The use of high-pressure waterjetting as a primary means to clean is growing around the world. Cleaning with water is efficient and more environmentally friendly compared to other methods of cleaning. The downside of waterjet cleaning is it's very dangerous if not properly performed. Unfortunately, each year the industry sees too many waterjet injuries and, worse, fatalities.
High-pressure waterjetting can be performed safely, but it requires developing, adhering to and training in regimented safety requirements. Many countries have safety associations with well-documented requirements, but most don't, including countries across the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia.
Because high-pressure waterjetting is commonly performed in refineries and petrochemical plants globally, many multinational asset owners have expressed an interest in aligning waterjetting safety guidelines across countries where their facilities are located to eliminate safety incidents and improve plant efficiency. Owner representatives want established safety associations -- such as the Netherlands-based safety organization Stichting Industriele Reiniging (SIR), U.K.-based Water Jetting Association (WJA) and the U.S.-based WaterJet Technology Association (WJTA) -- to provide a basis for contractor safety and technology implementation on a global scale.
In May 2018, the WJTA and SIR facilitated a meeting among various global safety organizations and asset/facility owners, presenting a compelling case for the development of basic global waterjetting safety standards. The outcome of this meeting was the drafting of the "Basic Principles of Safe Waterjetting Operations" to be used as the basis of all waterjetting safety practices. Then, a small committee made up of safety association members and owner representatives formed and met to fine-tune the principles in preparation for a formal ratification at the WJTA's annual expo in New Orleans.
In May 2019, the decision was made to formalize this effort, and the Global Industrial Cleaning Coalition (GICC) was created. The GICC is a group of industrial cleaning safety associations, with input from asset owners, contractors and OEMs, coming together to contribute in the creation and adoption of basic industrial cleaning guidelines around the world.
The purpose of the GICC is to help save lives and reduce injuries in the industrial cleaning industry. Our mission is to help national safety associations adopt basic cleaning principles in high-pressure waterjetting, municipal/vacuum truck cleaning, chemical cleaning and respiratory protection that are easy to implement country by country.
The goals of the GICC are to:
- Develop and promote the basic principles for all industrial cleaning methods.
- Work with safety organizations to implement, at a minimum, the basic cleaning principles and to develop training/certification programs aligned with the principles.
- Perform a gap analysis of participating safety organizations' guidelines, providing recommendations to better align with the principles.
- Develop an asset/facility owner educational outreach program.
- Create a database of safety incidents (near-misses, injuries, fatalities, etc.) to facilitate information sharing.
For this grassroots movement to be effective, support from key global stakeholders is required. It takes effort and commitment from safety associations, asset/facility owners, contractors and OEMs to create change. Asset/facility owners must educate themselves on available technology and require the use of safe practices and automated waterjetting. Contractors must commit to training their people in the use of safe industrial cleaning methods, especially waterjetting. Equipment manufacturers must develop equipment that promotes safety and simplicity. Global safety associations must partner with all three of these stakeholders to implement more stringent and standardized best practices. Safety matters; the advancement of technology matters. Working together is how we all win.
Kerry Siggins is CEO of StoneAge Inc., vice president of the WaterJet Technology Association and a founding member of the Global Industrial Cleaning Coalition.
For more information or to join the Global Industrial Cleaning Coalition, visit www.globalindustrialcleaningcoalition.org.