Doug Moore
Kentucky Service Co., Inc.

In today’s world, working on pumps can be hazardous to your health — if you don’t take the proper precautions. Great care should be taken to protect yourself and your employees from what could cause long-term health issues from the job.

Caution should be exercised and questions asked of customers about what they’re pumping. Start by asking for a material data safety sheet (MSDS) on the material so you will know potential problems related to the fluid being pumped. You never know what type of dangerous gas might be produced when you heat a stuck impeller with a torch. A situation might arise where the person heating it falls to the floor and can no longer breathe because this created a dangerous gas mixture.

This is why fire departments — with their hazmat teams — won’t fight a chemical fire until they know what chemical they’re working with.

Even small amounts of a chemical can be extremely dangerous. Something as simple as mixing water with some chemicals and acids can cause explosions, burns to your body, blindness or destroy the metals of the pump. When working with pumps, a full face protective shield is very important since the easiest human tissue to access and infiltrate is eye tissue. 

Wastewater pump dangers 
Working with wastewater pumps can cause several health problems that may take years to show up in a test. For instance, I remember this arising the first time I went to donate blood at the age of 22. I learned that I had hepatitis. My physician determined I probably came in contact with raw sewage. I had worked on sewage pumps and around wastewater pits since the age of 17; most likely, that was the source. I’m now 47 and still have to take special medications and have regular liver tests performed. Now that I have your attention, let’s discuss some ways you can help your employees and customers stay as safe as possible. 

Make it mandatory to have a MSDS sheet sent with an industrial pump being repaired. Any manufacturer would gladly send them if you ask since it helps them reduce their exposure to liability. 

Learn all you can
Learn everything you can about how to handle the chemical properly. Learn how to dispose of it, what it reacts with, how to neutralize it, what safety equipment to wear while dismantling or cleaning it, and what to do if you come in contact with it.

Never take the customer’s word that it was cleaned prior to you receiving it. (Most units we get have buildup and residue left that we find while dismantling.) You should also find out — up front — exactly what is being pumped so that you’ll know what type of seals, gaskets, “o” rings and metal to use. This information can help solve the original cause of failure along with reducing your exposure to liability issues. For instance, if the customer intends to use the device to pump acid and you thought it was just for water, you might (wrongly) use a standard off-the-shelf seal. 
When the customer installs it and the acid eats the wrong seal, leaking acid might sling off the shaft and into the operator’s eyes and blind him or her. Then what if OSHA investigates and finds you 80% liable. Your insurance might cover some but you have to pay the balance and can no longer get affordable insurance. All of this could have been prevented if you had just used the proper seal. 

Proactive employee safety 
Also make hepatitis and tetanus vaccinations part of the hiring process. We contacted our local medical urgent care center and set up a very affordable program. It includes several vaccinations, a commercial vehicle medical card (required in our state), and a physical. Doing this and making our insurance carrier aware of it has saved us on premiums since we are considered proactive instead of reactive on employee safety.

If you pick up items from the customer, always have the truck equipped with a good set of chemical resistant gloves for the driver to use while securing the load. If it’s a wastewater pump, make sure the customer sprays it down with water and bleach. The driver should wear a good pair of rubber disposable gloves and keep any cuts or scrapes covered and protected. 

Cleaning industrial pumps 
When receiving an industrial pump for service, the only way I can advise you on cleaning it is to first check the MSDS sheet. Sometimes you must get creative to clean it, but never let any of the liquid cleaner go down a drain. Always catch it and dispose of it properly.

On wastewater pumps, we steam clean them after letting them sit overnight in a bleach solution. If it is a rush, we use an industrial disinfectant instead of soap with the steam cleaner. 

We’re lucky since our building is only 6 years old. When we built it, we designed it to not have a floor drain connected to the sewer system. Instead we drained to a catch basin and pump it out to a drum if it needs to be disposed of by a disposal company. If it is just water and grease, we dehydrate it and dispose of the solids. It is much less expensive that way. We use standard yellow disposable gloves and a rubber apron or raincoat while dismantling and cleaning.

Accidents can still happen no matter how hard you try. But by following these suggestions, you can certainly cut down on the amount and the magnitude of all accidents. I know it sounds like another huge expense to add into a competitive market and a slowing economy. But if marketed correctly, it shows the customer that you care about the safety of your employees and the environment. 

Document your services 
In the invoice, show them that your repair price includes waste disposal (show it separately) so they do not have to worry about someone possibly flushing it or pouring it on the ground — only for them to be responsible for future cleanup cost after that company is gone. Remember that in today’s world, the people who regulate the safety and disposal issues go after the last one standing. Since operating a service business is no cakewalk in the first place, don’t let yourself or your customer get caught sitting in the last chair. The prize could be expensive. 

Categories: Pumps, Safety

Tags: Pumps Safety

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