Industrial companies and businesses require industrial grade sanitation. Due to the nature of refineries, dirt, oil, chemicals, grime, and debris can build up and threaten your equipment and workers without adequate sanitation measures. SuperKlean’s industrial sanitation equipment and PPE face shields can help refineries and their workers stay safe.
Daily Sanitation Process
Dirt, oils, chemicals, and debris can easily become embedded in cracks, pipes, walls, chimneys, doors, and equipment surfaces. The build-up of gunk over time can cause equipment to function slowly or improperly, increasing the likelihood of breaking or malfunctioning. Without adequately controlling build up, workers are put at a much higher risk of fire, increased air pollution, and chemical exposure. All in all, daily industrial sanitation cleaning procedures must be taken for the overall health and safety of both the workers and the equipment.
There are several areas of the refinery that need to be cleaned regularly for optimal equipment performance, including drums, heat exchangers, pipes, towers, storage tanks, and transportation equipment to name a few. Industrial sanitation requires chemical cleaning agents and hot water washdown to break down oils and dirt. Steam is another extremely effective disinfecting agent for equipment surfaces and component parts. It is important for workers to have adequate PPE when operating industrial sanitation equipment and dealing with potentially harmful and acidic cleaning agents.
Sanitation During Refinery Turnarounds
A refinery turnaround is a scheduled shutdown of the facility for maintenance for an extended period of time. Turnarounds can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, usually occurring every 3-5 years to ensure safe operations and meet government regulations. While equipment is offline and shutdown, everything undergoes industrial sanitation and is inspected and repaired to reduce shutdown time and maintenance costs. Steam, chemical agents, hot and cold water mixers, and pressure washers are the most frequently used industrial sanitation equipment in industrial plants. All equipment, drums, tanks, pipes, and component parts are put through a steam phase to disinfect and a liquid chemical cleaning phase to degrease or degas equipment. Turnarounds require meticulous planning and careful execution – worker safety is of the upmost importance. Refineries often increase their workforce during a turnaround, so face shields, gloves, boots, and protective suits should be worn at all times to maximize worker safety. Steam, chemicals, and gas alone or improperly combined can be extremely dangerous, thus it is important to keep workers safe from exposure by using reliable industrial sanitation equipment and appropriate levels of PPE.
Please feel free to browse SuperKlean’s full line of industrial sanitation equipment, including hot and cold water mixing valves, industrial nozzles, hot water hoses, and PPE face shields used in industrial sanitation.
