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Case Study 1 | Preventing Contamination

Summary
A prune processing company used liquid Potassium Sorbate as a food grade preservative to process their prunes. The preservative was drawn from an IBC to a spray assembly on the packaging line where it was sprayed onto the prunes just prior to them being boxed for storage and shipment. The production manager was directly concerned about food safety in regards to the cleanliness of the preservative: the top of the IBC was opened to allow the product pump pick up line to be inserted into the IBC. Additionally, the IBC was located remotely in an area away from the packaging line, preventing the production manager from monitoring the process and ensuring that no contamination had occurred.

Challenge
How could the method for drawing the food preservative out of the IBC be improved to guarantee the safety of the food grade product?

Solution
The production manager heard about the KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ system, which had been recently added to their production boiler chemical feed system, and inquired about its use for food ingredients. The water treatment company responded by giving their source for the KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ to the production manager, who contacted the supplier for the Potassium Sorbate food preservative and gave them the information. The production manager was delighted when, a week later, the supplier showed up to install a new KleenConnect Sani-Feed™ system to their IBC container that enabled the Potassium Sorbate to be drawn from the IBC without any openings to the IBC. This greatly reduced the risk of contamination because the patented venting cap on the KleenConnect Sani-Feed™ system allowed the IBC to breathe without leaving a large opening on the IBC, exposing the food preservative to contamination.

Results: Increased food safety due to sealed IBC; potential cost savings on insurance due to reduced risk of food preservative contamination.

Case Study 2 | Safely Diluting a 5.1 Oxidizer Onsite

Summary
A winery wanted to use a product known for its excellent sanitizing capabilities, but because the product in its concentrated form was considered a 5.1 oxidizer, their safety officer would not allow it to be used.

Challenge
How could we help the winery find a way for its workers to safely dilute the 5.1 oxidizer without the worker ever being exposed to the hazardous concentrate?

Solution
Our Safety-Feed™ adapters were installed on portable sanitation carts. The cart contained a water-driven pump that drew the concentrated hazardous chemical directly from a 15-gallon container attached to the portable cart. The 15-gallon container had our KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ system installed, which enabled the worker to connect the cart system to the 15-gallon container without ever being exposed to the concentrated product. The safety officer reviewed the operation and approved the use of 10 carts throughout the facility to safely dilute the product without risking worker exposure. They are now able to use Paracetic Acid Sanitizer greatly improving their sanitation program without increasing their exposure to hazardous chemicals.

Results: Reduced risk of worker exposure to chemicals; time savings due to faster changing out of empty containers; potential cost savings on insurance due to reduced risk of worker exposure and increased sanitation with the stronger sanitizer.

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Case Study 1 | Reduced Chemical Exposure Risk

Summary
A water treatment company was responsible for maintaining scale and corrosion inhibitors and biocides on their customers’ boilers and cooling towers as part of their contract with the facility. This meant that the water treatment company’s employees were routinely exposed to corrosives and toxic chemicals. The water treatment company owner was concerned about the long-term exposure to these chemicals as well as an unintended spill, which could have caused an immediate health hazard to anyone exposed to the spill. This could also involve their customer in liability issues, as the incident would have happened on the customer’s premises.

Challenge
How could the water treatment company owner improve safety for his employees and show his customers that his company is responsible and not a major risk to their facilities?

Solution
The water treatment company owner had his maintenance department install the KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ adapters on all of the chemical feed systems they maintained at all of their customers facilities. The water treatment company’s employees are now able to take an empty container off-line and replace it with a new container—without repeated exposure to the dangerous and toxic chemicals as happened in the past. The unexpected added benefit to the water treatment company was that it took their employees much less time to change out the empty containers, which resulted in a substantial time savings. They were also rewarded by their customers for being proactive in their stewardship of responsible chemical handling. The facilities were rewarded by showing their insurance company that the risk at their facility had been greatly reduced with this new procedure.

Results: Reduced risk of worker exposure to chemicals; time savings due to faster changing out of empty drums and containers; cost savings on insurance due to reduced risk.

Case Study 2 | Safer, Faster Drum Replacement

Summary
A food processing company routinely used sanitation chemicals to clean their facility and maintain food safety. This required workers to use chemicals that are considered hazardous to workers in concentrated form: workers connected chemical feed systems to their 55-gallon drums of sanitation chemicals by removing the bungs from the drums and replacing them with bungs that had holes drilled into their centers into which they installed chemical pick up hoses. This method was messy and dangerous because it exposed the workers to the hazardous chemicals every single time they had to replace an empty 55-gallon drum with a full one.

Challenge
Find a way to make it safer and quicker for workers to change out drums and IBCs.

Solution
The customer added our KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ adapters to its chemical feed systems. This enabled workers to change out empty containers without removing the bung from the drum—meaning there would be no worker contact with the hazardous material and the task would be quick and easy to perform.

NOTE: The safety officer at this company will no longer accept any chemical containers coming into the facility without the KleenConnect Safety-Feed™ installed in the drum or IBC.

Results: Reduced risk of worker exposure to chemicals; time savings due to faster changing out of empty drums and containers.

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