The AZEK Company
Working in a Cloud of Dust
At The AZEK Company’s plant in Scranton, PA, dust was a continual problem. In this location, employees work to mix powders for PVC Sheets and Composite Lumber. The result was a 50’ tall blending tower inundated with flammable dust. Floating in the air, resting on surfaces, the dust wasn’t just a compliance issue. It was also a significant health concern for employees.
To curb the perpetual dust buildup, staff spent time cleaning instead of focusing on more critical tasks. Between the floating particulate, the slip hazards caused by settling dust, and impending insurance premium increases, management knew it needed to act.
“It was hurting the bottom line,” Tom Matechik, Manufacturing Engineer at The AZEK Company, said. “With the tower standing 50’ high, it’s difficult to clean without the right equipment.”
The complicated layout meant that in some places, 1/4-1/2” of dust could build up before housekeeping was able to deal with it. They received a quote for one-time cleaning of flat surfaces at the cost of $36,000. Knowing this level of cleaning would be required multiple times per year, adding this line item to the budget wasn’t a wise long-term financial decision.
Other Posts You May Benefit from Reading
Learn More:
Request Your No-Cost Custom Dust Management Plan with ROI Analysis
Contact SonicAire to learn how we can evaluate your facility and use our BarrierAire™ technology to mitigate combustible dust, improve safety and reduce downtime/improve efficiency of your operation.
The AZEK Company
Working in a Cloud of Dust
At The AZEK Company’s plant in Scranton, PA, dust was a continual problem. In this location, employees work to mix powders for PVC Sheets and Composite Lumber. The result was a 50’ tall blending tower inundated with flammable dust. Floating in the air, resting on surfaces, the dust wasn’t just a compliance issue. It was also a significant health concern for employees.
To curb the perpetual dust buildup, staff spent time cleaning instead of focusing on more critical tasks. Between the floating particulate, the slip hazards caused by settling dust, and impending insurance premium increases, management knew it needed to act.
“It was hurting the bottom line,” Tom Matechik, Manufacturing Engineer at The AZEK Company, said. “With the tower standing 50’ high, it’s difficult to clean without the right equipment.”
The complicated layout meant that in some places, 1/4-1/2” of dust could build up before housekeeping was able to deal with it. They received a quote for one-time cleaning of flat surfaces at the cost of $36,000. Knowing this level of cleaning would be required multiple times per year, adding this line item to the budget wasn’t a wise long-term financial decision.
Other Posts You May Benefit from Reading
Learn More:
Request Your No-Cost Custom Dust Management Plan with ROI Analysis
Contact SonicAire to learn how we can evaluate your facility and use our BarrierAire™ technology to mitigate combustible dust, improve safety and reduce downtime/improve efficiency of your operation.
GET YOUR FREE GUIDE:
The Real Cost of Fugitive Dust in Hard-to-Reach Spaces
What You Can’t See Can Hurt You
To help protect your workplace, we’ve compiled the following resource, The Real Cost of Fugitive Dust in Hard-to-Reach Spaces: What You Can’t See Can Hurt You. In it, we identify seven ways fugitive dust is likely impacting your facility and its profitability.
These costs go beyond housekeeping and explain why you should be preventing dust buildup to protect the bottom line, not just to stay in compliance.