One of the many operations that SP Industries manufactures compactor systems for is the transfer station. SP offers many options for choosing a high quality, high density transfer compactor from different cylinder configurations to custom-designed systems that fit the needs of specific waste streams. In the waste handling industry, transfer stations allow municipalities a manner of collecting waste at one location before it is hauled off to a landfill that may be miles away. Because they are often times located in residential and commercial areas, transfer stations must take into consideration how daily operations may affect their neighbors. For instance, the coming and going of waste haulers dumping into compactors, debris clean up, and garbage odor are a few concerns that become important to monitor while operating in and around communities.
Waste Advantage has recently released an article detailing the plan for community outreach that transfer operations should make as a part of the ongoing communication with their neighbors. A transfer station located adjacent to homes and businesses, for example, should consider monthly meetings with community members regarding a commitment to hiring local workers or landscape improvements. Also, as is the case in almost all planning and development stages, stations should develop a clear explanation of why the community needs the station and what benefits it provides.
After brainstorming a plan, transfer stations need to develop a process for responding to community concerns that the community is familiar with. One person should be assigned as the primary contact for community members with questions and concerns. Another consideration is for transfer stations to organize periodic facility tours for neighbors who are unfamiliar with station operations.
For more information on transfer stations and their role in a community visit http://www.sp-industries.com/ or http://wasteadvantagemag.com/
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 13, 2011
The SP Triple Bottom Line
We have been busy updating our literature, tweaking the website, and working on new products! The theme we have kept in mind during these updates and changes has been a continuing focus on sustainability, most popularly known as “thinking green.” At SP, we take a very detailed and involved approach to sustainability. The development and production of new products to be added to our line of waste handling equipment centers around meeting the needs of the present without compromising those of the future. In other words, we gauge how sustainable our products and operations are according to how well they uphold three interdependent dimensions: the environment, economics, and society—what we refer to as our triple bottom line.
For a leader in the waste material handling industry, adhering to this triple bottom line means manufacturing equipment that not only achieves maximum density but also increases our customers’ payloads and results in less trash hauling. Also, with the economy in mind, we have specific criteria designed to help our customers perform an accurate cost savings analysis regarding their material handling and recycling efforts. For instance, it is important for companies to ask: “What size and type of waste am I dealing with?” “What volume have we produced in the past?” “What compaction ratio are we currently getting?” How many pick-ups do we currently have and what is the maximum load allowance in our current container?” Moreover, we help companies navigate deciding among buying, leasing, and renting. Labor and equipment intensity also becomes relevant in making purchasing decisions especially in terms of the number of workers and machines utilized within a waste handling operation.
Read more about how our systems make waste handling operations more sustainable in our latest metal recycling catalog or on our website. Also, we would love to hear any questions or comments that you have via a response to this post or by emailing us.
For a leader in the waste material handling industry, adhering to this triple bottom line means manufacturing equipment that not only achieves maximum density but also increases our customers’ payloads and results in less trash hauling. Also, with the economy in mind, we have specific criteria designed to help our customers perform an accurate cost savings analysis regarding their material handling and recycling efforts. For instance, it is important for companies to ask: “What size and type of waste am I dealing with?” “What volume have we produced in the past?” “What compaction ratio are we currently getting?” How many pick-ups do we currently have and what is the maximum load allowance in our current container?” Moreover, we help companies navigate deciding among buying, leasing, and renting. Labor and equipment intensity also becomes relevant in making purchasing decisions especially in terms of the number of workers and machines utilized within a waste handling operation.
Read more about how our systems make waste handling operations more sustainable in our latest metal recycling catalog or on our website. Also, we would love to hear any questions or comments that you have via a response to this post or by emailing us.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Updated child labor provision for operating waste equipment
Because operating our equipment safely is a top priority at SP, it is important that we help spread the word on the latest labor laws pertinent to our industry.
The US Department of Labor has published an important child labor provision regarding the operation of waste equipment by persons under the age of 18. The new law prohibits minors less than 18 years of age from loading, operating, and unloading power-driven paper processing machines, including all balers and compactors, guillotine paper cutters or shears, platen printing presses, and envelope die-cutting presses. There are limited exceptions that allow 16 and 17 year olds to load, but not operate or unload certain scrap paper balers and paper box compactors if the following requirements are met:1. The equipment meets one of the following the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards:
- ANSI Standard Z245.5-1990
- ANSI Standard Z245.2-1992
- ANSI Standard Z245.5-1997
- ANSI Standard Z245.2-1997
- ANSI Standard Z245.5-2004
- ANSI Standard Z245.2-2004
- ANSI Standard Z245.5-2008
- ANSI Standard Z245.2-2008
2. The equipment contains a poster or notice that:
- Identifies the specific ANSI standard that the equipment meets
- States that 16- and 17-year-olds may only load the equipment
- States that no one under 18 years old may operate or unload the equipment
4. The on/off switch must be maintained in the off position when the equipment is not in operation.
5. The equipment cannot be operated while it is being loaded.
For more information, visit the Department of Labor website at http://www.dol.gov/whd/regs/compliance/whdfs57.htm
Monday, August 8, 2011
SP President Denny Pool Talks ANSI Standards
ANSI standards for Stationary Compactors are constantly changing to maintain the utmost safety in manufacturing, installation, and operation. The newest version of Z-245.21 will be called Stationary Compactors – Safety Requirements for Manufacturing and Reconstruction, and the newest version of Z-245.2 will now be called Stationary Compactors – Safety Requirements for Installation, Training, Maintenance, Operation, Modification, and Repair. These standards cover ALL installers. Moreover, ANY person or company that reconstructs/rebuilds a unit, or maintains, operates, modifies, or repairs a unit shall comply with these standards.
These two standards cover construction, component requirements, testing, safeguards, guarding, containers, cart lifters, auto starting, markings or labels, lock-out/tag-out, confined space, adequate clearance, operation, training, and more. The only way to truly know them is to read them.
Everything in these standards is important, but I’d like to refresh your memory of a couple points to which you should pay extra attention.
ANSI/NFPA 70-2009 NEC Section 110 is a normative reference that discusses adequate clearances around and ingress/egress of electrical equipment.
NFPA-70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace covers all electrical systems to be protected from ARC FLASH/BLAST as well as procedures to follow for protection.
Section 5.4 Controls states: “A lockable mechanism (e.g. interlock, key lock switch) shall be provided at the discharge end of a compactor to prevent activation of the compaction cycle when the container is being exchanged if the discharge end is not visible from the operator controls.”
Section 5.9 Guarding states that protection for personnel shall be provided when contacting ANY moving parts or MATERIAL loaded at the point of operation or other mechanical operation’s. There are three different methods explained in the standard, one of these must be accomplished completely, not just in part. This means that even though you have a 42” high load lip, you do not automatically comply if you can still touch the ram or material movement. You must still provide 84” of clearance away from materials or equipment in order to comply. This has been an OSHA regulation since 1970 for machine guarding and walking working surfaces.
Section 5.12 states that “continuously operating and unattended compactors with automatic start-up systems shall have start-up alarms both audible and visible.” If you supply or have a compactor that can start automatically without someone performing a manual task (e.g. turning a key, pushing a button, closing & locking a door) it shall have an auto-start-up alarm system. These types of systems are explained in this section.
Lastly, there are some additions to the Signage or Decals section. New decals for Lock-out/Tag-out, Confined Space, ARC Flash/Blast, and Beware of the Hazard have replaced old decals and alert people to the different hazards in and around stationary compactors.
ANSI standards have been requirements in our industry since 1975 so if you’ve never heard of these safety standards or are not aware of the changes, it is time to become very familiar with them. Knowing and applying them will save lives and money.
Reading the standards from start to finish is the best way to understand everything that is involved with this equipment. The Normative references at the beginning tell you all the other published standards that also comply with this equipment. Next the definitions are designed to correlate to our environmental industry. They will explain the many differences between equipment and terms like reconstruction, modification, and/or repair.
Thank you for reading, and as always feel free to contact me with any questions/comments at 800.592.5959 or denny@sp-industries.com.
Denny Pool
These two standards cover construction, component requirements, testing, safeguards, guarding, containers, cart lifters, auto starting, markings or labels, lock-out/tag-out, confined space, adequate clearance, operation, training, and more. The only way to truly know them is to read them.
Everything in these standards is important, but I’d like to refresh your memory of a couple points to which you should pay extra attention.
ANSI/NFPA 70-2009 NEC Section 110 is a normative reference that discusses adequate clearances around and ingress/egress of electrical equipment.
NFPA-70E Electrical Safety in the Workplace covers all electrical systems to be protected from ARC FLASH/BLAST as well as procedures to follow for protection.
Section 5.4 Controls states: “A lockable mechanism (e.g. interlock, key lock switch) shall be provided at the discharge end of a compactor to prevent activation of the compaction cycle when the container is being exchanged if the discharge end is not visible from the operator controls.”
Section 5.9 Guarding states that protection for personnel shall be provided when contacting ANY moving parts or MATERIAL loaded at the point of operation or other mechanical operation’s. There are three different methods explained in the standard, one of these must be accomplished completely, not just in part. This means that even though you have a 42” high load lip, you do not automatically comply if you can still touch the ram or material movement. You must still provide 84” of clearance away from materials or equipment in order to comply. This has been an OSHA regulation since 1970 for machine guarding and walking working surfaces.
Section 5.12 states that “continuously operating and unattended compactors with automatic start-up systems shall have start-up alarms both audible and visible.” If you supply or have a compactor that can start automatically without someone performing a manual task (e.g. turning a key, pushing a button, closing & locking a door) it shall have an auto-start-up alarm system. These types of systems are explained in this section.
Lastly, there are some additions to the Signage or Decals section. New decals for Lock-out/Tag-out, Confined Space, ARC Flash/Blast, and Beware of the Hazard have replaced old decals and alert people to the different hazards in and around stationary compactors.
ANSI standards have been requirements in our industry since 1975 so if you’ve never heard of these safety standards or are not aware of the changes, it is time to become very familiar with them. Knowing and applying them will save lives and money.
Reading the standards from start to finish is the best way to understand everything that is involved with this equipment. The Normative references at the beginning tell you all the other published standards that also comply with this equipment. Next the definitions are designed to correlate to our environmental industry. They will explain the many differences between equipment and terms like reconstruction, modification, and/or repair.
Thank you for reading, and as always feel free to contact me with any questions/comments at 800.592.5959 or denny@sp-industries.com.
Denny Pool
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
“Greener” Recycling
The three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle have become a sort of social mantra that communities and households operate under to create environmental awareness and promote sustainability. What many people do not know is that these terms are part of a hierarchy. This means that one should first reduce or use less; whether you purchase fewer products, take shorter showers, turn off unused lights, or unplug unused chargers.
Next, reusing is a straightforward reference to using an item more than once for their original purpose. This is conventional reuse. But, with some creativity people can reuse everyday items for many different purposes. For instance, old CDs, toothpaste tubes, yard debris, and tires have several uses around the house: http://www.squidoo.com/reuse-everything
Finally, recycling refers to the processing of old products into new ones in order to reduce wasting valuable materials. One of the major concerns with recycling now-a-days speaks to the carbon footprint that results from transporting recyclables around the country and around the globe. Cars, garbage haulers, lorries, pettibones, and ships all use energy to transport recyclables and it is important that this “environmental cost” does not outweigh the costs and energy saved throughout the recycling process.
One major change that can take place to reduce carbon emissions is simply taking less trips. Naturally, taking less trips and maximizing the efficiency of waste transportation requires packing waste containers as full as possible. Whether traveling overseas or across town, recycling is simply “greener” when more waste is transported less often. On the commercial and industrial levels, SP Industries prides itself on manufacturing the highest quality compaction systems that maximize the load size of containers in waste transportation.
Ultimately, following through with the three R’s takes personal sacrifice and being conscious of the carbon footprint your lifestyle produces. Another challenge should be for people to re-think or “pre-cycle” by reconsidering what they are purchasing, how it can be disposed of, and whether other products or services are better alternatives.
Do you have any creative ways that you have reused household products? What environmental considerations do you think are most important when you make purchases?
Next, reusing is a straightforward reference to using an item more than once for their original purpose. This is conventional reuse. But, with some creativity people can reuse everyday items for many different purposes. For instance, old CDs, toothpaste tubes, yard debris, and tires have several uses around the house: http://www.squidoo.com/reuse-everything
Finally, recycling refers to the processing of old products into new ones in order to reduce wasting valuable materials. One of the major concerns with recycling now-a-days speaks to the carbon footprint that results from transporting recyclables around the country and around the globe. Cars, garbage haulers, lorries, pettibones, and ships all use energy to transport recyclables and it is important that this “environmental cost” does not outweigh the costs and energy saved throughout the recycling process.
One major change that can take place to reduce carbon emissions is simply taking less trips. Naturally, taking less trips and maximizing the efficiency of waste transportation requires packing waste containers as full as possible. Whether traveling overseas or across town, recycling is simply “greener” when more waste is transported less often. On the commercial and industrial levels, SP Industries prides itself on manufacturing the highest quality compaction systems that maximize the load size of containers in waste transportation.
Ultimately, following through with the three R’s takes personal sacrifice and being conscious of the carbon footprint your lifestyle produces. Another challenge should be for people to re-think or “pre-cycle” by reconsidering what they are purchasing, how it can be disposed of, and whether other products or services are better alternatives.
Do you have any creative ways that you have reused household products? What environmental considerations do you think are most important when you make purchases?
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