NEW YORK — McNeil & Co. has issued tips to help carwash owners and operators manage potential risks with working with chemicals, according to a press release.

Risk management is a crucial pillar of the company’s programs, stated the release, and McNeil & Co. aims to help carwashes better identify and mitigate chemical hazards.

In the press release, the company offers several tips and advice regarding chemical safety on topics including: protection from chemicals, storing chemicals, chemical exposure, safety moving/handling chemicals and first aid considerations.

Employees should always wear appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) at all times, noted the release, and McNeil & Co. offers the following PPE tips:

• Employees should wear medium to heavy weight neoprene, natural rubber viton or nitrile gloves when exposed to corrosive chemicals, and McNeil & Co. highly recommends gauntlet gloves. Latex gloves should not be worn, because in most cases they will not provide adequate protection.
• To help protect against accidental chemical spills and guard against unexpected injury to the feet from the weight of a container, carwash employees should wear acid-resistant aprons and waterproof, steel-toed boots.
• Goggles or a full-face shield are also recommended. McNeil & Co. does not suggest wearing safety glasses because they do not adequately protect chemicals from accidentally entering someone’s eyes from the bottom or the top of the glasses.

The insurance company also offers tips for storing chemicals in the release:

• The equipment room containing the chemicals should be well ventilated; also, don’t over stack the containers.
• Certain chemicals are not compatible and may combust when stored by each other. Make sure to take note of these chemicals and store them far away from one another.
• Chemicals should be raised above the floor level to prevent potential freezing.

“Carwash owners, operators and employees work with numerous potentially hazardous chemicals on a daily basis,” said McNeil & Co. National CarWash Program Specialist Mike Benmosche, who also contributes a regular blog, CarWash Safety 101, on Professional Carwashing & Detailing’s website, Carwash.com, in the release. “At McNeil & Co., we work to educate our clients about the risks associated with chemicals, prepare them for unusual circumstances and prevent catastrophe from happening.”

Read the entire release here.

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