At any industrial facility, the work must get done. However, as the need for cleaning and maintenance rises, especially in hazardous areas, it can be hard to manage yourself. Today, we’re looking over scenarios where it makes sense to bring industrial cleaning and preventative maintenance experts to your site to save on equipment and training costs and avoid major incidents that will slow down or even halt your business.
Work Requiring Specialized Cleaning Equipment
While you may have the maintenance equipment for your facility on-site, it can be much more costly to buy, store, and maintain the specialized cleaning equipment for everything from HEPA vacuums to industrial-grade pressure washers. Instead, hiring an outside service who owns that equipment, is trained on its use, and knows the procedures and protective equipment needed for expert industrial cleaning for your specific facility and hazardous areas makes sense.
Work Requiring Protective Equipment and Training
Industrial cleaning and preventative maintenance can be more than dirty work—it can be dangerous work in hazardous areas. Personal protective equipment (also known as PPE) is a must for many industrial spaces, from overalls and masks to completely sealed suits with external air supplies. Having PPE, training in it, and knowing the emergency and rescue procedures can be the difference between a mitigated risk and a tragedy.
Work Requiring Confined Space Entry
Some spaces are complicated by being confined and containing hazards. OSHA has established a Permit Required Confined Spaces (PRCS) program to keep workers safe when entering these spaces for maintenance or cleaning. Some examples include:
- Underground or Above-ground Storage Tanks (UST & AST)
- Sewer, Utility, and Process Line Tunnels
- Industrial and Warehouse Storage Pits & Trenches
- Utility Vaults and Electrical Vaults
- Boiler Rooms, Air Handling Units, and Cooling Towers
- Hazardous Atmosphere Crawl Spaces & HVAC Duct Work
Learn more about PRCS in our blog, Dealing with Permit Required Confined Spaces in Industrial Spaces.
What Happens Without Industrial Cleaning & Preventative Maintenance?
With the required equipment and training needed to perform deep industrial cleaning and preventative maintenance in hazardous areas, businesses may overlook routine cleaning and maintenance, which can have unintended knock-on effects such as:
- Reduced Efficiency, Storage, and Throughput: Machines work slower, tanks’ max capacity reduces, and process lines deliver less, all impacting your bottom line.
- Chemical Leaks and Oil Spills: Breakdowns and overpressure can lead to chemical leaks and even oil spills, requiring emergency spill response.
- Site Contamination: Larger leaks can lead to the need for storage tank removal or even a pause in operation for site remediation to deal with industrial contamination.
- Industrial Disaster: Left unchecked, a lack of cleaning and maintenance can increase the chances of industrial disasters, including industrial fires.
At NEDT, we’re industrial cleaning and maintenance experts with a deep pool of experience, equipment, subcontractors, and state certifications in Massachusetts to cover any eventuality from your projects. Whether the work is planned or an emergency, we will quickly complete your industrial cleaning and preventative maintenance projects with minimum disruption and downtime to your operations. Using our 30+ years of project experience, we’ll collaborate with you to develop work plans that suit your timetable and budget. Contact us today to learn more and get started.
