Industrial Sanitation And Radioactive Waste Management

Posted on: 17 February 2020

Industrial sanitation is necessary to protect the health and safety of workers in industrial environments. It also protects the environment from industrial waste and pollution. The most important type of waste that some industrial sanitation services must deal with is radioactive waste.

Sanitation

Waste management control is an important part of industrial sanitation. An industrial sanitation service will likely have a contract with a waste management company. If a business is handling waste management on its own, it will likely need to hire a waste management company that can transport and dispose of industrial waste. You'll especially need help from a waste management company if you will be handling radioactive waste.

Cleanliness

A basic part of industrial sanitation is keeping a building clean so that it is safe and pleasant to work in. Industrial facilities often need to be ventilated so that they can be pleasant to work in. When working with radioactive waste, it's important to keep the area clean in case radioactive residue is left behind. Any item could be considered low-level waste, such as rags, plastic bags, and paper. 

Worker Hygiene 

Employees need to be provided with appropriate sanitation measures. For many workplaces, this would simply require a bathroom with a sink. However, some workplaces may also need to provide showers and a place to safely store belongings. This is especially important when working near radioactive materials because belongings need to not be affected by radiation. 

Limiting Exposure to Radiation

Risks that workers face as a result of radiation increase based on the amount of time they are exposed to the radioactive materials, how far away they are from the materials, and how much the worker is shielded from the radioactive material. If the material is removed promptly, it is less likely to cause health problems for the worker. Workers should also receive regular health checkups.

Informing Workers About Radioactive Waste

It is very unlikely that workers will not be aware that there will be radioactive waste. However, they will still need to be informed about the radioactive waste and educated about what should be done to mitigate their risk. The biggest source of contamination is when workers touch the radioactive waste, inhale radioactive dust, or when they consume food that has been contaminated by radioactive waste. It's important to control what when and where your workers eat and that they clean themselves up when they go on break or leave work.

If you would like to learn more, contact companies like Powell's Trash Service.

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