ernative: a.take care not to choose one with a greater overall health, safety and environmental risk. Otherwise you may expose workers to high levels of a different hazard; b.ensure your degreasing tank is in good condition. Using a substitute without improving the equipment is unlikely to provide any health and safety benefit and again may even increase the risks for workers; c.ensure that plant controls, such as thermostats, are adjusted to the specific requirements of your substitute; and d.take care when replacing the solvent. In cases of deplorably bad practice, workers have died after entering degreasing tanks without breathing apparatus. If you can't clean the tank without entering it, follow current good practice.Consider enclosing degreasing tanks as far as is reasonably practicable, particularly if you are considering upgrading anyway; Consider your short and long-term strategy for degreasing, since any modifications also need to comply with the Solvent Emissions Directive. This is currently being transposed into UK legislation, and, along with the reclassification, means that stricter emission limits will apply to discharges of trike; Whatever you do, consider all the options, keep abreast of developments and, if needed, seek expert advice, including your solvent or equipment supplier; Don't go in for a knee-jerk response. Trike is not banned for degreasing operations - indeed there may be circumstances where trike is the only option. Similarly, the use of open-topped tanks for vapour degreasing has not been banned. If it is not reasonably practicable to enclose a tank, take care to operate it in accordance with current good practice. But note that over the coming years there will be increasing pressure to use an enclosed tank, whichever solvent you are using. Further useful information on good practice for vapour degreasing, and possible alternatives, is available in the free publication 'Vapour Degreasing' (ref. GG15), prod...
