With the recent train derailment and subsequent chemical spill in East Palestine, Ohio, safe chemical handling has become a hot topic. In industrial water treatment, chemical handling and transfer happens daily and without having 24/7 eyes on the actual transfer. Not only is plant personnel hooking up drums/transferring to bulk tanks, but the product then has to move from the storage container to the proper location in the system (steam header, deaerator, feedwater line, sump etc.). Fittings crack, tubes leak, containers leak, and spills happen, so how can you protect yourself and what has the industry done to help improve safe chemical handling?
SDS Sheets
If there are questions regarding the hazards of a specific chemical, the first place that should always be referenced is the SDS sheet. As mandated by OSHA, all SDS sheets have sixteen different sections, many of which have important information for chemical safe handling. Information regarding proper chemical handling can be found in the highlighted sections of an SDS sheet:
Personal Protective Equipment
As indicated above, Section 8 of an SDS sheet contains pertinent information regarding exposure controls & personal protection around the specific chemical.
Example of what is included in Section 8 of an SDS.
The above example shows Section 8 for a caustic soda product used in boilers to boost alkalinity. The Watertech SDS sheet includes exposure guidelines from both OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists). Additionally, you can see general safe handling/engineering controls that can be used to assist in the general safety. As you move along, the individual protection measures are arguably the most pertinent for plant personnel. It includes information for how to protect your eyes, skin, and respiratory system – the main concerns when handling this Watertech alkalinity booster.
Safety Improvements in Water Treatment
Dry Chemical Products
In specific applications, dry chemicals can make sense. These are certainly easier for handling and transportation along with a tiny footprint at the plant, however this option may not be economically feasible or fiscally responsible for many applications.
Example of one of Watertech’s dry chemical systems. In the right situation these systems can improve safety and save on storage and delivery.
The feeders for dry chemicals are small, and therefore require frequent maintenance/upkeep on larger systems – as these small canisters hold minimal amounts of chemical. Lastly, these products require water to make them down, so in very small applications to obtain the required residuals after making them down, storage tanks can overflow.
Automation
After the last few years with a global pandemic, the use of automation has never been more pronounced. That said, it is certainly important to consider using this technology in water treatment programs to reduce chemical handling. In larger systems (without hands-free delivery), operators commonly must pump chemical out of drums into bulk containment tanks. In this scenario, level sensors can help alert the customer as to when they are running low and need to replenish their bulk tanks, as shown in the figure below. Properly calibrated technology can help your water treatment provider/maintenance staff to alert you when your tanks are low and need to be refilled. In an optimized program, this technology can reduce the frequency of handling and transferring chemical.
This graph shows the level sensor tracking the level of a customer's product. When it senses chemical is low an alarm is sent to one of our reps to reorder more product and refill the tank.
FreedomPlus Drumless Delivery
In systems with significant chemical usage, drumless delivery programs are often one of the best ways to remediate chemical handling by the end user. Watertech offers our FreedomPlus delivery program – the Watertech representative gets an alert on their phone when the bulk storage tank is low and places an order. Our in-house delivery drivers then bring in new chemical, pumping onto the existing inventory in the bulk storage tank. We then remove the empty drums with the customer never having to touch a chemical. This eliminates the major safe handling concerns at the plant-level, as the main concerns then become minor – leaking fittings/tubings.
Watertech’s FreedomPlus drumless delivery program, means you don’t have to monitor, touch, dispose, or worry about potentially hazardous chemicals.
Knowledgeable Water Treatment Provider
You can always leverage your water treatment partner for resources, advice, and training on chemical safety. At Watertech, everyone on our team participates in regularly scheduled ongoing safety training. Of course, it is recommended to keep the proper PPE onsite and spill kits in case of a leak/small spill. If you have concerns or questions regarding your treatment program or Safety Data Sheets, please reach out - we are here to help.
Jake Russell | Territory Manager
Jake has been with Watertech of America for 4 years providing industrial water treatment solutions for boiler, cooling and wastewater applications. Jake frequently leads educational training events and seminars to promote better water management and improve safety. He holds a BS in Engineering from UW-Madison. Reach out to Jake via
LinkedIn.