Yalumba Spill Containment Safety Shower
Safety is a front-line concern for all Australian industries, whether at a mine in the outback, a manufacturing plant in a major metropolitan area; or a food or beverage plant in the countryside.
One major safety initiative in which Blackwoods was involved recently was The Yalumba Wine Company’s site in the Barossa Valley in South Australia, where the spill containment and safety shower and eyewash ranges of Enware Australia Pty Ltd were tailored precisely to the needs of this leader in its industry.
A big plus, from the client's point of view, was that they could be confident all the equipment complied with the latest OHS regulations – including ANS Z 358.1, 2004 Emergency Eyewash and Shower Equipment - because all the equipment was specified by Blackwoods and supplied by Enware to meet exactly these demanding standards.
Blackwoods and Enware together were able not only to provide intermediate bulk containment, safety deluge showers and eyewash facilities – but also to offer valuable insights into how and where to ideally site this vital equipment, drawing on their joint experience encompassing a huge range of industries.
The Enpac spill containment installations supplied by Enware recognised the need for industries to protect their employees from spills by ensuring secondary containment in line with EPA requirements.
To contain potentially harmful chemicals of a type found in found any industrial and food processing plant, Yalumba specified an Enpac IBC200i intermediate bulk container and 4-drum bunded pallets from the same internationally respected source.
The Enpac safety range, distributed by Enware, is designed to protect workers against hazards and – importantly - help combat slip, fall and trip accidents that now account for more than 25,000 new workers compensation cases a year in Australia. The spill pallets and bunding in the range also minimize losses of industrial fluids.
“The IBC2000i provides ideal means for storing containers of potentially hazardous cleaning solution. If an IBC happens to leak or is accidentally punctured the goods are contained within the IBC2000i” says Yalumba Wine Company Cellar Manager Darren Broadbent.
IBC2000i™ spill containment units are one-piece 100 per cent polyethylene unit with a 144mm(L) 1420mm (W) footprint and 3268.7 KG UDL load bearing capacity to accommodate most IBC dispensing units. The 132.44kg IBC200i includes an integrated 19-litre bucket holder for quick easy dispensing. Nestable and forkliftable for shipping and storage when not in use, the unit has a 1457.4 litre sump capacity which meets and exceeds the requirements of the US EPA 40 264.175.
Enpac systems are designed in the US to comply with some of the world’s most demanding packaging and environmental standards for handling, storage and transporting of hazardous materials. Units also include a wide range of drum Workstations™ in 2, 4, 6 and 8-drum capacities that are designed to integrate into factory and workshop floors, optimizing space, safety and efficiency. Constructed in tough, one-piece polyethylene, they are easy to load with low-profile design, optional ramp and sump capacity ideally matched to their function.
Yalumba winery was among the early adopters of this internationally advanced spill protection, while also complementing these safety measures with Enware’s Australian-manufactured and internationally proven deluge showers, conveniently located in potentially hazardous locations.
“We have robust procedures and policies for handling dangerous goods; however if for unforeseen reasons an individual comes into contact with a dangerous good, they have immediate means of washing off the potentially hazardous substance” says Mr Broadbent who worked together with Enware’s Mark West, Product Manager – Safety Products and Blackwoods Peter Vanrens to ensure Yalumba created a safe working environment.
The safety shower and eyewash installations recognised the fact that the most important first aid for accidents involving eye or skin contact with injurious materials is copious irrigation within seconds. The recommended maximum time between accident and irrigation is 10 seconds, so emergency eyewash and/or shower equipment must be sited accordingly. Where strong caustics or acids are present, the emergency eyewash and / or shower should be immediately adjacent.
Enware and Blackwoods were able to draw on their extensive industry experience to work with Yalumba and optimising the sitting of the 21 emergency shower and eye wash installations it selected. These included ENB060 and ECO60 free-standing hand-operated deluge combination showers with eyewash. The Enware safety equipment is part of an extensive Australian-made range being adopted by market leaders in industries extending from food and beverage processing to mining and petroleum development; from energy and infrastructure to hospital, hospitality, laboratory, schools and public buildings.
“The shower/eye wash stations and IBC2000i are part of our general OH&S plan. We have a strong commitment to our employees to ensure they leave work at the end of the working day in the same fit and healthy condition as they arrived” says Mr Broadbent.
The showers activate within a second or less, flush both eyes simultaneously, provide hands-free operation, and deliver not less than 1.5 litres a minute of tepid flushing fluid preferably aerated for a minimum of 15 minutes (The tepidity requirement is to encourage the full 15 minute flushing. The water flow is softened to help minimise damage to the cornea of the eyes.
Mr Broadbent commended the showers because they are easily identifiable. “The shower’s are very simple to operate, especially in an emergency, and very reliable, they require very minimal maintenance”
The showers are manufactured from 304 Stainless Steel which was ideal given that they were installed both indoors and outdoors. They are coated with a yellow powder coat providing further protection, as well as identifying themselves as a first response safety system
“The safety deluge showers were installed to protect against some of the potentially harmful chemicals that are stored and used throughout the plant. The chemicals used were stored on the Enpac spill containment IBC 2000i, which helped to create a bunded area thus providing a safe and contained environment” says Mr West.
The Enpac range is unique in Australasia because it brings together in one system a complete range of solutions to materials handling issues commonly arising across a broad spectrum of industrial applications.
“The world-respected Enpac systems not only reduce worker exposure to accidents and company exposure to liability, but also they reduce materials costs by reclaiming spillage, reducing disposal costs and enabling workers to boost productivity by moving more product more quickly,” said Mr West.
“By ensuring outstanding spill containment in the first place, and backing this up with excellent safety showers and eyewash equipment, Yalumba and Blackwoods are setting an example for all industry.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION, please contact Enware Australia Pty Ltd, 9-11 Endeavour Road, Caringbah NSW 2229, Australia, Ph (61-2) 9525 9511, fax (61-2) 9525 9536. Click here to email your query to us.