Housekeeping

Housekeeping as used here includes indoor and outdoor plant care and maintenance. It extends to every part of the plant (offices, processing areas, laboratories, etc.) a fire that starts in an office area may be equally as serious as one that starts in the plant area. These topics are considered in great detail in the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook All personnel should be familiar with the material applicable to their operations. In addition, the safety committee should consider housekeeping practices in its inspection procedures. Of particular interest are building and plant care and maintenance, indoor and outdoor storage (manner of storage compatibility and 

Industrial experience and insurance loss records indicate that poor housekeeping contributes to an increased frequency of loss and greater loss potential. The added quantity and distribution of fuel in the facility caused by poor housekeeping practices can result in the following issues  

Poor housekeeping may also be a symptom of other fundamental problems, such as careless operation, frequent temporary repairs, and generally inadequate maintenance. These conditions can result in process leaks, releases, and spills, missing or open covers on equipment and electrical panels, unpainted rusting metal, and nonfunctional gauges and instruments. 

There is a definite relationship between safety performance and orderliness in the laboratory. When housekeeping standards fall, safety performance inevitably deteriorates. The work area should be kept clean, and chemicals and equipment should be properly labeled and stored. 

Work areas should be kept clean and free from obstructions. Cleaning up should follow the completion of any operation or take place at the end of each day. 

Wastes should be deposited in appropriate color-coded or labeled receptacles. 

Spilled chemicals should be cleaned up immediately and disposed of properly. Disposal procedures should be established, and all laboratory personnel should be aware of them the effects of other laboratory accidents also should be cleaned up promptly. 

Unlabeled containers and chemical wastes should be disposed of promptly by appropriate procedures. Such materials, as well as chemicals that are no longer needed, should not be accumulated in the laboratory. 

A clean and orderly laboratory improves performance and productivity. It also enhances morale and has a beneficial effect on safety. Unfortunately, housekeeping in many laboratories leaves 

9th AESF-EPA Conference on Environmental Control for the Metal Finishing Industry. American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, Inc., Orlando, Florida. 

Intern report, Minnesota technical Assistance Program, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

1 Are containers and portable tanks containing hazardous materials and wastes stored and organized in an orderly and clean manner  

3 Are paved or unpaved areas discolored from past spihs, leaks, and drips  

5 Is trash and titter within perimeter of facility collected and removed at least weekly  

6 Does facility have programs to maintain facility and operations in aesthetically pleasing manner to minimize concerns and close scratiny of regulatory agency  

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The health and safety issues outlined herein for particleboard also apply to MDE. A special note should be made of the fact that, because the MDF raw material is of dry fiber base, there exists in MDF a large component of very small, broken, dust-like wood fibers. These contribute to the dust concerns in the manufacturing areas, requiring exceUent dust-control systems, good housekeeping, and personal protection. 

Health and safety concerns in the stmctural composite lumber industry are similar to those in the other composite industries. Special care is required in worker awareness, worker protection equipment, dust and vapor control, and general housekeeping. 

Extmsion is a common way for soHd products such as plastics to emerge from closed manufacturing systems. Normally a polymer is hot when extmded and may contain additives and oligomers that are volatile at elevated tempera-tures. The result is Aiming at the extmder head. These fumes can result in employee annoyance, housekeeping problems, and, at worst, depending on composition, health ha2ards. 

Options. Traditional control options for overexposure are material substitution, process change, containment, enclosure, isolation, source reduction, ventilation, provide personal protection, change work practices, and improve housekeeping. A simple way of looking at selection of control options is to find the cheapest option that results in the desired amount of exposure reduction. It is not actually that simple, however, because the various options differ in ways other than cost and degree of control. Some of the other factors to consider in selection of control options are operabiUty, rehabiUty, and acceptabihty. 

It is also a guideline to ensure product quahty through the suitabihty of the manufacturing equipment, air and water quahty, sanitation, insect and rodent control, and housekeeping. The FDA periodically sends inspectors to audit chemical companies who manufacture bulk pharmaceutical chemicals or inactive ingredients called excipients to ensure conformance. Whereas GMP conformance ensures that the product meets pharmaceutical quahty standards, it does not ensure conformance to customer-service-related requirements. 

Reduced Emissions and Waste Minimization. Reducing harmful emissions and minimizing wastes within a process by inclusion of additional reaction and separation steps and catalyst modification may be substantially better than end-of-pipe cleanup or even simply improving maintenance, housekeeping, and process control practices. SO2 and NO reduction to their elemental products in fluid catalytic cracking units exemplifies the use of such a strategy (11). 

Proper ventilation and housekeeping minimizes secondary explosions. Dust coUectors of the dry type should be located outside the building, and provided with conduction bags and adequate explosion venting to a safe location. 

Maintenance. The lack of maintenance and investment in inspection programs results in not only poor housekeeping but unnoticed leaks due to corrosion, leaking flanges and valves, and inoperative instmmentation that could prevent spills. 

Good housekeeping practices to prevent the accumulation of tantalum dust and a proper passivation procedure will prevent most tantalum fires. AH equipment used to handle the powder should be properly grounded and contact with hot surfaces or flames should be avoided. 

Continued recycling of effluent would soon give an unusable product, and tertiary treatment, although expensive, is essential. In some instances, considerable amounts of water can be saved by careful housekeeping and process change. 

Although metallic antimony may be handled freely without danger, it is recommended that direct skin contact with antimony and its alloys be avoided. Properly designed exhaust ventilation systems and/or approved respirators are required for operations that create dusts or fumes. As with other heavy metals, orderly housekeeping practice and good personal hygiene are necessary to prevent ingestion of (or exposure to) antimony. 

Nitiile rubber presents no unusual hazards when processed and handled in areas with good housekeeping and ventilation. Like other elastomers, nitrile... 

In prac tice, the existence of a tight cost-control system tends to spread a cost consciousness among the personnel involved in the project. Such an awareness, even in construction-equipment maintenance and job housekeeping, can lead to efficient cost control throughout. 

Ensuring that good housekeeping and strong preventive-maintenance programs exist and are followed... 

Rendering plants Feedstock storage and housekeeping Cookers and percolators Grinding Odors SO2, mercaptans, ammonia, odors Particulates (dust) Quick processing, washdown of all concrete surfaces, paving of dirt roads, proper sewer maintenance, enclosure, packed towers Exhaust system, condenser, scrubber, or incinerator Exhaust system and scrubber... 

Operate below minimum oxygen concentration Practice good housekeeping Grind/blend under inert atmosphere Provide damage limiting construction... 

An essential part of the on-site visit is the physical inspection of the toller facility—the walk-through. It offers the opportunity to confirm interview responses, observe work practices, interview employees, and note general housekeeping, soil contamination and safety issues. 

Facility condition/housekeeping (odors, visible emissions)... 

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