What should be paid attention to in the safe operation of breweries?
/Update September 16, 2022 / By YoLong Brewtech
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The safe operation of a brewery is critical. Most of the people have got involved in the craft brewery with the revolution and change. This is because this is one of the profit building industries around the world. Many join this industry in order to earn huge amounts and maximize their wealth as much as they can. This is yet one of the energy saving industries as well. There is no hazardous waste which is extremely harmful of the wildlife.
There are many financial benefits to managing your risk and having a focus on safety at your brewery. These include; saving money (reduce quantity, severity, and financial impact of injuries), reduced insurance and workers comp costs, less equipment down time, minimizing product loss, improving brand equity, more effective work procedures, and sustainability for a busines. So as the owner of the brewery, how can we ensure the safe operation of the brewery and prevent possible hazards in the brewery? Below we list common safety implications and handling recommendations for breweries;
Working in confined spaces；
Inert gas;
Cleaning chemicals;
Powders;
Dust explosions;
Water and electricity;
Sucking in tanks;
Strains and sprains;
Falls from heights
Burns.
Working in confined spaces
Most of the brewer factories have really confined places or entries to work. These places often have extremely hot and gaseous environment which lead to the deficiency of oxygen. There are also mechanical agitators which are extremely hot to even stand near them. That is why there are more chances of suffocation or burning in those places.
Inert gas
Carbon Dioxide is an inert gas, which means it doesn’t react with other chemicals or compounds. While this makes it great for your beverage, it also makes it dangerous if used improperly. If you have unprotected CO2 tanks or lines that leak, the gas can kill in poorly ventilated spaces. Mitigation includes confined space entry procedures, ventilation, leak management and often oxygen depletion monitoring equipment either personal or throughout the building.
As a brewery, you need to ensure that all personnel are safe from the harmful effects of CO2 and nitrogen. The use of these two inert gases is very common in your industry. Without proper mitigation strategies, these gases can cause suffocation which could lead to death or injury. When entering enclosed areas where these gases are present, it is vital that all personnel follow confined space entry procedures. Your team needs to be aware of the risks and how to recognize them when they occur.
Cleaning chemicals
The use of conventional cleaning chemicals, such as solvents and detergents is a high risk activity in the food industry. Typically, these chemicals are highly corrosive to most materials, toxic to humans and animals and highly flammable. The use of protective clothing and equipment is mandatory when handling these chemicals in food environments. These products require for adequate waste disposal systems and can generate large volumes of waste streams within small areas. In addition to the practical problems associated with using large volumes of cleaners containing hazardous substances, many have been shown to cause adverse effects on personnel health and safety.
So we should provide personal protective equipment where necessary, as well as safety showers and eye-washes should a spill occur in their area. All cleaners are stored under lock and key in designated points. There is only one person who can authorise their sale or use – our warehouse manager.
Powders
Powders. Breweries often use diatomaceous earth (DE) filter powder and other fine powders. At best these are respiratory irritants. some DE grades are possible carcinogens. You need good dust control, preferably dedicated powder handling systems with integral dust control and dust masks if handling powders.
Dust explosions
Dust explosions are a real risk to malt workers and therefore it requires a very high level of safety measures in dust handling systems. The disposal of malt dust is an inherent part of the process and therefore must be handled, collected and disposed of in a way that ensures the safety of everyone involved.
Water and electricity
Lots of both around. Mixing can be fatal. Minimum standard is all electrical system built to waterproof standard. No domestic style electrical fittings in breweries.
Suck into the tank
Beer tanks are great at taking pressure, but some tanks are terrible at vacuuming. A lot of this is due to the imbalance of internal and external pressures causing the tank to sink. The mitigations here are adding PVRV to your tank, and doing usage flow and automation design and training.
Suck into the tank
Beer tanks are great at taking pressure, but some tanks are terrible at vacuuming. A lot of this is due to the imbalance of internal and external pressures causing the tank to sink. The mitigations here are adding PVRV to your tank, and doing usage flow and automation design and training.
Other:
Strains and sprains
Lifting, handling and moving heavy materials can cause muscle strains and sprains. Brewery employees regularly lift 50-pound bags of grain, fill and move kegs that weigh up to 140 pounds and maneuver heavy hoses. To protect employees, it is essential to provide lifting and moving tools, as well as training on proper lifting techniques and good ergonomics.
Slips and falls on walking surfaces:
There is a lot of water used in the brewing process, causing breweries to often have slippery walking surfaces. Without proper cleanup, the result can be overly wet floors—making slips and falls nearly inevitable. The brewing process also heavily relies on hoses to move the brew from one tank to another. The hoses are typically strung across the floor, posing a trip or fall hazard.
Falls from heights
The brew kettle may be high enough off the floor to make climbing a necessary task for employees keeping an eye on the brew process and adding ingredients. In small or new facilities, built-in safety structures such as catwalks and attached ladders may be limited. So employees might have to climb a leaning ladder to peek into the vat and add ingredients or operate hoses.
Burns
Brewing also involves checking on and transferring hot liquids. While most tanks are jacketed, there is still potential to lean against an uninsulated holding tank or to spill hot liquids when making a transfer. There are also occasional injuries and deaths in breweries from welding fermentation tanks and burns from boil overs.
There are lots of hazards, many not obvious. Keeping safe is about knowledge to understand the potential hazards, putting in place engineering and procedural steps to manage the hazards, hazard audits on new equipment and training on hazard management and safe working procedures.
Hazard management is more complex than it looks and very important. If you are starting a berwery ask for help here, ideally from a brewery-experienced Health and Safety expert.
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