Spill Incidents (risks And Specialty Absorbents)

Spill incidents that occur in an industrial facility can bring widespread damage. Even the process of cleaning up spills can present a variety of dangers. It is therefore important to take measures to keep the potential damage at a minimum. The impact of an oil spill on natural and economic resources can be quite catastrophic. In combating the effects of an oil spill, for instance, specialty absorbent mats and wraps would be necessary instruments to speed up the cleaning process.

The chemical composition of crude oil consists of different parts which include varying alkanes (such as butane, hexane, and pentane); cycloalkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons (such as benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, and xylenes). The composition may also contain other oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur compounds (such as hydrogen sulfide); as well as trace metals such as copper, iron, vanadium, and nickel. These can contain serious levels of toxicity.

The results of hydrocarbon exposure from crude oil constituents will depend on various factors. These include its exposure to the atmosphere, the amount and type of treatments with dispersants and interaction of the chemicals, the time in which it remains within the marine aquatic and coastal environment, wave movements and heat. Crude oil gets weathered when it mixes with seawater and drifts away from the source. Usually, weathered crude oil will contain lower concentrations of volatile organic compounds (also known as VOCs). However, although it contains less amounts of VOCs, weathered crude oil may still carry harmful chemicals. Many of these can cause skin irritation and various adverse reactions. Making use of gloves and protective clothing is thus recommended to lessen the possibility of skin contact with weathered oil, as well as oil deposits on the shore (often called tarballs or tarpatties). The appropriate hand hygiene should also be observed, and stations where skin irritations can be treated must be readily available.

One such health risk is heat exhaustion. A person suffering from heat exhaustion generally exhibits such symptoms as headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, thirst and confusion. This is often accompanied by heavy sweating and a body temperature exceeding 100.4F. Personnel who are afflicted with heat exhaustion should be assisted away from the hot area and provided with liquids to drink. Any excessive clothing that hinders cooling down must be removed, which includes shoes and socks.

Prolonged physical labor in hot working environments often lead to muscular pain known as heat cramps. Heat cramps are generally a result of a serious decrease of body salts and fluid, which usually occurs during sweating. Employees suffering from heat cramps must prevent further fluid loss by drinking water in intervals of around 15 to 20 minutes.

The pursuit of maintaining safety, productivity and cleanliness in the workplace should remain a top priority for establishments. In this regard, DAWG has endeavored to provide products and services over the course of more than twenty years. From its beginnings as a small spill control company, DAWG has become a large multi-brand supplier of products which are specially made for industrial safety, personal protection and building maintenance. DAWG offers a variety of specialty absorbent mats and wraps that provide security and protection specific to a particular establishment.