The Ultimate Automobile Manufacturing Guide

Securing Belt Filters In Quake Zones And Shake-Prone Areas

13 June 2017 by Carlos Sullivan

Belt filters may look sturdy, but in a strong quake, they can move around like toys if they aren't secured. Because belt filters handle waste that isn't safe to handle when it initially goes into the filtering system, you have to take extra precautions to ensure the system stays in place as much as possible during the shaking.

Leashes and Bolts

As with any item that could move around, belt filters need to be bolted to the floor or leashed to the floor and wall, if they're near a wall. Don't use office-store leashes for these; contact quake supply companies (or perhaps even the belt filter manufacturer, who might have some) for leashes meant for industrial use. If you're using leashes and not bolts, place a few leashes all around the base, rather than relying on one or two. Remember, leashes are still kind of flexible, and one or two could still allow the belt filter to flip over or tilt, spilling the waste.

Clear Pathways

If you have banks of belt filters set up, ensure the pathways between the machines are wide and kept clear. The less that can be thrown into the aisles during the shaking if a quake hits, the better. You'll need to have clear pathways in order to get out safely, and also to ensure that as you pass the machines, you'll be able to tell if anything has gone wrong during the quake.

Hazardous Waste Protocols

In a strong quake, there is the risk that the machines will still try to tip over. Strong quakes can rearrange furniture in a few seconds, so while those leashes and bolts certainly help, the machines themselves could still suffer. You'll need a hazardous waste protocol in place in case any of the waste in the filters spills out. The shaking can cause containers and different connections to shift and move, so even if the machines are normally tightly sealed, the quake could change all that. Know where your exits are and where alternative pathways out may be.

No one wants to think about what a quake could do, and if you're in an area that isn't really seismically active itself but is subject to shaking from nearby fault zones, it may seem less urgent to secure equipment. However, quakes can happen at any time, and you need to ensure you and your workers will remain safe should a strong earthquake hit.

For more information, talk to companies like Sciential Solutions LLC.

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