middle of the open ocean – can result in a hefty fine and other stiff sanctions.
The idea is to levy a penalty large enough so that fishers loose the value of their catch plus fork over a painful, don’t ever do that again, fine.
Now, improperly storing hazardous materials will trigger even higher fines, and for the same reason
The Ministry of Environment is adopting the same approach as fish and game wardens to penalise companies improperly handling and storing hazardous material. When fully implemented, manufacturers who store raw material from paint to corrosives and other contaminants will face much heftier fines and stiffer, “we caught you red handed,” sanctions – all the way up to temporary plant closures – if storage cabinets do not comply with regulations.
The reason behind the tough, new and potentially very costly tactic is because a leading cause of industrial fires is improperly stored and handled flammable liquids. To minimize the hazard, the government wants businesses to identify and inventory any chemicals in the workplace, storing them in code-compliant safety cabinets. If an inspector finds non-compliance, the days of a slap on the wrist are gone.
Poor Housekeeping Award
There are countless examples of poor housekeeping resulting in spontaneous fires and explosions.
In schools, for example, it is common to find chemicals stored alphabetically – easy for students to find what they’re looking for when doing experiments but also for disaster to strike. In one recent case at a university, diluted solutions of Hydrochloric and Nitric acids were discarded in a waste container. Sometime during the night, the acids reacted with each other, creating pressure from the gases generated.
The pressure was strong enough to destroy the 1-litre waste container kept in a storage cabinet under a fume hood. It also blew the doors off the cabinet, upseting equipment on a counter. Fortunately, nobody was standing nearby when the explosion occurred.
Many businesses commit the same error, failing to properly isolate hazardous materials that can interact and ignite a fire or worse.
Easy Prevention
Storing hazardous material must be done according to Canadian laws and regulations, all of which are Underwriter Laboratory of Canada (ULC) approved, Factory Mutual Canada (FMC) Approved, and National Fire Code of Canada (NFCC) approved.
Proper safety cabinets meet nine other, key criteria.
• Insulated, 18-gauge steel construction, double-walled, with 1½" air space.
• Chemical-resistant finish, inside and out.
• Dual vents with built-in flash arresters.
• Liquid-tight containment sump at least 2" deep, to hold leaks.
• Highly visible warning label "Flammable — Keep Fire Away."
• Easy close or self-latching doors with three-point latches for added fire protection.
• Doors with fusible link mechanism that holds doors open but melts at 165°F for automatic closure.
• Built-in grounding connector.
• Adjustable leveling feet for balancing on uneven surfaces.
There are numerous, UL Canada Aapproved safety cabinets available, each designed to store specific types of hazardous or flammable material. They offer protection against not only potential explosions or fires but also the wrath of a ministry inspector armed with a citation book.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Even Empty Barrels Need Tender, Loving Storage.
Even Empty Barrels Need Tender, Loving Storage.
Supposedly empty barrels and used batteries pose a potentially huge risk – and cost – to companies as they await collection for disposal or re-conditioning.
-By Isaac Rudik
We’ve all seen them as we drive along the expressway or down an industrial street. At the rear of a parking lot next to a factory or warehouse sit a forlorn group of empty barrels, sometimes stacked to the sky, awaiting pickup for disposal or re-conditioning. Yet those empty barrels aren’t truly empty for they all contain the residue of the liquid or vapour product they once contained.
In fact, supposedly empty barrels are anything but and pose a potentially huge risk – and cost – to companies as they sit, alone and forgotten, awaiting collection. The reality is that even “empty” barrels need tender, loving storage. At the same time, useless old batteries waiting for pick-up pose a hazard to a business, the surrounding community and the environment.
Some 90% of the residue in both empty barrels and used batteries are toxic and pose a serious hazard. Improper storage – even the weather – can result in leaks of the residue material into the ground. If it happens, the resulting expense to the facility in cleanup and fines can run into six figures.
Ignoring Hazards
Too many companies ignore the potential hazard posed by seemingly empty barrels.
For example, two years ago a manufacturer east of Toronto was engulfed in flames that sent three employees to hospital and took fire fighters more than six hours to extinguish. The blaze started when a worker was using a welding torch to cut supposedly empty barrels in half to prepare them for pickup. For nearly a decade, the business had been cutting barrels to reduce the storage space needed while they waited for a monthly collection without a problem.
But then luck ran out.
The welding torch’s intense heat coupled with a week of hot weather set off a spark, igniting built-up fumes inside a barrel which had been sitting outside, unprotected from the unrelenting, scorching sun beating down. The blaze ignited other barrels and before the fire department arrived on the scene, the factory itself caught fire. The place was totalled.
While insurance covered much of the cost of cleaning up the remains and re-building the facility, the process took seven months which meant being out of business for more than a half-year. What wasn’t covered, though, were the hefty fines levied by the province for improperly storing hazardous material and exposing workers to a serious health risk. Legal fees for negotiating with the government, settling suits brought by injured workers, and paying nearby businesses for lost revenue that were forced to shutter their doors for a few days during and after the fire added to the total cost of improper storage.
Yet even without a fire, used barrels and old batteries can cause problems for a business. They can easily leak, causing residue material to seep into the ground which will lead to costly soil remediation projects with the possibility to sample and test nearby potable water sources for contamination and clean up.
Proper Storage and Disposal
As the fire-ravaged factory learned, there is no such thing as an “empty” container. Drums should be completely drained, properly bunged and promptly returned to a drum re-conditioner or properly disposed of quickly. Moreover, they should not be kept under pressure, cut, welded, brazed, soldered, drilled, ground or exposed to heat, sparks, static electricity and other potential ignition triggers.
Here’s the good news.
There is a smart and cost-effective way to protect against potential problems caused by storing empty barrels and old batteries improperly: Modular spill containment platforms are one type of solution which captures leakage risk and avoids unforeseen events or accidents causing a problem. Better still, these solutions cost a fraction of the cost of fines, which can hit upwards of $250,000.00, and possible worker comp claims and lawsuits – and that’s before adding in clean-up costs which will be even greater.
When you leave work today, look out back at the barrels and batteries many industrial businesses find piling up awaiting collection. Remember that those empty barrels need tender, loving storage.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
Supposedly empty barrels and used batteries pose a potentially huge risk – and cost – to companies as they await collection for disposal or re-conditioning.
-By Isaac Rudik
We’ve all seen them as we drive along the expressway or down an industrial street. At the rear of a parking lot next to a factory or warehouse sit a forlorn group of empty barrels, sometimes stacked to the sky, awaiting pickup for disposal or re-conditioning. Yet those empty barrels aren’t truly empty for they all contain the residue of the liquid or vapour product they once contained.
In fact, supposedly empty barrels are anything but and pose a potentially huge risk – and cost – to companies as they sit, alone and forgotten, awaiting collection. The reality is that even “empty” barrels need tender, loving storage. At the same time, useless old batteries waiting for pick-up pose a hazard to a business, the surrounding community and the environment.
Some 90% of the residue in both empty barrels and used batteries are toxic and pose a serious hazard. Improper storage – even the weather – can result in leaks of the residue material into the ground. If it happens, the resulting expense to the facility in cleanup and fines can run into six figures.
Ignoring Hazards
Too many companies ignore the potential hazard posed by seemingly empty barrels.
For example, two years ago a manufacturer east of Toronto was engulfed in flames that sent three employees to hospital and took fire fighters more than six hours to extinguish. The blaze started when a worker was using a welding torch to cut supposedly empty barrels in half to prepare them for pickup. For nearly a decade, the business had been cutting barrels to reduce the storage space needed while they waited for a monthly collection without a problem.
But then luck ran out.
The welding torch’s intense heat coupled with a week of hot weather set off a spark, igniting built-up fumes inside a barrel which had been sitting outside, unprotected from the unrelenting, scorching sun beating down. The blaze ignited other barrels and before the fire department arrived on the scene, the factory itself caught fire. The place was totalled.
While insurance covered much of the cost of cleaning up the remains and re-building the facility, the process took seven months which meant being out of business for more than a half-year. What wasn’t covered, though, were the hefty fines levied by the province for improperly storing hazardous material and exposing workers to a serious health risk. Legal fees for negotiating with the government, settling suits brought by injured workers, and paying nearby businesses for lost revenue that were forced to shutter their doors for a few days during and after the fire added to the total cost of improper storage.
Yet even without a fire, used barrels and old batteries can cause problems for a business. They can easily leak, causing residue material to seep into the ground which will lead to costly soil remediation projects with the possibility to sample and test nearby potable water sources for contamination and clean up.
Proper Storage and Disposal
As the fire-ravaged factory learned, there is no such thing as an “empty” container. Drums should be completely drained, properly bunged and promptly returned to a drum re-conditioner or properly disposed of quickly. Moreover, they should not be kept under pressure, cut, welded, brazed, soldered, drilled, ground or exposed to heat, sparks, static electricity and other potential ignition triggers.
Here’s the good news.
There is a smart and cost-effective way to protect against potential problems caused by storing empty barrels and old batteries improperly: Modular spill containment platforms are one type of solution which captures leakage risk and avoids unforeseen events or accidents causing a problem. Better still, these solutions cost a fraction of the cost of fines, which can hit upwards of $250,000.00, and possible worker comp claims and lawsuits – and that’s before adding in clean-up costs which will be even greater.
When you leave work today, look out back at the barrels and batteries many industrial businesses find piling up awaiting collection. Remember that those empty barrels need tender, loving storage.
Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. , Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.
E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.
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