Hazardous waste
What types of hazardous waste can appear in industrial cleaning operations?
Water jetting operations always produce waste. The waterjet impacts a surface that has debris, generating a mix of water and debris, which is considered itself a waste and needs to be disposed of correctly.
In many cases, the mixture of water with the debris existing in the workplace may contain hazardous materials, such as chemicals, heavy metals, or biological waste, which represent health risks for those who handle them.
It should not be forgotten that the debris left on the cleaning equipment and PPE used by the contractor is also waste produced in the water jetting activity, requiring cleaning after the work is completed and also needs to be disposed of correctly.
How should hazardous waste be handled in automated industrial cleaning operations?
To handle the risks associated with hazardous substances in water jetting operations correctly, a product safety data sheet, as well as an appropriate working permit, must be obtained before starting the job. The risks arising from potential exposure to hazardous waste material should be identified, assessed and controlled.
A suitable location for the cleaning operation has to be defined before work commences to minimize or eliminate the threat of exposure to personnel working on-site, to properly protect workers actively cleaning the contaminated equipment with the appropriate PPE and to eliminate the possibility of accidental flow into unprotected channels.
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