MARKETING & SUPPLY BY LAURAGLASS The benefits of going beyond minimum compliance BULK PLANT SAFETY
Photo courtesy SafeRack.
are there for a reason and shouldn’t be ignored,” notes Craig Whritenour, operations manager for Fredericks Fuel and Heating Service of Oakridge, N.J., which operates three terminals. Yet safety con- sultant Brian Savage, president of Savage Associates in Watchung, N.J., also warns operators that mere- ly complying with guidelines and depending on others for solutions does not constitute a viable safety program. “Though it’s important to know the OSHA requirements,” advises Savage, “never assume these are enough to maintain a safe working environ- ment in your particular situation.” To cite just one example, vice president of sales Tom Semiklose of
F 16 MAY/JUNE 2011
EDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS ESTABLISH safety guidelines for bulk terminals and manufacturers supply equipment designed to meet those guidelines. “Even if they seem mundane, the rules
SafeRack, a Sumter, S.C., manufacturer of custom racks, arms, and platforms for loading and unload- ing, points out, “OSHA has fall protection rules for stationary services, but doesn’t address rolling stock. Yet if an accident occurs you can still be liable under the general duty clause since the use of fall protection is a generally accepted practice.” Then, too, a bulk plant is a complex and dynam-
ic operation in which “conditions are constantly changing as various customers access your site and as your inventory fluctuates,” observes Jason LeVine, business development manager for Total Meter Services. Based in Vaughan, Ontario, the company provides solutions for automated moni- toring and bulk plant equipment design, installa- tion, calibration, and maintenance. For that reason, plant owners who base their safety programs on static compliance with minimum published guide- lines are putting themselves at risk.
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