Cleaning a heavily contaminated water-mix fluid sump
Cleaning a heavily contaminated water-mix fluid sump
Procedure
Never put clean fluid in a dirty sump.
Prepare a permit to work for any cleaning in potentially confined spaces.
Provide equipment to remove and replace sump fluids with minimum spillage.
Keep absorbent material to hand in case of spillages.
Follow your supplier’s guidelines as well as this sheet.
Tell workers to avoid getting fluid or cleaning agents on their skin.
Treat all wastes as 'hazardous waste' for recycling or disposal.
Check your supplier’s recommendation for dosage levels and circulation times. Mark these in the gaps provided:
System cleaner: amount to add = ___% by volume (__ litres).
Fungicide: amount to add = ___% by volume (__ litres).
Circulation time = at least __ hours with all fluid pipes open.
System cleaner: amount to add = __% by volume (__ litres).
Fungicide: amount to add = ___% by volume (__ litres).
Second circulation time = no more than __ hours.
Follow the steps in the flow chart.
Don’t use plain water for washing out. You may de-passivate metal surfaces and increase the corrosion risks.
Provide good facilities for washing and eating/drinking refreshments away from the work activity.
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
If you require respiratory protective equipment, provide an air-fed respirator with a minimum Assigned Protection Factor of 20.
Use 0.4mm nitrile gloves to EN 374 standard to provide protection against skin contact with fluids for up to 8 hours; these gloves are normally thin enough to provide finger dexterity. Use thicker gloves to EN 374 and EN 388 standards when protection is also required against abrasions and sharp edges.
Ensure workers discard gloves that are damaged, and at the end of a cleaning session.
Provide eye protection
to EN 166 standard
where there is a risk of splashing.
Workers also need overalls.
Ensure contaminated overalls are laundered before re-use.
Provide storage for PPE to prevent damage or contamination when not in use.
“Barrier creams” do not create a barrier but skin creams can help in washing contamination from the skin. Use a moisturising cream each time you wash your hands and use after-work creams to help replace skin oils.
