Tips
for Public Works Facilities
It is cheaper and
easier to prevent pollution, than to clean it up. The EPA’s New England
Environmental Assistance Team has suggestions to prevent pollution. Materials Storage & Management
Purchasing
Order products in amounts you will soon use. Don’t keep a large inventory; expired products are costly to dispose of and may pose a hazard.
Inspect products and materials for leaks or damage.
Purchase multi-purpose
products to reduce the number of hazardous chemicals in the facility.
Ask suppliers for the least
hazardous products suitable for the job. Review each Material Safety Data
Sheet (MSDS) prior to purchase.
Storage
Organize and label oils,
products, and hazardous materials, store similar items together.
Create an inventory system
for oils, products, and hazardous materials. Rotate the inventory.
Keep unused products in
their original containers.
Inspect storage areas to
identify places where spilled products may enter the environment, such as
floor drains, doorways, loading docks, catch basins, dirt, or cracked
floors. Avoid storing, dispensing or mixing products in these areas.
Usage
Use self-closing spigots and nozzles for dispensing fluids from bulk containers.
Ask employees to return empty containers, such as spray cans, before using new supplies.
Pour and mix products in a
well-ventilated area, over a spill pallet.
Use as few spray cans at a
time of brake or carburetor cleaners, lubricants, etc., as feasible.
Avoid collecting multiple, partly-used cans in various work areas.
General Facility Conditions
Yard
Ensure that catch basins
have oil/grit separators and holding tanks.
Keep catch basin sumps
empty and clean. Inspect every
spring and after heavy rains.
Building
Contract with a fire extinguisher company to test and fill extinguishers once a year.
Secure overhead items that could fall and cause injuries.
Keep floors as dry and clean as possible to prevent falls, electrical hazards, and contamination.
Use non-hazardous cleaning materials.
Use magnetic covers or
berms to insure that spills cannot go into floor drains.
Links
and Nodes,