RTL | Recycling | Transfer Stations | Landfills

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WasteAdvantage
The Advantage in the Waste Industry

Transfer Stations
ian K. sutton

Incorporating Health and Safety Considerations Into Transfer Station Design

Figure 1: Tipping wall.

The solid wasTe indusTry is well recognized as one of The more hazardous industries. Transfer stations are a critical aspect of many solid waste handling processes and systems. These facilities are a unique situation in which commercial haulers and general public self-haulers mix with facility operators and visitors in a high-activity, confined area with many physical and environmental hazards. While well-designed health and safety measures cannot fully replace the personal decision-making of operations staff, the public and others, they can reduce the potential hazards. Health and safety considerations are an essential part of successful transfer station design, while maintaining a facilitys functionality. This article outlines the planning and design approach to address some of the many health and safety considerations made at the Bow Lake Recycling and Transfer Station (Bow Lake), in King County, WA, to minimize risk to both the facility and the people using the facility.

Risks
Transfer stations have many safety and health risks as a result of the nature of the material being handled and the growing complexity of waste handling operations as modern facilities evolve to handle larger quantities of material requiring more Figure 2: Tipping floor. separation and processing. The Images courtesy of SAIC. diversity of the facility users experiences operating in limited space with lots of moving equipment and vehicles also affects health and safety risks.

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Table 1: Risks and Mitigation

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Risk
Fire and smoke

Area
Transfer Building, Scale Facility, Office Buildings

Potential Mitigation

The Advantage in the Waste Industry NFPA 13 fire sprinkler systems; fire detection and alarms; fire-rated wall/ceiling/roof assemblies; smoke barriers and smoke and heat venting; egress (exits, exit corridors and pathways, areas of refuge, exit illumination and signage); standby power generation; limitations on height/ volume of waste and/or combustible recyclables; extinguishers and water hoses; and hot load areas sited to minimize the risk exposure to customers and employees

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General medical aid

Transfer Building, Scale Facility, Office Buildings, Site Transfer Building, Scale Facility, Office Buildings Transfer Building, Site Transfer Building, Site

First aid stations; emergency showers and eyewashes; and EMT access (site access, access to machinery spaces, elevator cabs, training and drills) Structural design; securing equipment and items posing hazard of falling material; and standby power generation Ventilation; access control and signage; and training Switchable sanitary/storm sewer collection system; minimized solid waste handling areas; covered and enclosed areas; and tire wash equipment Ventilation; dust containment, dust collection with intra-duct sprinkler systems and explosion venting at dust filtration equipment; misting systems; and odor neutralizing agents Hearing protection for operators; sound-absorptive panels; STC-rated walls, ceilings, and floors; and training CO and NO2 monitoring devices and alarms; ventilation with remote air intake source; exterior blowers; operational and training measures; and signage Emergency equipment shut-off; and adequate drychemical fire extinguishers (NFPA 10 for extra-hazard occupancy) Separation of commercial traffic, transfer station operations, and private vehicles; clear and understandable signage; minimized crossing traffic; sound roadway design with good lines of sight; signalization where warranted; and well-defined pedestrian pathways and crosswalks Tipping and receiving floor configuration to minimize backing toward people; separation of private vehicles from commercial vehicles and waste-handling equipment; good illumination; and unobstructed lines of sight Touch-screen activation; and motorized transaction windows Guards for moving parts; lockout/tag out systems; signage; painted lines with baled material stacking height limitations; and training NEC-required clearances at electrical panels; and electrical room egress requirements Warning stripes; parapet walls; fall-restraint/protection systems; minimized roof mounted equipment requiring service; minimizing gutter servicing requirements; and access for scissor lift Lightning-protection systems Bird deterrent systems

Seismic hazards Confined spaces Leachate discharge

Dust and odor

Transfer Building

Noise Vehicle exhaust

Transfer Building Transfer Building, Scale Facility

Fire hazard posed by hydraulic fluid

Transfer Building

High traffic areas

Transfer Building, Scale Facility, Site

Moving vehicles

Transfer Building, Site

Repetitive motion injuries Equipment for material handling and waste processing Electrical hazards Roof falls

Scale Facility Transfer Building

Transfer Building, Scale Facility, Office Buildings Transfer Building

Lightning Strikes Hazard to air navigation posed by birds

Transfer Building Transfer Building

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RTL | Recycling | Transfer Stations | Landfills

Primary users of the Bow Lake facility include operational staff, commercial haulers and general public self-haulers. Others, such as owner administrative staff, regulators, maintenance contractors and visitors (for example, tour groups) are also at the site at any given time. The commingled activity of this variety of facility users requires a broad spectrum of understanding and awareness of risks in order to create an effective design. The day-to-day health and safety risks revolve around accidents and injuries associated with typical facility use. Some of these potential accidents and injuries may include: Material handling equipment Falls, slips and trips moving parts Laceration, punctures and cuts Falling material Flying objects and projectiles Collisions (vehicle-vehicle, vehicle- Electrocution Heart attacks and other medical or pedestrian, vehicle-building) health emergencies Spill, splash or release of acids, caustics and toxics Other more uncommon or long-term health and safety risks may include the following: Environmental exposure (dust, Fire noise, toxic fumes, exhaust gases Explosion and smoke or infectious agents) Confined space hazards

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Within the main transfer building at Bow Lake, vehicle and equipment injury and damage risks will be ever present. These risks are accompanied by solid waste handling hazards, such as falls and injuries due to moving or The Advantage in the Waste Industry projectile waste. The exposures to these dangers vary for the variety of facility users, primarily being facility operators, commercial haulers and general public self-haulers. Figure 1, page 87 is an example of a receiving floor waste handling area that is separated by a tipping wall to protect general public self-haulers. Separation of activities is important to reducing injuries associated with moving vehicles and flying material. General public self-haulers should be kept out of the work zone of commercial haulers and waste handling equipment. The wall at Bow Lake will be concrete with armor plating to protect the facility against impacts and wear. The tipping wall at Bow Lake will be 42 inches in height on the tipping side and eight feet in height on the waste handling side. While this size wall is needed as a safety measure, it does create a fall hazard. Some basic design strategies to prevent injuries from falls at this location can include: Integral floor warning marks Avoiding deep pits Striping and signage Tipping walls and barriers Training and supervision Stanchions and chains Slip-resistant surfaces Positive surface drainage away from areas where people may stand or walk The use of tipping walls and barriers can be a challenge as they can conflict with customer convenience. Increased wall height can provide improved safety separation from falls, solid waste and waste handling equipment, but at the cost of functionality. Figure 2, page 87 shows another angle of a tipping floor where the facility operations waste handling area is separated from the general public self-haulers by a tipping wall. Table 1, page 88 identifies some other risks and potential mitigations to be considered in design. These examples are only some of the many issues that need consideration. All health and safety considerations for these complex transfer stations are numerous and beyond what can be discussed within this brief article, even in this limited detail. The emphasis here is that careful consideration of health and safety risks is vital to the successful development of transfer stations, and these risks need to be accounted for in the early stages of the planning and design process. A safety team should be formed, including members of the design team, the owners representative, the owners risk manager, the owners insurance carrier (if appropriate), and local health, building and code officials. This team should identify as many potential risks as possible early in the design process and identify stakeholders for additional input. Strategies to mitigate risks need to be developed and then continually evaluated throughout the design process. Also during construction, each incorporated safety measure needs to be properly commissioned and fully tested. The owner should understand the risks that will need to be mitigated partially or wholly through training or operational means. Though health and safety features designed within a facility help mitigate risks and hazards, they are not a substitute for proper training and good decision-making by those using the facility. | WA Ian K. Sutton is a project engineer in the Water, Environment & Transportation Operation of SAIC Energy, Environment & Infrastructure, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of SAIC (McLean, VA). He has 11 years of experience in solid waste and can be reached at Ian.K.Sutton@saic.com.

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Stakeholders
Risk exposure varies greatly among facility users. Early recognition in the planning and design process can minimize and reduce these risks and result in facilities designed and constructed to provide for improved health and safety. Facility stakeholders who can contribute to this planning and design effort include: Owner Operations Risk Management Engineering Health Department/District Department of Labor and Industries Code officials Fire officials Design professionals Insurers

Governing codes and regulations can include: International Building Code (IBC) International Fire Code (IFC) National Electrical Code (NEC) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standards State administrative code Local jurisdictional codes Public health ordinances Operating permits Owners rules procedures

It is important to identify and involve stakeholders in the early stages of planning and design and maintain their involvement through project completion. The health and safety aspects of these facilities are large and integral to the physical arrangement of the facilities, and thus will not be easily addressed late in the design process without significant impacts to cost and possibly schedule.

Risks and Mitigation

Through planning and design, health and safety risks can be identified and to some extent mitigated. The following discussion pertains to tipping and receiving floor separation as an example of a risk and measures that can be incorporated to help mitigate the risk.

2011 Waste Advantage Magazine, All Rights Reserved. Reprinted from Waste Advantage Magazine. Contents cannot be reprinted without permission from the publisher.
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