A recent incident at one of our cullet treatment plants leads us to advise our suppliers to take particular care to spot, and remove, any chemical bottles and vials.
In the case of this incident, some of the residue was still present within the bottles when they entered our plant, causing toxic fumes to escape. This led to the plant having to be evacuated and the special chemical response unit from the fire brigade attending the site. Two of our employees who came into contact with the chemical fumes were taken to hospital and were held there under observation.
The subsequent closure of the plant by the Environment Agency for two days also caused loss of production and inconvenience to one of our major customers.
Pat Duker, Berryman’s Health and Safety Manager, explains: “We have to operate a zero tolerance policy in dealing with chemical bottles and any loads found containing such items will be rejected and quarantined on site until the relevant authorities have been informed. The supplier involved will be liable for any costs incurred and also held responsible for the disposal of the material as hazardous waste.”
Any queries should be addressed immediately to Pat on 01977 608020 and he can also supply a full specification document.
A survey has been carried out for WRAP and Sainsbury’s by Glass Technology Services among 79 men and women across a range of ages to establish whether consumers would accept packaging with a slightly green hue in place of a clear glass one.