Exposure to chemical and hazardous substances and materials has been acknowledged as a major risk to workers health and safety. In New Zealand, the control of hazardous chemical substances in the workplace is audited by the New Zealand Chemical Industry Council, who provides guidelines on the safe handling, transport and storage of chemicals. Chemical safety in the workplace continues to receive the attention of media and representatives of Health and Safety in the workplace due to the potential accidents and injuries, and possible deaths, which may arise from the improper use of chemicals in the workplace. However, these risks can be marginalised through the employment of suitable tools and equipment, such as chemical resistant drum pumps, to handle chemicals, along with staff training in the proper use of such equipment.
According to the New Zealand Chemical Industry Council, notwithstanding the substantial improvements in health and safety, many individuals are still injured within the workplace environment. The financial and social cost of these injuries is profound, adding up an estimated $16 billion per year, equivalent to ten percent of the national GDP.
In an effort to reduce the growing pressures that workplace injuries place on the economy, the chemical industry has implemented a performance accreditation programme to ensure that chemicals are handled safely. The Council actively works with various regulatory organisations in an effort to ensure that the industry is well equipped with the necessary tools and information to ensure chemical safety becomes a daily reality. ACC have commented that there are obvious links between safety and productivity, insisting that those companies that take safety seriously experience greater levels of profit and staff morale.
Concerns regarding chemical safety in the workplace have provided the impetus for the development of a chemicals guide, produced by the Environmental Risk Management Authority. The guide provides businesses a simple step-by-step procedure to handling chemicals safely in the workplace. One of the key measures advocated in the guideline promotes the correct isolations and storage of chemicals, as well as employing the correct equipment when accessing and utilising chemicals.
When the chemicals are stored in tanks, chemical resistant drum pumps are the vehicle by which the chemicals are accessed from their storage containers. However, not all drum pumps are constructed of materials that are capable of handling the corrosive nature of such chemicals. When searching for chemical resistant equipment, ensure that the product is made of robust polypropylene and polyethylene plastics which have excellent resistance to a wide range of chemicals, including caustic and chlorine based chemicals, acids and alkalines.
About the Author
Claire Jenkinson-Johns co-founded the NZ Pump Company with her husband nearly 20 years ago and has been deeply involved in manufacture, export marketing and business development ever since. Her previous role was as a Quality Management Consultant for the dairy industry. Chemical Resistance Drum Pump
Source: http://www.ulyssis.net/archives/466
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