Do you have an effective storage system? Have you ever planned out a storage system that you know is effective in storage and picking of inventory items? It is a simple step that can really help ensure better productivity within your warehouse or plant.

Start out by evaluating the types of products that will be stored. Look at the items size and weight and than determine if that item belongs in a bin, drawer or on a shelf. You can divide products into groups of small, medium and large. You can than evaluate their weight from light to heavy. This exercise will further help to evaluate the best place to store an item.

Make sure that workers who pick and stock items follow certain guidelines that will help them work more effectively,

- Items that are lighter should be stored above because they are easier to lift down

- Items that are small and normal weight should be stored by the waist line so they are easily visible and won’t cause strain while lifting

- Heavy-duty, heavier items should be stored below the waist line so they can be lifted by using the legs and other muscles so that strain is not caused

- Also keep into consideration the depth of bins, workers should be able to easily see small items if they are in shallow bins

All these simple steps will aid in making your workplace storage run more effectively.

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Did you know that the US Environmental Protection Agency estimates that paper and paperboard account for almost 40% of our garbage? For copy and printing paper alone, 3.7 million tons of paper is used annually. With so many going green efforts out there, the majority of workplaces have a recycling program in place.  It is important to take time to evaluate your program or get started to initiate one today! A successful recycling program needs to be simple and convenient for all everyone involved. Here are some basic tips to ensure your program is working to the full potential.

• Location- Place recycling containers in the most relevant spots as possible. This includes exits and entrances at work stations, desks, next to machinery, near mail rooms, printers, faxes, and lunch rooms. The more convenient and widespread around your facility the better.
• Labels- Mark all recycling containers with signs and/or labels to distinguish what can and cannot be placed inside.
• Monitor- Watch all the trash cans on a regular basis to see if anything could be recycled instead of being thrown out.
• Educate- Explain to employees why they should participate in recycling at your facility and educate them on the do’s and don’t of your program.
• Systems- In high traffic areas, sometimes it is better to make sure any type of recycled material can be placed there. Whether this is paper, cans, bottles,  Seton carries are plenty of containers and bins available to divide the items.

Do you recycle on a daily basis? Does your company? Take a minute to think about your habits and look over these tips for improvement.  Practice makes perfect.

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As pop-up sprinkler heads get older, they tend to get stuck in the up position, leaving them exposed to foot traffic, lawnmowers and other vehicles. A chopped or broken sprinkler head often goes undetected for a period of time which means either a water-wasting geyser with crazy water bills or no water at all and dead grass in the lawn.

A simple, fast and inexpensive way to remedy this problem is to install Marking Flags. These brightly colored flags, installed close to the sprinkler head, give people and lawnmowers a visual warning to stay away. Made of durable PVC these marking flags can last season after season. Simply push the rod into the ground and your sprinkler heads have instant visibility.

Choose from a variety of brightly-colored Marking Flags at seton.com.  You can also customize Marking Flags with your own wording too.

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Think you misread, no you didn’t.

A hair salon in New Jersey is stepping up and helping out anyway they can by collecting and recycling hair clippings from their customers. Don’t think its true? It is, read more here.

The website that this salon owner found online, Matter of Trust, is an ecological organization that collects shampooed hair and nylons for oil absorption. All hair is able to be donated, including human, pet and even alpaca and llama fleece furs. Plus, you don’t have to be a business owner or farmer to support the cause.  Individuals and pet owners can send in their donations (hair or monetary) and know that it is making a difference. All donations are going towards the creation of booms that are being used all along the Gulf Coast.

Courtesy of Alabama Press Register

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Spill kits can be costly, but are very important. Not only do many facilities require them to be accessible by law, but they can prove to be very handy.

Ever wonder why a kit is so expensive? Its because you are  buying the container and the spill sorbents.  Containers for spill kits can range from the inexpensive such as a nylon bag or a plastic bucket, to the more expensive containers such as overpacks or salvage drums. One way to reduce your costs is to make a one-time purchase of the kit and then, going forward just simply buy the sorbent refills. If you have a spill that requires the use of 5 pads and a couple socks, buy pads and socks to simply refill the kit. You do not have to keep re-buying the entire kit and its container.

Or perhaps you already have an unused container on hand that would be perfect for housing sorbents.  Maybe you have an unused wall cabinet or an empty drum that could hold your spill pads, sorbent socks and booms, or waste disposal bags. If that is the case, just buy the sorbents and make your own spill kit.

In terms of choosing the right sorbents to purchase, there are typically 3 types to choose from: oil only, universal and hazmat.

• Oil Only is designed to absorb petroleum, hydrocarbons and other oil-base liquids

• Universal is designed to absorb all non-aggressive liquids such as oil, coolants, solvents, antifreeze and water

• HazMat is designed to absorb aggressive caustic chemical and acid spills

No matter what spill kit, spill sorbents or spill containment you need, Seton has your solutions.

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When cleaning up a spill, many are concerned with the potential hazards they are preventing to the environment, but what about the hazards to personnel?

Keeping yourself safe when responding to a spill is crucial to the spill clean up process and employee health and safety. Of course the hazards that one might face during the spill cleanup process, vary greatly depending on what job is being performed. Slips, trips and falls are possible due to slick conditions, heat related injuries can occur depending on the environment and even drowning based on location, as those currently cleaning up in the Gulf may be likely to face.  Workers involved in spill clean up operations are covered by OSHA’s Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standard (1910.120 and 1926.65).

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels was in Louisiana Monday and met with a group of experienced hazardous materials professionals to help lead an effort to ensure that oil spill cleanup workers receive necessary protections from the hazards of this work.  OSHA has published a press release from this meeting, to read more please click here.

“Oil spill cleanup workers are on the front lines attacking this disaster,” said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. “It is our top priority to ensure that this is done as effectively, efficiently and safely as possible.”

Workers load a boat with oil booms in Bay St. Louis, Miss., as they continue preparations to head off damage from the oil spill in the Gulf Friday, April 30, 2010. Source: www.cbsnews.com (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

OSHA is distributing guides for cleanup workers and developing those guides in Vietnamese and Spanish. OSHA also has established a website to provide hazard awareness material for all involved in the cleanup activities. The website will be updated with new information as the situation warrants.

OSHA has provided information on worker safety guidelines during the oil spill cleanup, please visit http://www.osha.gov/oilspills/index.html.

OSHA’s role is to ensure that employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees, America’s working men and women, by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, education and assistance.

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Ever hear the expression “April showers bring May flowers”? That expression indicates a light at the end of a dreary wet April. But what about the “not so sunny” side affect of showers?

What about leaks? Have you inspected your roof lately? If not, you could be in danger of a roof leak. What if a roof leak is already present?  Are you going to just let it keep leaking on your expensive machinery and your employees below? What if the leak is not contained and a puddle below causes an employee to slip? That’s a liability waiting to happen. While doing spill cleanup, a simple solution would be to put up a safety sign, informing workers of the potentially dangerous spill ahead. But that doesn’t solve the bigger issue. How are you going to eliminate this spill from happening again?

If replacing the roof, or fixing the leaky area is out of the question, one simple, temporary solution is to invest in a Roof Leak Diverter. Installation of this easy, lightweight, leak catcher takes no time at all and can potentially save you from workplace accidents and fines.

Prevent workplace accidents and avoid a loss in profit by machine downtime, by preparing for the wet weather now.

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A Texas-based pipeline company has agreed to pay a $450,000 civil penalty to the United States to settle allegations that it failed to prepare and maintain proper facility response plans to deal with spills and environmental accidents at eight of its oil storage terminal facilities in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska.

To read more about the fines and penalties, see the full article here.

To avoid fines like these within your own company, make sure you have a spill prevention and control plan of your own. Get the items you need now at Seton!

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You never know when a spill will occur. Therefore having the right spill sorbents on-hand for the job will make all the difference. Sorbents allow you to contain and clean up spills quickly and are the most common type of spill response item.

There are multiple variations of sorbents to choose from. In order to select the right type of spill sorbent, you must consider the environment that the sorbent is to be used in and how large the spill potential or drip is.

• Pads – These are considered the industrial sorbent towel and are used for all types of spills, drips and leaks; very easy to deploy and provide an economical solution for absorbing various liquids
• Rolls – Similar to pads, just provide additional coverage
• Booms -  Typically used to absorb, contain and skim oil/hydrocarbons from water; also used when large amounts of liquid are needed to be absorbed
• Socks – Used to contain and absorb a spill, drip or leak; commonly wrapped around leaky machinery
• Pillows – Used when larger quantities of liquid are needed to be absorbed; commonly placed under a repetitive drip, in a sump, or on a large volume spill
• Granular - Multi-purpose absorbents for spill clean-up, ideal for first response emergency situations, lab packing and stabilization of free liquids

No matter what type of sorbent you need, for any spill scenario you have, Seton offers all of the above in all 3 types, from Oil Only, Universal and HazMat sorbencies.

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When working with or storing dangerous chemicals and liquids, a major part in effective clean-up and proper precautionary measures is making sure you have the right spill response items on hand. The most common type of spill response item are sorbents.  Sorbents are materials or composites used to recover liquids such as leaks, drips or spills. The typical sorbent is designed to adsorb liquids onto its surface.

There are three types of sorbents to choose from. In order to select the right type of sorbent, you first must consider the type of liquid to be absorbed, the potential spill volume and the frequency of use.

Choosing the right sorbent is essential to proper spill clean up.

• Oil Only – White in color, this type of sorbent is designed to selectively absorb petroleum hydrocarbons and other oil-based liquids. This type of sorbent will not absorb any water-based liquids and is frequently used for intense environmental clean up to smaller everyday basic oil spills.
• Universal – Grey in color, this multi-purpose sorbent is designed to absorb all non-aggressive liquids such as oils, coolants, solvents, antifreeze and even water. This type of sorbent is frequently used for industrial spill clean up applications, but also used for general spill control.
• HazMat – Green in color, this type of sorbent is designed to absorb aggressive caustic chemical and acid spills. This type of sorbent is frequently used for commercial, industrial and other workplace spill scenarios.

No matter what type of sorbent you need, for any spill scenario you have, Seton offers all of the above in all forms, from sorbent pads, to sorbent rolls,  spill booms, spill socks and sorbent pillows.

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