Ground isolation hazard

Storage tanks should be designed in accordance with the ASME code for unfited pressure vessels. AH-welded constmction is recommended. Ethylene oxide storage tanks should be electrically grounded, isolated from potential fire hazards, and equipped with pressure rehef devices. New equipment should be cleaned of iron oxide and immediately purged with inert gas. 

The general purpose of ultimate disposal of hazardous wastes is to prevent the contamination of susceptible environments. Surface water runoff, ground water leaching, atmospheric volatilization, and biological accumulation are processes that should be avoided during the active life of the hazardous waste. As a rule, the more persistent a hazardous waste is (i.e., the greater its resistance to breakdown), the greater the need to isolate it from the environment. If the substance cannot be neutralized by chemical treatment or incineration and still maintains its hazardous qualities, the only alternative is usually to immobilize and bury it in a secure chemical burial site. 

I-3.6.2 Electronic control, monitoring, and hydrogen gas measurement equipment shall be properly grounded and isolated from piping to help prevent overpressure/ accidental shutoff situations caused by equipment failure due to lightning strikes and electrical transients and to prevent safety hazards caused by fault currents. Electrical isolation equipment for corrosion control purposes should not be installed in buildings unless specifically designed to be used in combustible atmospheres. 

The hazards which stray currents present to electric blasting caps can be greatly diminished by isolating all electric power lines from ground except at the power source and providing a separate, common bus, bonded to the frames of all electrical equipment. 

Auxilliary and support equipment, required to sustain the operation and not easily adapted to use in the explosive environment, was located in an equipment module (Figure 4) attached to the end of the shop and sufficiently isolated to preclude any hazard to operations conducted therein. The gasoline driven electric generator supporting total electric power requirement, a heat pump, air compressor and hydraulic pump are all located within this equipment module. A sectionized rod with self-contained hammer is provided and stored in the equipment module. This rod is driven into the ground at each work location and connected to the shop frame to insure electrical grounding and prevention of any buildup of static electricity that could produce a spark within the shop. 

In high-voltage applications (e.g. off-line power supplies), it may in fact be required by law, to provide electrical isolation between a hazardous input voltage level and user-accessible ( safe ) output terminals of the power supply. Therefore there is a primary ground at the input side of the transformer, and a separate secondary ground on the output side. 

The concept of containment as a method for dealing with contaminated ground is based on the use of low-permeability barriers to isolate the contaminated material, or any associated leachate or gaseous products, from the environment. The barriers can be constructed from natural or synthetic materials, or a combination of both, and can be placed over, under or around a contaminated area or pollution source. The technique can be used to isolate existing hazards such as a contamination source, to prevent the spread of contaminants from a disposal site such as landfill, or to isolate specially designed mono-disposal sites for contaminated soil. 

DISPOSAL AND STORAGE METHODS handle as hazardous waste and send to a RCRA approved incinerator or dispose of in a RCRA approved waste facility dispose of container and unused contents in accordance with federal, state and local regulations store in a cool, dry location use only with adequate ventilation outside storage is preferred keep containers closed containers should be bonded and grounded for transfers to avoid static sparks isolate from incompatible substances keep away from any area where the fire hazard may be acute. 

Wet or damp environments Water can be a good conductor of electricity, hence working with electrical equipment in a wet environment can be a hazardous activity. Electrical equipment should be isolated from moisture. Electrical receptacles in wet or damp environments must be designed for this type of environment, with ground-fault-circuit-interrupter (GFCI) protection. This type of receptacle should be tested periodically in accordance with the manufacturer s recommendations. 

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