Unlocking safety: 7 steps to designing hazardous manufacturing facilities
February 04, 2025
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
Reshoring of manufacturing has made the handling of hazardous materials a priority
{
"text": "
Recently, industries have danced back to the US, bringing hazardous materials with them. Supply chain hiccups during the pandemic pushed companies to set up shop closer to home.
But here’s the twist: Safety rules got stricter while they were away.
How do we cha-cha with these challenges? There are seven key steps—with a dance twist.
- Know your moves: Understand the industry and regulations. What’s the dance floor decor? Cleanliness matters—like polishing our shoes before the big show.
- Meet your dance partner: Hazard specifics matter. We review the playbook (occupational exposure limit) to avoid missteps. Occupational exposure bands (OEBs) help us pick the right gear—our safety shoes and hard hats.
- Process and material form: Is it a glitter bomb (tiny particles) or a water balloon (liquid)? Knowing the form helps us choreograph the moves. Particle size matters—like choosing the right dance shoes.
- Facility choreography: Map out the ballroom—block diagrams, flow charts. Where’s the salsa corner? Where’s the foxtrot zone? Visual aids guide our steps. Fire-resistant walls and floors? They contain flames, preventing fiery tangos from spreading.
- Safety moves: Engineering controls, ventilation, protective gear—they’re our backup dancers.
- Risk assessment tango: What if the music stops? Rehearse emergency moves with Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) or Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP). Not all risks vanish, but we aim to minimize them—a graceful compromise.
- Safety waltz: It’s not solo; it’s synchronized. Protect fellow dancers, waltz safely. Let’s twirl through risks, reduce them, and keep our safety tango elegant.
Share
{
"description": "",
"ideasArticleShareLabel": "Share",
"networks": [
"linkedin",
"twitter",
"email"
]
}
{
"altText": "In the Manufacturing Facility Team of Scientist Wearing Sterile Protective Coverall Set\x27s up \/ Programs Modern Industrial 3D Printer, High Precision Manufacture of Semiconductors under Process.",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/manufacturing\u002Dclean\u002Droom\u002Dadobestock\u002D240748833.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/manufacturing\u002Dclean\u002Droom\u002Dadobestock\u002D240748833.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20250203.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/manufacturing\u002Dclean\u002Droom\u002Dadobestock\u002D240748833.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20250203.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
Hazardous manufacturing is popping up across various sectors. They include pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, battery production, and recycling centers.
{
"text": "
1. Know your industry and regulations
Hazardous manufacturing is popping up across various sectors: pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, battery production, recycling centers—you name it. But before we hit the dance floor, let’s learn the steps.
- Understand the process requirements: What materials will we tango with? Cleanliness standards matter—think of them as our dress code for the hazardous ball. Sometimes, we’ll need fancier moves (read: stricter controls) for those risky materials.
- Understand the regulating bodies: What type of regulations and codes are we required to adhere to? What is the tempo, rhythm, and style of our dance? You wouldn’t do a cha-cha when a waltz starts to play. Knowing the expectations of the judges is key to a high score (safer operation). For us, our judges are the governing bodies—FDA, OSHA, EPA, and DEA are all examples of who might grace your judging panel. These heavyweights know the steps and are going to be watching for errors.
2. Understand your dance partner: The hazard
Now that we’ve got our groove, let’s meet our partner—the hazard. We’ll review the occupational exposure limit (OEL) playbook. OEL values are like safety thresholds; they’re published by organizations like OSHA. OELs sometimes come in bands (occupant exposure bands).
These help us pick the right gear—in this case, our safety shoes and hard hats—for the manufacturing cha-cha. And yes, OEBs aren’t universal, so we’ll still need to know our OELs to avoid any missteps.
" }
{
"altText": "An enclosed manufacturing system that protects the user from the product. ",
"captionStyle": "ideas",
"large": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/restrictive\u002Daccess\u002Dbarrier\u002Dsystem.jpg",
"medium": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/restrictive\u002Daccess\u002Dbarrier\u002Dsystem.jpg.transform\/medium\/image.20250203.jpeg",
"placeholderDescription": "Open the dialog and add the title and the description.",
"placeholderTitle": "Drag and drop an image from content finder.",
"showPlaceholder": false,
"small": "\/content\/dam\/stantec\/images\/ideas\/blogs\/027\/restrictive\u002Daccess\u002Dbarrier\u002Dsystem.jpg.transform\/small\/image.20250203.jpeg",
"title": ""
}
The restricted access barrier system protects the process and product from the environment while providing a higher degree of separation between the operator and the product.
{
"text": "
3. Understand your process and material properties: Solid, liquid, or gas?
Our dance partner’s physical traits matter too. Is it a solid, liquid, or gas? Particle size? Density? Imagine handling a glitter bomb (tiny particles) versus a water balloon (liquid). Knowing the form helps us choreograph the moves. With the OEL limit in mind, we’ll waltz through the space, avoiding any hazardous slipups.
4. Know your facility: Dance steps for safety
Picture our facility as a grand ballroom—a place where people, materials, and waste do the hustle together. But safety isn’t just about fancy footwork; it’s about understanding the choreography:
- Flow awareness: Imagine dancers gliding across the floor. We need to know their paths—the flow of people, materials, and waste. Where do they twirl? Where do they dip? This understanding helps us spot risk points and design effective controls.
- Adjacent moves: Our dancers have neighbors—adjacent operations. Compatibility matters. We don’t want salsa dancers colliding with tango enthusiasts. So, we define zones to keep harmonious coexistence. And storage? It’s like organizing dance shoes—each pair in its place.
- Blueprint choreography: Grab your flow charts and diagrams! We’ll map out the dance floor—block by block. Where’s the breakdance corner? Where’s the foxtrot zone? These visual aids guide our steps, helping keep everyone in rhythm.
Safety encore: Fire protection and building features
Now, let’s dim the lights and focus on safety stars:
- Fire protection systems: Sprinklers, fire alarms, and ventilation—our safety backup dancers. They control fire risks, spinning gracefully. High-hazard facilities get extra spins—enhanced ventilation and sprinkler coverage. Safety sambas, anyone?
- Building features: Our ballroom walls and floors are fire-resistant champs. They contain flames, preventing fiery tangos from spreading. Think of them as our elegant fire barriers—keeping hazards at bay.
- Occupant safety: Guiding the dance. Emergency exits? They’re our secret escape doors—the ones leading to safety. Clear signage? Think of it as our choreographer’s notes—showing us where to spin and dip. And evacuation plans? They’re our backup dance routines, practiced and ready for showtime—if needed. There’s more to consider. In hazardous zones, we’ve got backup dancers—audible and visual alarms. When chaos strikes, they shout, “Hold the pose!” Their job? Alert workers, keep them out of harm’s way, and prevent any accidental pirouettes into danger.
- Hazardous material storage: Now, let’s talk props—the hazardous materials. We need to store those props safely. Flammable liquids? They’re like our glitter cannons—exciting but risky. We regulate their storage and handling, so they don’t steal the spotlight. Secondary containment? It’s our safety net—a backup plan in case the glitter spills. Monitoring systems? They’re backstage crew, always watching for missteps.
Remember, these rules aren’t just for our facility; they’re for the whole dance hall—the community and environment. So, let’s keep the rhythm steady, protect our fellow dancers, and waltz safely through each routine.
" }Is it a solid, liquid, or gas? Particle size? Density? Imagine handling a glitter bomb (tiny particles) versus a water balloon (liquid).
{
"text": "
5. Picking your safety moves: Selecting controls
Imagine our manufacturing dance floor. Hazardous materials are our dance partners, and we need choreography:
- Engineering controls: These lead dancers set the rhythm. Think ventilation systems, closed containers, and isolated enclosures. They keep the hazard contained.
- Administrative controls: Our dance instructors—they guide us. Monitoring and adjusting so we stay on beat.
- PPE (personal protective equipment): Our safety costumes—hard hats, goggles, flame-resistant suits. We wear them to protect ourselves from missteps.
6. Evaluating our performance: Controls assessment
Now let’s review the video footage. If we have 3D models (our backstage crew), computational fluid dynamics (CFD) steps in. CFD visualizes airflows, spots risk points, and fine-tunes our moves. It’s like having a backstage mirror to perfect our routine.
Remember, safety isn’t a solo act; it’s a synchronized performance.
7. Navigating the dance of risk and control
Imagine our safety ballroom—the one where hazardous materials waltz with controls. Now, let’s focus on the finale:
- Risk spotlight: We’ve chosen our dance moves (controls), but what if someone trips? What if the music skips? That’s where FMEA and HAZOP step in. They’re our backstage rehearsals. These tools identify risks—the “what ifs.” Picture them as safety choreographers, making sure we don’t stumble.
- Risk impact: When the spotlight hits, we assess the impact. If a glitter bomb goes off, who gets sparkled? FMEA and HAZOP tell us. But here’s the twist: Not all risks vanish. We can’t magic them away. Instead, we aim to reduce them—a graceful compromise.
- Risk tango: Sometimes, we revisit earlier steps—the cha-cha of risk assessment. It’s like adjusting our dance routine mid-performance. Maybe the tango shoes need more grip, or the salsa spotlights need dimming. Flexibility is key.
Finish Strong
Remember, safety isn’t about flawless execution; it’s about minimizing missteps. You’ll be forgiven for missing a beat here and there as long as you finish strong—remember these seven steps:
- Know your moves by understanding the industry and regulations.
- Meet your dance partner and know the hazard specifics.
- Know your dance form, glitter bomb (tiny particles) or a water balloon (liquid)?
- Facilitate choreography with block diagrams and flow charts.
- Use your best safety moves with engineering controls, ventilation, and protective gear.
- Do the risk assessment tango by pairing FMEA and HAZOP.
- Finish with a safety waltz that protects your fellow dancers.
So, let’s twirl through risks, reduce them, and keep the dancers safe.
" }