5 SMART TIPS TO SAFELY HANDLE INDUSTRIAL LUBRICANTS
To handle the industrial lubricants we have listed down the best practices and procedures to ensure optimum safety in the workplace. Let us have a look at it.
It is essential to understand that the performance of industrial lubricants largely depends on their viscosity and ability to withstand temperatures and pressures, so they demand careful handling and storage.
These lubricants need to be appropriately handled with great caution to avoid contamination, deterioration, and expensive wastage. Moreover, it is essential to identify the potential hazards associated with industrial lubricants and take steps to prevent them in the first place.
Let us discuss the top safety tips you can follow while handling industrial lubricants, along with relevant latest best practices and procedures to ensure optimum safety in the workplace.
1. Label your lubricants
Industrial sites generally have several different lubricants for varying applications in the storage area. They have hydraulic oils, compressor oils, and gear oils. Each of these lubricants has its distinct technical properties and traits; if you dispense the wrong lubricant for an application, you stand a chance of damaging your equipment.
A helpful tip is to label each container clearly with the name of the lubricant stored in it. Another option is to use end-to-end colour coding. You can consider assigning a colour to your container, its related to dispensing equipment, and the point of fill so that there is no chance of making mistakes like mixing a lubricant with the wrong equipment.
2. Use the right container
In industrial environments where lubricants are accessed daily and used in bulk quantities, it is essential to pay attention to the containers used to store these oils. It can be quite dangerous to handle drums filled with grease and oils weighing hundreds of kilograms. These drums can get out of control and create a fire hazard or a spill if dropped.
One of the essential safety tips for handling industrial lubricants is to use intermediate bulk containers linked easily to the equipment used for delivering the lubricant to the application. It makes dispensing easier and lowers the possibility of wastage and contamination and handling injuries.
3. Avoid contamination during dispensing
Industrial lubricant should be clean and contaminant-free all the time to get the best performance out of it. When the dispensing method exposes your lube to elements like an open vessel or a funnel, there is a high risk of contamination before filling it into the equipment. Another reason for contamination is moisture ingress. Drums tend to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, mainly when kept open.
A practical solution is to install desiccant breathers on the lubricant storage system to remove moisture from the air and prevent contamination of the lube. Consider storing drums on their sides with bungs at three and nine o’clock whenever possible, preferably under a cover.
Also, ensure proper labelling of the dispensing equipment to avoid the risk of cross-contamination between fluids. Moreover, ensure that you use dispensers of the right size and see that their lids are not left open.
4. Handle with care
Working with industrial oil can be hazardous, so you must exercise extra caution when handling them. Drums of lubricants can weigh a lot and pose dangers like spillage and fire if dropped.
It is therefore advisable that a single person does not overturn drums. Furthermore, to avoid hazards from spillage, drum leakages should be repaired or replaced on time. It is also essential that handlers have sufficient training and experience to understand the required care.
It is best to use rubber gloves while working with lubricants and wash affected areas with warm water and soap to avoid itching or irritation.
Some lubricant manufacturers like Castrol offer fluid monitoring and on-site support to help you stop worrying about lubricant management and focus instead on manufacturing efficiency. Castrol makes this possible with its expertise and safety culture, which is a part of its DNA.
5. Dispense lubricants with proper equipment
Manual handling of lubricants increases the chances of hazards and accidents in industrial workplaces. Lubricant manufacturers advise minimising manual handling by incorporating appropriate transfer equipment and pumps. Doing this will help lower the risks of injuries and keep lubes clean and free of contamination before filling the equipment.
Consider inspecting the transfer equipment regularly for damage, dirt, and wear. Also, clean them after use to keep them free of grime and dust. Castrol’s ‘Complete CMS’ program has run across many OEMs and component manufacturers in India for the past few decades to support companies in increasing their manufacturing potential.
Conclusion
Industrial lubricant handling must be done safely to ensure the workers aren’t exposed to the hazards these lubricants can cause. These tips should help you take necessary precautions to avoid accidents and risks associated with lubes. Consider an industry expert like Castrol, who can help you with its expertise in lubricant management. Castrol can help you with efficient management and handling of industrial lubricants, eventually saving spillage and wastage.