How to Improve Processes for Safe Handling of Hazardous Substances

Let KenBay help you manage hazardous substancesWe know that businesses face a unique set of waste management challenges when they handle hazardous substances. Where others can send their waste to a landfill or Waste to Energy plant without a second thought, these businesses must consider additional steps. Because the responsible disposal of hazardous substances is different than the disposal of other waste products, businesses should have a separate waste management plan for hazardous materials. While daunting, it’s important to consider these processes and look for ways to improve upon them. 

What are Hazardous Substances?

One challenge that manufactures sometimes face is knowing exactly what is considered a hazardous substance. To effectively manage hazardous waste, it is important to know the EPA and OSHA hazardous substance definition. It’s also important to know the state and federal requirements and laws that dictate how hazardous waste must be managed. Some of the most common types of hazardous substances often include:

  • Ignitable items that easily catch on fire like solvents, paint, and gasoline
  • Corrosive waste that “eats” something else, including battery acid, caustic paint strippers, and some floor cleaners
  • Reactive waste that is unstable or explosive like certain cyanide and sulfide-bearing waste
  • Toxic substances that are harmful when ingested or absorbed like gasoline and solvents

These are just a few hazardous substances examples. When you look for ways to improve your processes for handling hazardous waste, do thorough research. Look for a hazardous substances list that is specific to your industry, and be sure you understand the legal requirements for disposing of it.

Evaluate Your Process Repeatedly

One of the best ways you can improve your processes for handling hazardous substances is by simply monitoring your processes more often. First, you’ll need to create a plan for handling hazardous waste, using industry, state, and federal guidelines. Then, you need to evaluate that plan repeatedly. To ensure that your system is up-to-date, efficient, and safe, you need to reevaluate your procedures from time to time. At least once every quarter, set aside time to take a look at the waste products in your business.  Then, find ways to improve your process.

Handle Hazardous Substances Less Often

It goes without saying that the safest way to handle hazardous substances is to not handle it all. Take a significant step to improving your processes for safely handling hazardous substances by finding ways to handle dangerous waste less often. To do this, consider a small footprint compactor that can be placed at the source of hazardous waste.

Hazardous waste compactors like our HazPac allow you to handle dangerous substances less often. In addition, the HazPac has a small footprint, high compaction rate, ease of use, and a unique ability to compact waste into bulk bags or into hazardous waste boxes. This makes our hazardous waste compactor ideal for compacting hazardous waste for transporting. In addition, because of the HazPac’s small footprint, it can be placed close to the source hazardous material generation, saving travel time and increasing  safety and efficiency.

Learn More about KenBay’s Waste Management Products

We know that waste management can be a burden. But, with KenBay, you’ll have the tools you need to help make the job a little easier. The next time you evaluate your waste products and waste management strategy, consider integrating one of our industrial trash compactors into your processes.

Don’t let something like a waste get in the way of your business operations. If you’re interested in trash compactors or finding a committed consultant to help you reduce your waste, call KenBay. We can tell you more about our services, no matter what industry you’re in, or how much waste you are creating!

Photo credit: Getty Images / svengine

 

10 Ways to Improve Manufacturing Safety

Manufacturing SafetyAs an employer, it’s your responsibility to make sure your manufacturing facility is safe. Your employees have the right to a safe workplace free of hazards and health risks. That said, running an organization doesn’t leave a whole lot of time for you to be supervising the workplace to ensure that health and safety codes are always up to date and being followed diligently. Don’t let this keep you from implementing the necessary manufacturing safety protocols, and making sure there are trustworthy people in place to see that they are adhered to. Manufacturing safety ought to be at the top of your business strategy list to ensure that you are decreasing the liability and risk of your operation.

10 Ways to Improve Manufacturing Safety

  1. Trustworthy Supervisors
    Make sure that every shift has respected supervisors who have rapport with all the workers. These leaders should be revered by everyone they work with, able to motivate and correct them in productive ways, and to uphold all manufacturing safety protocols, no matter how inconvenient they might be.
  2. Education
    Provide frequent continuing education classes for these supervisors to keep them up to date on new health and safety standards, as well as new methods of updating and optimizing manufacturing safety practices.
  3. Unite the Team
    Hold manufacturing safety meetings whenever a risk is brought to your attention to inform employees of the seriousness of hazards in the workplace. Unite the team around the common goal of doing work with excellence, which means it is as safe as possible.
  4. Zero Tolerance
    Do not, under any circumstances, tolerate someone who is willfully ignoring manufacturing safety regulations. These individuals put more than just themselves at risk, but also your organization and its employees.
  5. Frequent Monitoring
    While you are certainly busy running the operation, don’t withdraw your presence from the manufacturing site. The more your employees see and interact with you, the more they know you actually care about their health and safety, and not just covering your own back.
  6. Checklist
    If you have protocols that can be tracked on a list by day and time, initialed by the person who completes them, this can be a great way to set up accountability among the team. This way you can both commend and reprimand employees for their performance and commitment to have a risk-free work environment.
  7. Signage
    Good signs throughout your facility is a great way to remind employees of the manufacturing safety rules in place.
  8. Waste Management
    Waste can be central to the safety and health hazards in manufacturing facility, and ought to be properly managed. Be sure that your waste cans are optimally placed throughout your workspace to both reduce waste and to ensure that they are emptied and cleaned frequently.
  9. Build a Team
    If your supervisors are too busy managing the other aspects of manufacturing safety, have them designate teams of people in charge of making sure that waste is disposed of properly.
  10. Buy a Trash Compactors
    Stainless steel trash compactors are an affordable way to improve the manufacturing safety of your workplace, not only reducing potential fire hazards and obstructions, but also reducing the cost of removal.

Call KenBay if you are ready to learn more about how waste management practices can increase manufacturing safety.