Safety at Composting Facilities Lyndell Pate Ecoverse

Transcription

1 Safety at Composting Facilities Lyndell Pate Ecoverse

2 Health Concerns Site Safety Minimizing Risks Personnel Safety Equipment Safety OSHA Fires Safety at Composting Sites Contamination

3 Health Concerns Dust Noise Heavy equipment & machinery Heat

4 Health Concerns Dust Inhalation Eye irritants Airborne contaminants Aspergillus fumigatus (immunosuppressed)

5 Health Concerns Noise Hearing Loss

6 Health Concerns Heavy Equipment & Machinery Potential loss of life or limb Electrocution Airborne Objects

7 Heat Health Concerns Exhaustion

8 Safety The Key to Safety is Common Sense and Good Business Practices

9 Site Safety Minimizing the Risks Pick the right site and equipment Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Maintain a Good Housekeeping Program Vegetation management Trip hazards Design for extreme weather events Incorporate wind and fire breaks Contact local fire department for site inspection Know your feedstocks and their suppliers Have a written Action Plan in place for emergencies Operations and Maintenance Manual

10 Site Safety Personnel Hold regular safety meetings Have a monthly safety topic Train employees to recognize potential problems Provide warning signs to public Report injuries as per your company s guidelines Provide personal protective equipment Hard hats Steel toe and steel shank shoes Safety vests Safety glasses Hearing protection Gloves Dust masks

11 Site Safety Equipment Review safety manual supplied by manufacturer Develop a preventative maintenance program Identify potential work area hazards Label pinch points, belts, chains, moving parts, throw zones Equip with proper fire extinguishers Equip with proper air filtration Have lockout tagout procedures for electrical components

12 Site Concerns Equipment Develop a Fuel Delivery and Containment Plan Inspect / Maintain Fuel Containment Devices

13 OSHA Occupational Safety & Health Administration Compliance Assistance Laws & Regulations Enforcement State Programs FAQ E Tools

14 Fires Chemical Equation for Combustion Organic Hydrocarbon (fuel) + Oxygen Carbon Dioxide + Water + Heat + Residue (wood, sawdust, or compost) Typical compost materials ignite when Moisture content is 40% or less Just enough oxygen is present (vent holes) Usually in large mass piles

15 Fires Readily available fuel source Configured in piles or windrows Ignition Source Mechanical (sparks, equipment, cigarette) Biological (uncontrolled microbial activity) Temperatures exceeding o C ( o F) chemical oxidation takes over and spontaneous combustion occurs

16 Fires Rules for Fire Prevention Meet with your local fire department Discuss & agree on guidelines Have good access roads Have proper equipment on site Assure adequate ventilation of piles or windrows Avoid pile depths greater than 12 feet Watch for vents Monitor temperatures on all piles weekly Locate fire & open with front end loader Water fire embers

17 Fires Mountain of cow manure continues to smolder for 3 months at feedlot in Canada

18 Fires City of Durham September 2006 $376,000 to put out fire and clean up Took three weeks

19 Fires Sevier MSW Facility 2007 Every fire department in Sevier County, TN 6,000,000 gallons water used in 1 week $12,000,000 Replacement Cost

20 Contaminants Develop a feedstock questionnaire Visit feedstock generators Pre test feedstock sources customer Post signs Track all incoming feedstock by load Visually inspect loads as they are received Charge additional fees for contamination If possible, remove contaminants before processing

21 Safety in Compost Production Develop a Monitoring Program Monitor feedstocks for hazardous waste & contaminates Monitor stormwater & leachate for nutrients & pathogens Composite sample in process Identify by batch, date, and time Do monthly safety site audits and meetings

22 Plastic Contaminants Yard Waste Separate at curbside Change to paper or bio degradable bags

23 Plastic Contaminants Post Process Removal Separate at screening Builds up in the Overs