Safety tips for handling industrial lubricants

Workplace safety incidents and accidents can setback the company huge amounts in compensations and other formalities. The safety measures are created for a reason and the chances of such mishaps can be significantly reduced if they are followed without deviation. Post-accident investigations often reveal that if the personnel handling the equipment were fully aware of applicable critical safety guidelines and workplace hazards, many of these mishaps could have been easily avoided. For employees working in an industrial plant, especially gear-manufacturing operations, understanding the basic safety tips for handling industrial lubricants & precautions that are associated with dealing with lubricants is imperative. Diesel trading companies in Abu Dhabi undergo regular safety checks to ensure an accident-free environment. 

Tips For Handling Your Industrial Lubricants Safely

Industrial lubricants are inevitable and used by any industry that operates different types of machinery and can be dangerous to handle. Industrial lubricant accidents are pretty serious and can lead to contamination and costly damage. When handling them, extra care has to be mandated to avoid deterioration and contamination. 

Regular checks and timely identification of potential hazards can minimize the damage that oils can cost. Keeping them in a safe place and reiterating the safety measures to the employees becomes crucial.

Drum Handling
Handling drums full of industrial lubricants, that are usually very heavy weighing more than 240 kg, can be a daunting task. Hence, in order to take them to the desired location, two or more people must roll the drums carefully and never allow the drums to freeroll. A drum sling could be used to control the drum carefully. Mishandling the drum can lead to it being dropped and be potentially dangerous including an explosion and/or fire. Over time, employees may forget the safety precautions and choose convenience over precaution. Hence it becomes all the more important to remind the employees about the hazards periodically.
 

Avoid Contamination
Your oil could become exposed to visible and invisible contaminants during the dispensing process and such accidental contamination of a lubricant can damage your whole lubricant stock, costing you big bucks. Small particles found in the vessels and other things can contaminate your industrial lubricants. Also, the mixing of various industrial lubricants can also result in contamination. Hence handling industrial lubricants with utmost care is imperative to ensure that they are in their natural condition. 

Make sure to label each drum of lubricant with its correct name and ensure legible fonts are used to do so. This will avoid improper mixing up of lubricants as the user will be aware of which drum has what type of oil. Dispensers of accurate sizes and tight lids that prevent pollutants from contaminating the lubricant must be used at all times. Using desiccant breathers on the tops is also recommended to avoid moisture content in the drums.
 

Leaked Lubrication 
Leaked oil or other lubrication on the floor is a potential hazard at work. Someone could trip and fall or may cause a fire if any spark of any kind falls on them. Use absorbent drying pads or granules to clean up any oil spills from the floor to avoid accidents.
 

Applying Lubricants 
The need for carefully applying the lubricant to your machine cannot be stressed enough. You must shut down all your machines unless they are equipped with central lubrication systems. Before you apply the lubricants to your machinery, ensure that oil caps are piped to a safe place. Some machinery needs to be shut down before lubrication and tagged out of service to prevent accidents. 
 

Protective Gear
Synthetic materials found in some lubricants can prove dangerous for your skin by causing blisters or discolouration. So it is important to be careful and protect your skin while handling industrial lubricants by using industry-specified gloves, barrier creams, etc. If exposed, wash your hands or other skin parts with water and soap immediately. Seek medical attention since some reactive lubricants may also pose serious health concerns.

Ensure that your industrial workers are wearing safety clothing when on the premises. Gloves, goggles, PPE, hats, and other necessary equipment including long sleeves and masks need to be used around dusty and hot places as a best practice.
 

Transfer Equipment
Lubricants can be damaged and contaminated by using incorrect transfer equipment. Avoid manual transferring if possible by using advanced pumps and similar equipment. Ensure that all pieces of equipment are dry and clean of any dirt, dust, or grime.
 

Colour Coding
An excellent strategy to mark your oils and lubricants is colour coding as it becomes easier to identify the drums for everyone. This will prevent unnecessary mixing of oils such as a gearbox one with a hydraulic one.
 

No Smoking
Many petroleum products including greasers, lubricants, and oils all have low flashpoints and may burn easily. It goes without saying that smoking or lighting matches for any purpose have to be avoided in the presence of lubricants, whether in the container or not. 

The safety tips for handling industrial lubricants can prevent industrial hazards and more importantly save lives. Redlines Diesel Trading is one of the leading fuel suppliers in Dubai that ensures all safety tips for handling industrial lubricants are followed to the point.