Case Study: Chemical Tank Cleaning – Luxfer Gas Cylinders

Organisation Profile

Luxfer Gas Cylinders are pioneers in reliable and premium gas storage solutions. Their production of advanced materials helps to protect lives, provide a cleaner environment, and make industries more efficient. Their manufacturing sites can be found worldwide in the USA, Canada, China and the UK.

The Issues

Luxfer Gas Cylinders had a number of chemical tanks which were covered in layers of hardened material. The materials in the tanks ranged from innocuous liquids to caustic chemicals. The cleaning had to account for these hazards and adhere to strict safety measures in order to keep our operatives safe.

Objectives

Remove layers of hardened material

The team aimed to remove layers of hardened material from the walls and floors of each of the tanks. Heavy duty mechanical tools were required to handle the density of the dried substances. The resulting loose material would then have to be handballed into an IBC tank for appropriate disposal.

Strict safety measures

While some of the tanks contained non-hazardous liquids, some tanks contained hazardous and caustic substances. Our cleaning team therefore had to wear caustic-appropriate PPE that fully covered their bodies so that no material came into contact with the skin.

Work in a tidy and contained environment to prevent contamination

Owing to the caustic nature of some of the materials, it was imperative that the team’s working area was sufficiently cordoned off so that hazardous material would not spread to other areas of the facility. This included potential contamination from operatives’ boots or PPE.

Results Delivered

Successful removal of hardened material

Our team successfully removed layers of hardened substances from each of the tanks, bringing the walls and floors back to the bare metal. This would allow our client to restart their operations with clean and fresh infrastructure.

Strict adherence to PPE

Our team strictly adhered to the PPE requirements in order to keep their skin protected from any hazardous material.

“Extremely happy with the service provided. Quality of work, very good. Nothing was too much trouble. Communication was excellent throughout the week.”

Darren Roche, Maintenance Manager, Luxfer Gas Cylinders