Changing the oil in your machines is an important task that must be carried out on a periodic basis. Failure to carry out this essential chore can result in expensive machine damage. This necessary task is very tedious and it can create a lot of problems in the workplace. These problems include;
- Body Injuries.
- Waste oil Spills.
- Environmental Contamination.
- Poor Business Health.
As there are a number of factors that can make a waste oil change a problematic event, it is very important that you use efficient waste oil extraction equipment and industry best practices to minimise these problems.
1. Body Injuries
When carrying out an oil change, the first task is to extract the waste oil from the sump . This task can be quite difficult because the space between the engine and the ground is often very confined. This can cause you to work in an awkward and uncomfortable manner. Continuing to work in this manner for long periods of time will put unnecessary strain on your body, which can lead to long term injuries.
After the waste oil has been removed from the machine, it has to be transferred to a safe waste oil storage facility. Waste oil storage facilities are relatively large and it is unpractical to position them in the area of waste oil extraction. This forces you to make multiple trips from one side of the workshop to the other, to safely contain the waste oil. This tedious task can motivate employees to carry the waste oil in large unmanageable quantities, which can strain your back. If this unsafe practice is continued, it can lead to severe back injuries.
2. Waste oil Spills
The area available to extract the waste oil from the sump of machienes can be very limited. This makes it difficult to contain the waste oil that you extract from your machine, hence, oil spills occur. As waste oil is very slick, only a small amount spilt on a solid surface can cause you to slip, lose balance, and fall over. Slip and fall injuries are the most common form of workplace injuries and the majority of these injuries are due to slippery surfaces that have been created from oil spills that haven't been cleaned up.
3. Environmental Contamination
If waste oil spills are not cleaned up in a timely manner, there is a risk that the surrounding environment will become contaminated. This occurs when waste oil seeps into storm water drains that run into nearby water ways. As the environment becomes polluted it can cause local drinking water source to become contaminated. This is a huge risk to the sustainability of our clean green environment and if a local environmental protection authority identified this kind of pollution, you would be charged with heavy fines.
4. Poor Business Health
As well as being a risk to human health and the environment, waste oil extraction can also affect the good health of your business. Extracting waste oil is a long and tedious process, and it can keep your machinery out of use for a long time. The longer your machinery is down, the less time it has to generate a profit and provide your business with a return on investment. Therefore, it is very important that the method used to extract waste oil from your key assets is fast and efficient, to ensure that you don't hinder your businesses ability to generate a consistent profit.
Therefore, to minimise the risk that waste oil extraction has upon your people, business and the environment, it is very important that you use high quality waste oil extraction equipment and safe operating procedures when carrying out an oil change. With good equipment and safe operating procedures you are guaranteed to have less workplace injuries, minimal impact on the environment and more profitable business operations.
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