When dealing with hazardous materials, it’s critical to not only protect yourself but others as well, eliminating the possibility of accidental contamination. Many time-tested methods can prevent accidental contamination, and leading-edge technology can further secure hazardous materials while in storage or in transit.
Be aware of technology’s role in hazmat storage and utilize it to the greatest degree possible; use your own knowledge of storage safety procedures and enhance it with the latest tech to significantly raise your containment standards.
What Constitutes Hazardous Materials?
Before jumping into how to properly store hazardous materials, let’s define exactly what hazardous materials are and how they can affect people and the environment if they are not safely stored.
Hazardous materials are any chemicals classified as a physical or health hazard, whether in a usable condition or as waste. Some characteristics of hazardous materials include whether they are combustible, explosive, or water reactive.
Prevent Damage to the Environment
Hazardous materials present a grave risk to human beings who have been exposed to them, knowingly or unknowingly. However, environmental contamination is also possible, and the effects may not be as readily apparent as with a person—at least, not without the right monitoring technology.
Real-time monitoring systems can alert you if there are pollutants or contaminants in the area surrounding your storage facility. This type of early detection is critical to preventing significant damage to the environment and stopping contamination before it has a chance to reach critical levels.
Constant monitoring of the environment isn’t feasible without the proper technology to facilitate it; ensure that you have your early-detection systems in place to eliminate the risk of significant environmental contamination.
Leverage Technology To Plan Transportation Routes
Storage does not just mean keeping hazardous materials in a room; sometimes storage means first transporting materials to a different location. Regardless of whether your stored materials are already in place or need to move elsewhere, there is technology that can streamline the process and mitigate any errors or contamination.
The transportation of hazardous materials includes several factors that you must consider. Those factors include:
- The climate, weather, and general environmental conditions of the route
- The mode of transportation utilized
- The type of material you are transporting
- The route you must take and the road’s condition
Keeping all these factors in mind on your own can be a daunting task, especially since some of these considerations, such as weather and road conditions, have the potential to change rapidly. The weather may be ideal once your materials leave your facility, but it can quickly turn inclement midway through transport, endangering your materials and risking contamination.
Because of how difficult it can be to plan out a route, effective employment o transport management technology can make the process significantly easier and safer. This type of transport management can take into account weather patterns, road conditions, and the type of material that needs transportation, quickly determining the safest, most efficient course of action.
It’s also critical to know the best type of hazardous storage containers, whether for transit purposes of general storage. Be aware of the best containment unit for the job, further eliminating the threat of exposure or any other safety risk.
Utilize Tracking Systems During Transit
To continue with technology’s role in hazmat storage as it relates to transportation, tracking systems play a vital part in preventing accidents and alerting facilities to developing situations. Tracking systems, as the name implies, keep facility managers aware of their material’s location, where it’s coming from, where it’s going, and where it currently is.
Not only does a tracking system monitor the material’s current location, but it also informs facility managers of the material’s condition, providing an early-warning sign if there is imminent danger. This level of in-depth insight into the condition of hazardous materials enables workers to respond quickly and adequately to developing dangerous situations.
Facilities can also utilize monitoring technology while hazardous materials are in storage inside facilities. Monitoring essentially works the same as tracking, in that it maintains a watch over the condition of the materials and raises the alarm if there are any concerns or dangerous changes.
Preventive Safety Measures
There are several general safety measures that facilities can adopt—technology that is relatively commonplace but still has a major impact on safety. These other safety measures include installing gas detectors in hazardous areas, alerting staff members if there is a sudden, unexpected gas leak. This is especially crucial when dealing with odorless gases, as these leaks may go unnoticed for a dangerously long period of time.
Fire-suppression systems also play a vital role in hazmat storage. There may be times when a facility needs to house flammable materials, and if that material ignites, the potential damage can be significant. Fire-suppression systems can fight flames without risking the safety of employees. While such systems may not completely extinguish a fire, they can certainly buy the facility time to call firefighters to finish off the blaze safely.
Don’t Leave Your Hazardous Material Storage to Chance
When it comes to the safety of your material storage facility, nothing should ever be left to chance. Take an active role in the safety of the facility and all the people who work in it; neglecting to install or maintain essential safety technology can result in disaster.
It’s also not enough to solely rely on technology to guarantee safety—your facility also needs a solid safety response procedure in case anything goes wrong. Prepare for any reasonable scenario and train staff on exactly what to do in those hypothetical situations. Technology can only do so much; you and your staff need to do their part to maintain safety.
Evaluate the technology that your facility currently has and look over your safety response procedures to determine whether that’s enough for your needs. If your facility transports hazardous materials, you’ll need to invest in adequate transit monitoring systems. Find where to best funnel your facility’s budget and ensure that your employees work in the safest environment possible.
