Hazardous substances: the dawn of greater operational safety

As a dealer and service partner for construction machinery, construction technology and energy systems, the company's premises are used for the Avesco carried out painting work in Langenthal. After a routine explosion protection inspection of the premises by Suva, the inspectors found that not all requirements were met. In particular, the storage of flammable liquids in the rooms was problematic.

The company took this as an opportunity to think fundamentally about operational safety and to create a new working environment in which all necessary materials can be stored without danger. But not only: It was also important that all mixing and cleaning work could be carried out in the new workspace.

Store and work in one system

Avesco's premises are only suitable for painting work to a limited extent because, among other things, they lack ventilation. However, it was clear to the company that renovation of the existing building fabric or new premises were out of the question. A new solution, independent of the existing infrastructure, had to be found.

A company specializing in the storage of hazardous materials was therefore called in. As a long-standing partner of the industry, the company has Denios have the necessary know-how and Reference projects. Accordingly, all project requirements were assigned to this provider.

Secure container solution

A fire protection container was erected on a specially created concrete foundation. This is equipped with a technical ventilation system and a circulating air heating system and is thus optimal for handling flammable substances. All installations have been made in explosion-proof design. The 16 m2 storage area provides sufficient space to store paints and varnishes, to install cleaning equipment and to set up a PC-controlled paint mixing station.

With this solution, a lot has changed at Avesco. Space has been freed up in the buildings because it no longer needs the storage area. The new fire protection container with the flammable liquids is in the immediate vicinity of the buildings - so short distances are guaranteed. At the same time, the potential danger in the business premises, which have a lot of customer traffic, has been reduced to a minimum.

The emissions and foul odors emanating from the nitro pool used to attract negative attention from time to time. Today, this is a thing of the past. In addition, the paint shop in the fire protection container leaves a positive impression, which also has an effect on employee motivation.

Suva is also satisfied with the measures taken. All requirements could be met for 99%. With the solution adopted, Avesco will continue to be on the safe side in the coming years.

"On the occasion of an Ex-protection inspection by Suva, there were certainly 10-15 defects listed within our premises that were not Ex-protection-compliant. This prompted me to remedy everything at once by means of an all-round strike."

Thomas Hänggi, responsible project manager at Avesco