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SPC Using The Right Absorbent Guide

SPC Using the Right Absorbent Guide

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Thanh Linh Nguyen
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43 views3 pages

SPC Using The Right Absorbent Guide

SPC Using the Right Absorbent Guide

Uploaded by

Thanh Linh Nguyen
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Absorbents: Are you using the

right ones for your facility?


Survey can reveal ways to save money and stay compliant

By Derek Yurgaitis, General Manager, SPC at Brady Corporation


Last updated: January, 2012
Absorbents: Are you using the right ones for your facility?

When it comes to keeping your facility clean, there’s more at stake than general tidiness. An effective clean-up approach for
routine leaks, drips and spills can greatly affect employee safety, regulatory compliance and your bottom line, depending on
how you control and contain industrial fluids and chemicals at your facility.

For most spill clean-up and prevention, you may already use absorbents throughout your facility. Absorbent products typically
include pads, pillows, rolls, socs and granular absorbents. However, an overwhelming number of businesses don’t always use
the right type of absorbent for the application. You may be surprised at the savings and efficiencies you can gain by making a
few adjustments to your absorbent usage.

Using absorbents to improve safety


The number one cause of accidents in industrial facilities is slips, trips and falls, accounting for approximately 20% of all
workplace injuries. A major source of these incidents are hazards caused by leaks and spills from substances such as oil,
lubricants, coolants, cutting fluids, battery acid, solvents, chemicals and fuel. They can occur virtually anywhere in the plant,
but often near equipment, in high-traffic areas and wherever fluids are handled and stored.

Our goal is – and regulations require us – to keep floors and work areas clean and dry. It’s a significant challenge, especially
in facilities where overspray can coat work surfaces, stairs and walkways with an oily film. Slippery surfaces not only endanger
employees on foot, but can also affect equipment such as a forklift’s ability to navigate and maintain proper traction on a
slippery floor. This creates very unsafe conditions where injuries and spills are likely to occur, while reducing productivity.

Absorbents have improved greatly from the granular absorbents that were traditionally
used to control spills and give employees traction on a slippery floor. Some companies
still use clay to absorb spills, but the clean-up is a relatively messy, inefficient process
with high labor costs. Others rely on a mop and bucket with a cleaner or degreaser. But
there’s almost nothing more slippery than spreading soapy water on top of an oily surface.
These methods add labor, decrease productivity and increase risk of injury.

Instead, try placing the appropriate absorbents at the source of a leak, such as
positioning socs, pads or pillows up against machinery. Install durable, absorbent rugs
or mats in high-traffic areas to reduce risk of falls and improve traction for employees
and equipment. For specific guidance on how you can create a safer plant, you should
consider an absorbent usage survey conducted by an industry professional. These
surveys are often done free of charge. A thorough survey can help you identify specific
areas and ways to improve safety through proper absorbent usage.

Soak up productivity, wring out MRO costs


Leaky or spraying machinery is a fact of life for most manufacturing plants. No
manufacturer wants to shut down its production mid-process to fix a minor leak – the cost
in lost productivity and production time can be astronomical. Sometimes it is far less costly
to simply contain a leak or spill with absorbents until a repair can be made later.

Do you know how well your absorbent products and containment practices are really
working? An absorbent usage survey can reveal some eye-opening savings opportunities.

Real Life Example:


One company was spending $100,000 per year on absorbents at its metalworking facility. They were using
basic white bales of absorbent pads and were entertaining bids on those products with a price differential of
only 50 cents. The absorbent supplier did a complete analysis of the usage from purchase through disposal,
and ultimately recommended a seemingly more expensive high-traffic roll product instead of the basic bales
of white pads. There were two reasons: first, the rolls were perforated to provide flexible-size pads as needed.
Second, although the new rolls had a higher purchase cost, they were more durable and lasted longer than the
pads. In a two-week product comparison test, instead of using 50 bales of pads, the company reported using
only eight of the rolls. Not only did the company save 14% on product cost, it also saved a whopping 40% in
usage reduction and disposal costs, for a total of $47,000 or 47% in absorbent-related cost savings.

www.BradyID.com/SPC
1-888-272-3946
Page 2
© 2012 Brady Worldwide, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Absorbents: Are you using the right ones for your facility?

As this example shows, how you dispose of used absorbents also affects
your bottom line. It starts with the kind of absorbent you use. Some
absorbents are more labor-intensive or costly to dispose of; others have
less absorbency and must be disposed of more often, using more product
and time. More frequent disposal also means more frequent replacement of
absorbents, requiring additional time.

You may also want to assess the basis weight and disposal timing of your
current absorbents. Are you using and throwing away a heavyweight
absorbent that only has a few drops of oil on it or is only partially saturated?
You might save on purchase and disposal costs by using a medium or
lightweight product. Additionally, you may have the right product, but are
simply disposing of it too soon.

You can also improve employee productivity and efficiencies by placing


“absorbent centers” with supplies and instructions near the areas of greatest
need. This can save time when employees need absorbents for routine
maintenance as well as emergency spill response. Absorbent Centers provide easy access to
absorbents in areas of greastest need.
Improve compliance
Absorbents can play a vital role in compliance with local, state and federal regulations. Inside your facility, OSHA (the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requires clean, dry workplace floors. Outside your plant, the DOT (Department
of Transportation)-specified containers and suitable quantities of absorbents are to be kept available for spill response. The
EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) also requires you to control sources of storm water runoff and to have people and plans
in place to clean up any hazardous waste discharged into the environment.

If you’re cited for non-compliance, it can cost you thousands of dollars


in fines. You simply can’t afford to risk worker safety or allow industrial
chemicals and solvents to escape your facility and harm the environment.

Almost every facility is required to have a plan for Spill Prevention, Control
and Countermeasure (SPCC). Strategically locating spill kits should be part
of that plan. A professional supplier can help you identify where to place
spill kits and ways to comply – both inside the plant for spill containment
and control, and outside of your facility to be used as countermeasures to
minimize environmental impact if a spill occurs.

Training is also a required part of your SPCC plan. Once you have a plan,
your absorbent supplier may be able to assist in training your employees on
absorbent product usage, which can help you to implement your plan and Include strategically placed spill kits in your Spill
comply with regulations. Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan.

The bottom line is, when you need absorbents, don’t just pick a product from
a catalog because it looks similar to what you have used, or because the
machinery in the picture looks similar to what your facility operates. Arrange a
USA
survey to address the unique needs of your plant – even consider an annual Customer Service: 1-888-272-3946
survey to keep you updated about how changes in absorbent technology, Inside Sales: 1-888-311-0775
products and regulations may affect your business. A knowledgeable supplier www.BradyID.com
can identify opportunities, offer cost-saving absorbent solutions, and advise Canada
you on how to achieve compliance. Customer Service: 1-800-263-6179
www.BradyCanada.ca
Mexico
Customer Service: 1-800-262-7777

For more information visit: Inside Sales: 1-800-262-7777 ext 177


www.BradyLatinAmerica.com
www.BradyID.com/SPC

© 2012 Brady Worldwide Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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