Vehicle maintenance departments and repair shop floors always seem to end up as a huge mess due to spills or leaks of oil, grease, brake fluid, transmission fluid etc., creating a dangerous slip and fall hazard and interrupting work flow until it is cleaned up.
While cleaning up such messes traditionally involves using clay type absorbents or a mop and bucket, these methods often do an unsatisfactory, inefficient job. Not only is clay heavy, but it is extremely dusty when dry and the airborne dust can be dangerous if inhaled.
Fortunately, for shop safety and production managers who know what to look for, cleaning up the inevitable messy spills on the floor no longer has to be difficult or time consuming. Now a new breed of commercial absorbents is promising to simplify spill clean up safely and quickly so work can resume with no hazardous dust, slick residue, or back-breaking lifting of heavy bagged absorbents.
Eco-Absorb is a “dustless” cleaning absorbent made from an all-natural, non-toxic earth compound and certified by NSF International for its safety around humans and food. Because of this, it can be used safely without worry of inhalation, and will remain dust-free even when exposed to the open air indefinitely, says the company.
To protect shop mechanics and other workers from slip and fall accidents, which can be costly and carry some liability, managers also need to use a spill clean up product that does not leave water (like mopping) or an unsafe residue.
Eco-Absorb is applied dry, reducing the risk of slip and fall liability, says the company. When placed around a spill, the absorbent acts like a sponge. It quickly absorbs the spill material and binds to it. This makes it easy to sweep up the substance along with the absorbent into a dustpan, to dispose of in a proper solid waste receptacle.
Eco-Absorb weighs 1/3 less than traditional clay products, but absorb up to 15 times more – so less product is needed to do the job, according to the company. A 15-lb. bag of Eco-Absorb could soak up about five times the amount of a spill.
While the vast majority of vehicle maintenance and repair shop spills will tend to be materials like lubricants, oil and grease, occasionally cleaning up battery acid or other caustic liquids is required and that can be an issue of worker safety.
Eco-Absorb can neutralize a chemical hazard and indicate the substance’s pH level. It does so by turning red for dangerous acids and blue for dangerous bases. When the harmful substance is neutralized, it changes back to its original natural color, indicating that it is safe for disposal.
With better spill cleanup options being made available, shop managers will keep employees safer and the service center more productive. A cleaner shop will also help the shop to pass required inspections, as well as impress customers.
For more information, call 866-820-8050 toll free; fax 909-930-2178; email [email protected]; visit eco-absorb.com; or write to Eco-Absorbent Technologies, Inc. at 1360 East Locust St., Ontario, CA 91761.
