Waking Up the Plant
Published on : Sunday 12-07-2020
How can we wake up our plant machinery safely after Unlock 1? Sourabh Kumar Das offers a few tips.
As we know most, or we can even say almost all the industries, barring essentials, had to shut down their machinery due to the lockdown imposed because of the outbreak of Covid-19. But due to this sudden lockdown most of the plant machinery were not shutdown in planned manner, being left as it was at that point. Also unfortunately, this lockdown extended more than a month leaving the machines with all the challenges maintenance persons face, like rust, accumulation of dirt, silt, motor seizure, and many more. Now after so many days of inactivity when we are trying to reopen our plants we are facing lots of issues, which sometimes result in fatal accident like we witnessed in Visakhapatnam where due to gas leakage many unfortunate lives were lost. There were a few other mishaps of this nature elsewhere.
The good news is that after this incident the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) has issued some guidelines for restarting industries post lockdown, not only for plant machinery, but also for worker safety. These include cleaning of pipelines, equipment and discharge lines first through mechanical cleaning followed by water flushing and chemical cleaning based on the type of the process equipment. After that we need to carefully check all the supply pipelines, valves, conveyor belts for any residual material, wear and tear, or any obstructions.
Likewise for the workers, we have to ensure 24-hour sanitization of the factory premises. Factories need to maintain a sanitization routine every two-three hours, especially in the common areas that include lunch rooms and common tables, which will have to be wiped clean with disinfectants after every single use. For accommodation, sanitization needs to be performed regularly to ensure worker safety and reduce the spread of contamination. Factories should have provisions of hand sanitizers and masks for all employees.
Fortunately keeping all this in mind, NCH India has come up with simple programs under one roof to cater to all the above requirements in a very simple and scientific manner, for factories, manufacturing units, production facilities, food & beverage units, workshops, transportation systems, etc., based on its experience of more than 100 years in this field. First and most the important thing we need to focus on is cleaning of machinery parts, repairing of pipes and metal parts, examine the fasteners and joints and look at the motors as these are like to seize due to corrosion. Further we need to flush our cooling systems for possible accumulation of sediment and dirt due to stagnation; the conveyers and chains also need special care and proper lubrication. HVAC systems need to be taken care of as these need through cleaning after dormant period of non-use along with that drain with low flow and dry condition need to be cleaned, which causes bad odour and unwanted gases.
Let’s discuss the cleaning part further due the shutdown of the workplace. Production areas and machinery are left with dirt, dust, oil and grease. Growth of fungus and mould in vacant areas is a concern of hygiene. These contaminated surfaces, machinery and components do not allow regular operations to begin immediately. Cleaning and degreasing as a process will make significant contribution to the efficiency of the production process to start with. A clean surrounding will boost up the concentration and enthusiasm of the workforce that is restarting after a long gap.
Few areas where cleaning needs special attentions are:
1. Floors and surfaces
2. Machinery and industrial equipment
3. Electrical panels, exhaust systems
4. Restrooms and locker rooms
5. Office cubicles, conference rooms and cafeterias
6. Labs and test rooms
7. Loading docks
8. Warehouses and storage areas, and
9. Solar panels, etc., and many more.
As mentioned earlier NCH has all the specialised cleaning solutions in handling all these problems. Prolonged idle period and non-existence of regular preventive maintenance activities result in problems of rust and corrosion. This can make storage tanks and pipe lines weaker with pitting and thinning of surface and get prone to leakages.
Corrosion occurs naturally, due to the gradual and continuous environmental attack on metals. It can happen on the inside as well as outside surfaces. Pipe sections affected by corrosion include metal pipe joints, welds and surface coating. Pipelines form the transportation of any type of fluid, starting from drinking water up to complex systems involving corrosive, toxic and hazardous chemicals and gases, etc. As long as the transport chain is fine, the entire process can be very smooth; nevertheless, even a pinhole leak or minor corrosion on pipes might put the entire operations at stake. NCH India with exhaustive solutions can help handling these problem areas very efficiently. Another area which need special attention is HVAC system as the unusual load of exterior contaminants in the heating and cooling system would now cause it to work harder. Although filters are used, system still gets dirty during shutdown. Lots of dust, mould rust and corrosion through the system from cooling tower right up to heat exchanger and equipment is a tough challenge in industries as of now. NCH India has all the expertise to handle these conditions with wide ranges of solutions.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):
1. Clean first before you disinfect. Germs can hide underneath dirt and other material on surfaces where they are not affected by the disinfectant. Dirt and organic material can also reduce the germ-killing ability of some disinfectant.
2. Cleaning removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces or objects. Cleaning works by using soap (or detergent) and water to physically remove germs from surfaces. This process does not necessarily kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection.
3. Disinfection kills germs on surfaces or objects. Disinfection works by using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces or objects. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.
Keeping the above in mind, NCH has come with a simple three-step disinfection plan for plants and workers. In the internal study conducted by our experts (see illustration), it was found that before disinfection and sanitization it is very important to first clean and prepare the surface for sanitization as viruses and bacteria remain active under dirt and grime. So the first step is to clean them thoroughly before disinfection. Apart from that we need to wash our hands thoroughly with hand wash at regular intervals. Those who are interested to know more about these programs with detail steps and products used can contact NCH India.
Sourabh Kumar Das has 20 years of experience in Plant Operation and Maintenance, in various industries. Having faced endless challenges has helped me grow my knowledge in the maintenance field, which now I am sharing with my fellow engineers and decision makers so that can they find their solutions efficiently and in cost effective manner, he says. Sourabh presently represents NCH, a 100 years old US based global MNC with presence in over 60 countries, which provides over 450 high quality, patented industrial maintenance and cleaning solutions. All products meet or exceed standards set by OSHA, EPA, FDA, NSF, etc.
