Document N4Y5Ejv4bm7x3LnEaKD3NmqQ

INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS AND PLANT LAYOUT toons for disposal of radioactive wastes Many wastes can be burned or disposed of on dumps However, precautions are necessary with certain wastes Combusti ble materials, such as wood, scraps, and paper, can be burned in an incinerator A trench can be used for burning oils, oil should be ignited from a safe distance with a fuse Chemical wastes should be ren dered harmless before being dumped, strong acids, for example, should be neutralized Poisonous materials, magnesium chips, ex plosives, and similar substances require special procedures for safe disposal Smoke from power plants and other sources and inert dusts from various types of plants may be nuisances or even sources of danger to the public Provision for com plying with smoke control ordinances should be made before construction is begun Toxic smoke, fumes, or dusts are a seri ous problem in some industries Tall stacks often are used to diffuse gases in the at mosphere. The effectiveness of this method depends on the nature and volume of the gases, the location of the plant, prevailing wind direction, and atmospheric conditions Ram may absorb harmful gases and cause heavy damage to crops A combination of prolonged fog or other unfavorable atmos pheric conditions and a contaminant in a valley has resulted in serious injuries to animals and people Such conditions caus ing poor diffusion occasionally have tem porarily shut down plants with high stacks. The possibility of recovering usable or marketable materials from wastes should always be investigated Dusts and fumes often are recovered by filters, cyclones, electronic precipitators, or similar equip ment Useful gases and vapors may often be economically recovered by means of spray towers or other recovery equipment Smoke from heating units may be elimi nated entirely by electrically driven heat pumps, or reduced by gas-engine driven units When buildings have a relatively high heat load, are m not too severe cli mates, and when favorable electrical or gas rates can be obtained, the heat pump may be considered A mechanical engineer should be consulted Use of waterways Profitable salvage may be obtained by treating bquid and sobd wastes which fre quently cause problems when dumped mto streams and lakes Pubbc opposition to contamination by in dustrial wastes is growing and more strin gent regulations are being adopted Some wastes are objectionable because of offen sive odors, resultant water pollution, and deletenous effect on animal and vegetable life When considering disposal of wastes m a waterway, a study of the land and amount of contaminant and of the use of the water way for drinking water, recreation, and oth er purposes may be necessary Even dis posal m the ground must first be studied so as not to pollute nearby wells In some cases, bquid wastes can be dilut ed, neutralized, filtered, settled, or other wise chemically treated before the clear bquid is placed in a stream Trestles If employees are required to perform du ties on trestles, a footwalk 5 ft, 1 m wide, measured from the nearest nul, should be provided on at least one side The footwalk should have a railing 42 in high and, on the exposed side, toe boards 6 in high If employees travel on both sides of the track, crosswalks should be provided at con venient locations Metal gratings or screens installed over walkways or passages under trestles fur nish protection from falling materials. Openings for conveyors or hoppers re quire gratings or a grizzly with bars spaced not more than 12 in apart, to prevent em ployees from falling mto the openings Bins Many employees who have entered bms to loosen materials have been earned down by slides and suffocated This danger often can be entirely eliminated If the bottom of the bin is designed so that the slope ex ceeds the angle of repose of the material Also, a heavy grating or screen, on which an employee can work without danger, can be installed above the bottom The openings m the grating should be big enough to per mit the material to pass through readily and to push a pole through Stairs provide the safest means of access to bms, tanks, and similar structures. If fixed ladders are installed, they should con- 14-6