Page 42 - Wastewater Solids Incineration Systems

Safety 11

2.4 Insurance and Other Industry Standards

In addition to the regulations, codes, and standards listed above, insurance and other
industry standards can apply to incineration systems, such as burner safety systems. It
is important to identify the requirements of a facility’s insurance carrier. In many cases,
insurance standards can be more stringent than local codes or NFPA regulations and
should be considered when selecting and designing safety provisions for incineration
systems, especially where particular hazards are present. Standards that should be con-
sidered for fuel valve train and burner safety systems include the following:

• Insurance standards, Industrial Risk Insurers (IRI) or Factory Mutual (FM).
• Industry standards, including Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

3.0 INCINERATOR SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

The design and operation of an incinerator need to incorporate adequate safety fea-
tures and procedures to address the hazards of high surface temperatures, the han-
dling of fuel, and the combustion of the solids unique to incineration. Safety provi-
sions and operating considerations are described below.

3.1 Hot Equipment Surfaces and Personnel Protection
Provisions to protect personnel against burns from hot surfaces should include
the following:
• Where possible, ducts and equipment surfaces should be insulated to keep
surface temperatures at 60°C (140°F) or lower while operating at an ambient
temperature of 32°C (90°F) or higher.
• Incinerators and some of their exhaust breeching are refractory-lined (insulated)
but must operate at surface temperatures above 60°C (140°F). The reactor walls
of fluid bed incinerators are often designed to keep shell temperatures higher
than 100°C (212°F) to prevent condensation from exhaust leaks to the inside wall
of the metal, requiring protection of personnel against the hot surfaces.
• Barriers such as expanded metal shields or barrier fences should be used to pro-
tect personnel from contact with hot ducts and equipment. Where barrier fences
are used, locked gates should be installed to prevent unauthorized access.
• Facility personnel should be provided with protective gear such as gloves,
clothing, and eye shields while operating or servicing a hot incinerator.