You are currently browsing all posts tagged with 'Cleanup'.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 entries.

Handling and Burning Oily Waste from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup 1989

  • Posted on August 12, 2011 at 1:50 pm

During the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup, huge amounts of oily waste was sent to and handled by workers at an oily waste handling site in Valdez, Alaska, known as the red bag area Many workers had daily exposure to oily waste and decomposition products (from the bag contents rotting during the week or so it took to get to the red bag area) as bags leaked and broke open during handling. Plastic bags containing oily waste, which were generated during the various phases of the cleanup effort, were processed at this facility. Fishing vessels were used to transport the bags of oily waste to the harbor in Valdez where the bags were loaded into pot ore trucks for transport to the disposal site. At the disposal site, the oily bags were dumped into a pit using a crane that lifted and inverted the pot ore containers. Up to 50 day-shift workers and 20 night-shift workers sorted the bags, separating out those that did not contain oily waste for transport to a sanitary landfill. There were three small incinerators on site that could process 400-500 bags of oily waste per day. However, since the facility received 4000-5000 bags per day, a huge stockpile of bags had accumulated. Other means of disposal, such as transport to other hazardous waste landfills or other incinerator sites, were used. The workers sorting the bags wore PPE but rarely used respirators. By the end of the 1989 cleanup, more than 25000 tons of oiled waste and several hundred thousand barrels of oil/liquid waste …

Continue reading Handling and Burning Oily Waste from the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup 1989 »

Donning PPE at the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup Red Bag Area in Valdez Alaska 1989

  • Posted on August 10, 2011 at 11:42 pm

The usual PPE for this area was a set of rain gear, oil resistant gloves and boots duct tapped to the rain gear and a hard hat and chemical eye protection. Plastic bags containing oily waste, generated during the cleanup, were processed at this facility, also known as the Dayville site. Up to 50 day-shift workers and 20 night-shift workers sorted the bags, separating out those that did not contain oily waste for transport to a sanitary landfill. Those that contained oily waste were doublebagged and moved to a holding area at the site for subsequent transport to other hazardous waste landfills. The workers sorting the bags wore PPE for protection from the oil contents of the bags which frequently were torn open during handling or broke open because they were not sealed securely. Several foremen, members of the Alaska Laborers Union, had completed their unions 40-hour HAZWOPER class and convinced their employer to let them build a decontamination line, which was not present when the site was established. They built a wonderful decon area with lots of extras, like enclosed areas for protection from the wind and rain and boot dryers with warm air. Everyone used this decon after their 12 hour shift, unlike many of the other decons on the spill which were by-passed by most workers and supervisors. For more information on this cleanup, go to the Laborers Union public health team report at the NIEHS Oil Spill website (under Other Oil Spill Resources) at tools.niehs.nih.gov and …

Continue reading Donning PPE at the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Cleanup Red Bag Area in Valdez Alaska 1989 »

SnapBagger – Leaf Bag & Cleanup Tool

  • Posted on July 31, 2011 at 2:32 am

Ultimate yard cleanup tool. Makes bagging leaves and debris a Snap! Reduces bending, no touching the leaves or debris with your hands…simply the fastest and cleanest way to do all-around yard cleanup. Use with standard plastic leaf bags. The perfect accesory for a leaf rake because it addresses the other half of the problem-bagging! See product at www.SheEdison.com.

Continue reading SnapBagger – Leaf Bag & Cleanup Tool »

The Great Earth911 Cleanup

  • Posted on July 25, 2011 at 3:44 pm

A few Earth911 staffers went on a walk and picked up litter on the way, in celebration of the Great American Cleanup. Here’s a quick peek at what we found and the lessons we learned. You can read about how to get involved in the Great American Cleanup here: bit.ly

Continue reading The Great Earth911 Cleanup »

Powered by Yahoo! Answers