Hazmat Teams Called for Mich. Warehouse Cleaning Chemical Mix

Photo of an industrial chemical plant

A Hazmat response team and firefighters were dispatched to an Ohio Meijer Distribution warehouse for accidental chemicals being mixed.

WHIO reported that Trip City Fire, Troy Fire Department and Miami County Hazardous Materials Response Team were told that an employee in the creamery building of the warehouse was cleaning when they had accidentally mixed an acid and a base creating a chemical reaction, according to Tipp City Chief of Emergency Services Cameron Haller.

Also Read: Industrial Fire Familiarization: Turnarounds and Outages

Haller told WHIO that the cleaning system first runs a base through a line. The line is then rinsed and an acid pushed through after that. It was unknown why the rinse did not go through the line, which allowed the acid and base to mix, creating a “non-habitable environment.”

Also Read: Chemical Testing for Hazmat ‘Dummies’

Fire and hazmat crews, along with Meijer’s safety team ventilated the room and flush all lines. Hazmat teams made sure the room was free of harmful chemicals before letting employees back in.

Here are some of the 7 Crucial Tips for Safety Trainers at Work.

Worker Fatigue

In this industry of hazardous materials, a typical call could be a quick 1-hour trip to a local fuel spill, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, a well involved multi-day capture and recovery of an oil spill in a local waterway. A well rounded roster of manpower can relieve the stress of employee burnout and promote a sense of teamwork that is unparalleled by any other industry.

Job Related Injuries

When was the last time you were on scene and were able to mitigate the entire call by sitting in the cab of the truck? I don’t know about you, but I haven’t been to that call yet either. From crawling underneath tankers, to climbing scaffolding on the sides of a tank, a high impact job has the potential for slips, trips, sprains or scrapes. Proper work practices can go a long way when performing what we consider routine duties.

Mental Burnout

Has your crew been working a particularly stressful hitch? The stress of emotional runs or even just an overbearing overtime schedule can cause employees to become detached and burnt out on normal daily tasks, which can lead to serious careless errors and potential serious injuries to coworkers. Get creative in your off time. As a leader, make sure your crew gets the time to themselves to bond but also give them the chance to interact with each other in a non-workplace setting. The new found camaraderie may surprise you.

Complacency

Going to work and completing the same routine tasks day in and day out is a blessing in disguise that few may understand. If we can complete an entire day based on what we consider routine tasks, with no emergencies or out of the ordinary circumstances, most of us would consider this a huge win. However, on the flip side, workers often develop routines and rituals just as we are programmed to do. Checking equipment on this side first, left hand turn lift compartment, etc.

Unfortunately this can tend to breed a sense of denial that each day or each task will be the same with each performance, and leave us vulnerable to sudden changes or situations that we need to pay close attention to. Try to change it up once in a while. If policies allow, try to do your routine backwards. See everything from a new perspective before the boredom of the same old day comes to bite you.


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