ROCOLcare® is a special premium service offered for the food, clean, and other associated industries.

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Since Vegan is not a trend anymore, but an awakening, discover how ROCOL as a premium lubricant manufacturer has strived to meet consumer demand for vegan reliability.

What is veganism?

"Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms, it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals."

What is The Vegan Society?

Managed by The Vegan Society, The Vegan Trademark helps consumers identify products that are free from animal ingredients. First introduced in 1990, it currently appears on over 53,000 products in 79 countries, including food, drink, cosmetics, clothing, and household items.

Vegan Society Trademark Standards that ROCOL was able to meet:

No animal or animal derivatives in product or manufacturing process.

No Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) involving animals – No GMOs at all is preferred.

No animal testing on product or ingredients (controlled by manufacturer).

Vegan materials to be prepared separately from non-vegan - Relevant for food producers.

Certified ROCOL Products:

All PUROL: Greases and Oils for the direct food contact.

Cleaners: Electra Clean, FOODLUBE Sugar Dissolving Fluid, Industrial Cleaner Rapid Dry, Remover & Degreaser, Stainless Steel Cleaner.

Food-Grade Greases: Nearly all NSF-registered products.

ROCOL is leading the way in the food sector in food-safe lubrication and manufacturing standards for machinery maintenance.

We registered our first NSF-approved products in 2001, achieved ISO 21469 accreditation in 2010, added Halal certification in 2015 followed quickly by Kosher certification in 2017.

Now, The Vegan Trademark.

With more than 90% of vegans and vegetarians looking for vegan verification on the products they buy, we feel it is important to provide reassurance right the way down the vegan manufacturing production line.

What do vegans eat?

Vegans eat everything and anything that comes from plants: fruits, vegetables, nuts, beans, grains, seeds, and pulses. Your favourite quick lunch of beans on toast? Vegan. That packet of salt and vinegar crisps you selected for your morning snack? Vegan. The falafel you grabbed at lunchtime? Vegan. The fruit salad you had for dessert? Vegan. Even some of the biscuit packets lying about in your kitchen cupboard could be vegan. Vegan food is everywhere.

More than 580,00 people from over 200 countries signed up to last year’s Veganuary campaign, with over 825 new vegan products and menus launched. Organizers have reported that 82% of participants maintained a dramatic reduction in animal-based product consumption long after Veganuary was over, with 30% maintaining a fully vegan diet following the month-long pledge.

Find out more about vegan manufacturing from ROCOL and read about the first lubricants range to receive Vegan Society certification here.

There are a lot of claims made on the cleaners’ and lubricants’ labels, e.g., Silicon formula repels water, slick as silk, Teflon-based, petroleum-pure, won’t burn, removes lead and copper build-up, chosen by Navy SEALs, works in all conditions, dissolves carbon, etc., etc. Most of us read these claims, buy a solvent/cleaner or lubricant that sounds good, and have no clue about what we’re really applying on our guns to protect them against the environment and wear.

we select cleaners and lubricants for weapons mostly based on manufacturers’ claims or cost economy, but there is a better way, and since there is no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to Defence tool cleaners or lubricants, a cleaning agent or lubricant that claims both qualities of cleaning and lubrication, is generally inadequate for either requirement when it comes down to the dynamic attributes demanded by both.

In comparison to lubricants, cleaning agents are, by necessity, generally thin viscosity liquids or sprays that are designed to penetrate with the purpose of dissolving or loosening carbon, lubricant sludge, bore lead, copper build-up, etc. Some cleaning agents also displace moisture and some provide a protective surface coating to prevent rust.

Some cleaning agents are more effective than others, even if the difference in the chemical formulation is subtle and undetectable to the user when it’s applied. Most cleaning agents are not formulated to be firearm-operating-system-specific and are designed for general purpose use on any firearm. Lacking specific attributes is not necessarily bad or good. Rather, it is a market-driven matter of fact.

There are some things to be aware of and avoid when it comes to cleaning agent formulation. When you clean your firearm you’re not just cleaning the surface metal. You need to think about cleaning at a macro, even a micro level. Removing surface sludge and carbon so the bolt and bore shine are indeed important to reliability. However, displacing and removing moisture at the metal’s granular level is equally important.


If you were to view your firearm’s metallic surface under a microscope, you would see its metal structure is granular and is actually composed of tightly compacted metal grains. You would further observe there are microscopic voids between the grains. Machined surfaces look much like a microscopic flagstone patio. The joints between the grains vary, as do the grain size and layout (structure), depending upon the type of metal and the process used to form, harden and temper it. Steel, for example, is more tightly organized (granularly compacted) than aluminum. Billet-machined metal, for example, is granularly different from cast or sintered metal and very different from hammer-forged metal. Chrome and nickel, used as plating, are very tightly grained and oxidation resistant. That’s why they make such an effective anti-wear and preservation surface plating on other, less hard ferrous and non-ferrous metals.

So–when cleaning, the objective is to not only clean the surface metal but the micro-surface. This means you’ll need to have an understanding of the cleaning solution you’re using that goes beyond the manufacturers’ specifications. There are few solvents that have the ability to penetrate at the metal’s granular level and displace water that can ultimately contribute to metal failure. In general, silicon and Teflon-based cleaners and lubricants displace surface water but do not penetrate at the granular level. In fact, they may actually serve to hold moisture in the metal’s granular structure while providing surface water repellency. This is to say that just because you see rain beading off your gun’s metal parts on a rainy day hunt, doesn’t mean your gun is truly protected.

Assuming you’re not a chemist, how do you identify a penetrating cleaner that displaces water at the granular deeper level? Try this experiment the next time your gun gets soaked. Dry it with a clean absorbent cloth. Now spray the metal surfaces and bore with ROCOL ® WD Spray. Place the gun in a muzzle-down position so ROCOL ® WD Spray doesn’t run onto the stock. Wait a few minutes and observe water slowly appear and settle down on the surface of the metal. Wipe it off with a dry cloth. Reapply the WD Spray, and you’ll find no water will form.

Wipe it dry again and this time clean the gun and apply ROCOL ® Weapon Guard 24/36 to the wear points and put a light preservative to the gun’s weather (outer) surfaces. ROCOL ® WD Spray will work fine to protect the weather surfaces. There are other penetrating waters displacing cleaners that will work equally well and additionally dissolve sludge and carbon. Read the formulation fine print between manufacturers and compare the basic tenants of cleaner formulation. Stay away from silicon and Teflon-based formulas for the displacement of granular water.

Assuming you now have properly cleaned your gun, what type of lubrication should you apply and how should it be applied? The short answer is always to apply lubricant liberally to all wear surfaces, springs catches, and hinge pins. Choose a lubricant for the wear points with a viscosity that won’t melt off when your gun is hot or wash off in the rain.

Far too many shooters shoot their weapons in a “dry” condition. They properly clean and lubricate their gun, then wipe the lube off the gun parts before reassembly. That’s a suicidal bad habit if you expect your gun to reliably fire more than the round you have chambered. Granted, there are circumstances where a gun must be maintained in a “dry” condition like a desert and arctic environments. However, there are specifically formulated “dry” lubricants available for use in such extremes that don’t hold grit and ice.

The general rule of thumb is to use plenty of lube on your gun’s moving parts, especially the wear points like slide guide rails, bolt carrier groups, hammer hinge pins, firing pins, ejector mechanisms, recoil springs, and spring rod guides, springs in general, magazine springs and followers, etc. Use a heavy viscosity lube on wear points like guide rails and bolt lugs. Use a light viscosity lube on springs, firing pins, magazine springs, and followers. Use a corrosion preventive on weather surfaces like gun barrels, receivers, top covers, etc.

Never use cleaning solvents or lubricating oil on a wooden stock surface. It can soften the wood finish or even remove it, ruining the stock’s beauty and weather resistance. Applying any cleaner other than soapy water to clean a polymer stock is simply a waste of cleaner.

Finally, in most cases, it is not necessary to clean your gun every time you shoot it unless you’ve shot several hundred rounds, or your gun was exposed to environmental extremes. If you shot your gun on an indoor (even an outdoor) range under ideal conditions and only shot a box or two for practice, you probably don’t need to clean your gun.

For food and beverage producers, pharmaceuticals manufacturers, and producers of containers used to package food-related products, there’s no more important lubrication issue than the use of what is typically referred to as “food-grade lubricants”.

In the United States, lubricants intended for use in food production are registered with the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF) as either H1, H2, or H3, depending on the intended application and formulation. Registration is voluntary and simply requires a review of the product ingredients with a list of compounds known to be “safe” for incidental food contact at low levels.

Of the three, H1 is by far the most important classification and is typically referred to as a lubricant designated for “incidental food contact”. This relates to applications where it is possible for the lubricant to touch the product (food, beverage, pharmaceutical, etc.) in low concentrations due to leakage or over-lubrication.

Recently, a new terminology has entered the vernacular of food-grade lubricants: ISO 21469 certification. ISO 21469 is not a new standard; in fact, it came into effect in February 2006. Like many voluntary standards, it has taken a while for mainstream adoption.

However, a number of major suppliers of food-grade lubricants recently have been successful in obtaining ISO 21469 certification, which is why the timing for an article such as this is now appropriate.

What ISO 21469 Addresses

Like the pre-existing NSF H1, H2, and H3 designations, ISO 21469 is all about trying to ensure that consumers are protected from the deleterious effects of contaminating food and food-related products with the lubricant.

However, the first important distinction is that ISO 21469 only addresses products intended for “incidental contact” (so-called H1 products in the old terminology). It does not cover the NSF H3 category of lubricants where product contact is inevitable (e.g., a meat hook), nor does it address H2 lubricants.

Second, unlike the NSF H1 designation, which simply addresses the potential toxicological, carcinogenic, and mutagenic effects of the lubrication by comparing a list of the lubricant’s “ingredients” with a list of approved food-safe products (per 21.CFR 178.3570), ISO 21469 addresses the whole process of lubricant design, manufacturing, packaging, and transportation.

Key to achieving ISO 21469 certification is conducting a thorough “hygiene risk assessment” to address not just the chemical safety of the lubricant (non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, non-mutagenic) but also the potential for physical risk from the ingression of dirt, dust or metals, or biological risk due to the formation of pathogens or other biologically active agents from long-term storage, spoilage, etc.


Steps to Certification

Achieving ISO 21469 certification is a six-step process.

Step 1 is simply an administrative step whereby the manufacturer submits details such as product name, manufacturing locations, container size, shelf life, etc., along with the completed risk assessment documents.

Step 2 requires a review by the assessing body (e.g., NSF) of product details, including a list of ingredients (e.g., additives), their suppliers, and the acceptable range of those ingredients in the finished product. Products are classified based on related product families (e.g., anti-wear fluid, gear oil, etc.).

Grouping products into classes based on their chemical constituents helps to reduce the amount of compliance testing required as part of obtaining and maintaining ISO 21469 certification. Just like the H1 classification, ingredients must come from the list of known food-safe products according to an appropriate listing such as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation 21.CFR 178.3570.

Step 3 is an onsite audit of the lubricant manufacturing facility to look at recordkeeping, quality control policies and procedures, overall “good manufacturing processes” (GMP), and to allow for representative product samples to be collected. As part of the onsite audit, the manufacturer’s hygiene risk assessment protocol is reviewed and verified. The onsite audit is conducted by a qualified representative of the assessing body such as NSF.

Step 4 requires that a representative baseline be established using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Samples are taken from different manufacturing batches as well as any repackaged products to verify that the supplier has appropriate control over the manufacturing process.

Sample baselines are used to compare with future samples to ensure continued quality control compliance and formulation stability.

Step 5 allows for the issuance of accrediting certification. In the U.S., certification is provided through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) based on the findings of the assessing body such as NSF. A list of certified suppliers and products can be found online at http://www.nsf.org/Certified/iso_21469.

In order for a manufacturer to retain ISO 21469 certification, it is required to update its risk assessment policy. Each facility also is subjected to an annual unannounced audit, at which time product samples are collected that must match the product baselines established during the initial certification process (Step 6).


The Bottom Line Since ISO 21469 is a voluntary standard, it is not required that a manufacturer of food-grade lubricants goes through this process; in fact, many have yet to do so. NSF continues to provide the conventional H1, H2, and H3 designations for food-grade lubricants; and indeed, both ISO 21469 certification and H1 registration can be held by the same lubricant.

So, what’s the benefit of ISO 21469? Both the NSF H1 and ISO 21469 designations help to ensure that the ingredients in any lubricant are “safe” in the event of incidental food contact. But with ISO 21469, there’s an added layer of oversight that looks not just at the makeup of a given product but the manufacturing process and level of quality control applied to the formulation, manufacturing, distribution and storage of the lubricants.

Because of this, it’s likely that manufacturers of food-grade lubricants will continue to strive to attain ISO 21469 certification as an added measure of comfort to both the end-users of food-grade lubricants and, most importantly, to all of us as consumers!

Mind-blowing Engineering innovation.

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Initial situation

The hoisting equipment works in all kinds of weather conditions and they stand outside at night, exposed to the elements. The currently used conventional grease forms a base into which dust gets stuck, which drips onto the floor in hot weather and hardens again in the winter. As a result, the crane does not always function properly. Cranes are lubricated manually by the engineers. Given the size of the machines, this is a strenuous job. The shafts of the crane booms sliding in or out cause dangerous jolts which, in turn, cause the load at the end of the hoisting cable to swing. and is very hard to clean because the cleaning agent evaporates even before the engineers are able to rub the polluted surface.

Our solution

ROCOL ® TUFLUBE EXTREME is a very adhesive, water-resistant grease for heavy and shock loads, made of severely refined mineral oil. Dust and sand do not stick to the cranes anymore, so easier to clean, especially when using our effective and user-friendly ROCOL ® HEAVY DUTY CLEANER FLUID.

Result

From now on lubricating the booms only takes a few hours and can be done easily and quickly. Only a small amount of grease is required. The jolting seen when the shafts slide in or out has completely disappeared. Thanks to the properties of the white grease because the lubrication intervals can now be extended drastically with less grease used, all leading to an important cost-saving. The booms are greased and clean, dust no longer gets stuck in the grease, the grease no longer gets washed out by the rain and it no longer drips onto the floor in hot weather. It is now much easier to clean the booms because the HEAVY DUTY CLEANER FLUID does not even evaporate, giving enough time to remove old grease.

Selecting the most appropriate lubricant for aerospace mechanisms requires a selection of the most lightweight and most functional lubricant. This is because additional costs are incurred for every pound in total weight added during aerospace operations. Moreover, utilizing heavier lubrication would only cause significant financial consequences on top of possible mechanical or technical concerns.

Research on lubricants used in the aerospace industry would show that solid lubricants were traditionally used for aerospace machinery. However, the advent of technology, globalization, and modernization has brought about significant innovations in the field. New formulations of lubricants with the same, or even higher, quality performance have been developed and are now being utilized widely in many aerospace applications.

What are Aerospace Lubricants?

Lubricants that are used in aerospace applications such as, space travel, commercial airlines, and defense, are like other lubricants, but face more critical performance demands. In order to be classified as an aerospace lubricant, products must pass tests that are created by the Department of Defense (DoD) known as “MILSPECS.” To ensure safety and performance for aerospace applications, the MILSPECS create standardization to meet DoD objectives. These MILSPECS test different performance factors such as: corrosion protection, shear stability, compatibility, and water sensitivity.


What Differentiates Aerospace Lubricants?

In addition to meeting various MILSPECS, aerospace lubricants are engineered specifically for aircraft engines and fuel systems. The key difference between aerospace lubricants and non-aerospace lubricants like it has been mentioned before, is weight. In space operations, weight is crucial because more fuel is needed, which can become costly. It could also put a strain on how many other supplies could be included in the launch. As the safety of astronauts and functionality of equipment are vital, these lubricants cannot fail.

In aerospace applications, lubricants face the most demanding tests. With temperatures in space at near Absolute-Zero and reentry temperatures reaching 5000 F, lubricants must perform in a wider-range of temperatures than their Earth-bound equivalents. Additionally, lubricants must be able to operate in a vacuum environment. This is on top of all of the crucial navigational and life-supporting machines that make space travel possibly. These machines cannot suffer any breakdowns or down time as they support life and other functions both in space and on Earth. Aerospace lubricants must have a long life to maintain these critical operations.

In defense operations, completing the objective is key and your lubricant must perform to ensure the objective is met. These lubricants have to: withstand extreme-temperature jet engines, cargo aircraft landing gears, precise navigational tools, and other wide-temperature components. By selecting lubricants that meet the right MILSPECS, you can ensure proper performance and success in your aerospace operations.

Considerations in Selecting Aerospace Lubricants

In order to select the most appropriate lubricant, companies would usually conduct field tests using a variety of lubricants that are available in the market. Lubricants are evaluated based on their viscosity grade, machine operating contexts, volatility, sump cleanliness control, and rate of long-term use. Apart from this, companies would also determine compositional differences among available lubricants in order to determine their individual implications in costing and other operational concerns.


Studies have also found a general selection criterion for aerospace lubricants, as presented below. On top of the previously presented evaluative aspects, the following are the major considerations in selecting the most appropriate lubricant or solution in operations:

-Operating environment

-Fluid-film lubrication and viscosity

-Boundary lubrication performance

-Compatibility

-Fire resistance

-Stability

-Toxicity and biodegradability

-Susceptibility to additives


Aerospace Lubricants that are Available in the Market

Presented in the following sections are an overview of the lubricants commonly used in the aerospace industry.

Perfluoropolyether Lubricants (PFPEs)

The perfluoropolyether lubricant line saw its beginnings in the commercial market in 1965 when it was marketed as a lubricant with low thermal stability and low vapor pressures at low molecular weights. Composed mainly of oxygen, carbon, and fluorine, PFPEs are the least preferred lubrication solution in civil and military aerospace applications due to their complexity and relatively expensive costs. Apart from this, PFPEs are solid lubricants, implying possible weight issues during operations.

Most perfluoropolyether lubricants in the market utilize monomers acquired from crude oil, suggesting a labor-intensive process of developing even its raw materials. Companies that primarily produce PFPEs invest millions, or even billions, in capital in order to meet the necessary regulatory and operational standards required from perfluoropolyether lubricants to function appropriately in aerospace applications. Companies, however, are developing variations in PFPE components in order to make the product more marketable and less complex. For example, a prominent company that markets PFPEs utilize hydrofluoric acid from calcium fluoride to produce new monomers.

Generally, perfluoropolyether lubricants could be used in the following applications:

Rocket engines and support systems in ground operations

Engine oil and gearbox

Couplings (e.g. engine, oxygen system)

Bearings, ballscrews, and leadscrews

Aerospace instruments, gimbals, and gyroscopes

Research on PFPEs has shown that the material has a poor boundary that would be unable to solubilize newly-formulated additives. In addition, the lubricant was also found to be prone to autocatalytic degradation. These reasons further render PFPEs as an unpopular choice in addressing aerospace industry solutions.

Multiply Alkylated Cyclopentane (MACs) Lubricants

These lubricants have replaced traditional mineral oil-based lubricants due to their low volatile properties and superior candidate additives that are comparable with the performance of lead naphthenate additives and phosphate additives that are currently being utilized in aerospace applications. Moreover, a number of researches suggest that MACs yield better outcomes than PFPEs in room temperature conditions in vacuum environments. This suggests better application outcomes for MACs lubricants. General functions of multiply alkylated cyclopentane lubricants also encompass that of PFPE applications.

Current researches on MACs lubricants and other liquid-based lubricants are examining the use of more exotic products, such as ionic liquid lubricants, in furthering the capability of lubricants in addressing aerospace concerns.

When most people think about safety, they usually consider their personal responsibility for staying safe. At any plant I visit, safety typically is among the first topics discussed, and it’s almost always targeted toward what individual actions must be performed.

This includes which personal protective equipment (PPE) to wear, what areas to avoid, which sirens or alarms to be aware of, what the fire or severe weather plan is and other related items. Many sites even have employees and contractors wear a visible sticker or badge that shows a proper safety briefing has been completed.

However, when it comes to the specific tasks associated with a lubrication program, the general safety training and knowledge in most plants is insufficient. Safety should be the top priority on a jobsite, and the lubrication program’s design should be part of this safety prioritization.

When establishing a culture of safety around your lube program, there are six main elements to consider: general safety, training, storage, handling, worksite monitoring and disposal.


General Safety

Work within the existing safety programs at your site. Take advantage of the rules and regulations currently being enforced and decide how they apply to lubrication practices. Your company has already committed to employee safety and well-being, and determining how your actions fit into these existing practices will go a long way toward your success.

For example, many oil sampling or fill points can be in hard-to-reach locations. Guidelines likely are in place for how to properly gain access to those spots, such as fall protection for working aloft or how to position a ladder to reach over a run of piping. Incorporate the current safety framework at your jobsite, from PPE to cleanliness and anything else the health, safety and environment (HSE) team has set in place to ensure overall company safety.

You should also work with your HSE team to contribute lubrication knowledge to existing safety standards. Help them identify hazards and assess risks in specific lubrication matters.

Lubrication is used to help equipment move, and by definition, moving equipment is dangerous. Perform a comprehensive survey to examine hazards in the workplace, such as the work area layout, as well as activity hazards like the specific machinery being used and environmental hazards like combustible dust. Create written procedures for lubrication activities in the same way you would for other maintenance or HSE-related work.

Training

Train on safety regularly. Along with incorporating current HSE practices into your lubrication program, you also should train all personnel in the particulars of lubrication safety. For many, this will just be general awareness training and can be added to the annual queue of refresher training that the HSE team rotates through, similar to confined space or hearing conservation. 

For those who are more actively involved in performing lubrication actions, a more robust safety training will be needed. Specific knowledge of the location and identification of lubricants using the safety data sheet (SDS) program will be vital. Consider including hands-on training sessions for sampling and drain/fill evolutions.

 Some good rules of thumb for when to provide training would be for first-hire employees (general safety and job specific as needed), when an employee is changing positions or responsibilities to include more lubrication, or when a change or implementation in processes is being made, such as a new lubrication type being added, a new piece of lubrication equipment being used, or some other hazard or condition being introduced. Refresher training should also be offered based on the company or group need or by regulation (at least annually).


Storage

As the old adage states, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Properly storing and containing oils and greases will go a long way toward making your lubrication program safe. There is no single right way to store lubricants safely, but there are many wrong practices for managing lubricant storage. Common factors that contribute to stored lubricants being unsafe are as simple as weather exposure or storing lubricants in high-traffic areas. Precipitation and direct sunlight can corrode barrels and other metal connections. Corrosion may result in leaks or escaping fumes from barrels or other storage totes.

Exposure to the environment can also damage the lubricants. Damaged oil being pumped through your systems can lead to earlier machine failure and possibly catastrophic failure, which is far more alarming for most workers than spotting a sheen of oil heading to the environmental drains.

Design your lubricant storage to help prevent spills or leaks by keeping lubricants inside and away from high-traffic areas or pipes that are known to leak or vent, such as steam traps. Store tools and smaller lubricants like greases in specially designed lockers to prevent fire or contamination. Additional ventilation or atmospheric monitoring may be needed to meet air-quality regulations.

Follow all guidelines established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) concerning the storage of lubricants, including oil breaks, approved drains, stacking and positioning of containers, and fire suppression or ventilation systems. Work closely with your HSE team to ensure any changes to your lubrication program take these regulations into account.

In the illustration above, you can see many of these safe practices at work. The lights and electrical are rated as explosion-proof, a ventilation system has been installed in the ceiling, a fire-suppression system is employed, the floor is sealed to prevent seepage from leaks into the ground, and there’s a proper waste-disposal receptacle for rags and other rubbish.


Handling

While many lubricants are nontoxic, some may contain a trace mineral or ingredient that can cause a reaction or injury if mishandled. Read the SDS for the lubricant in question and keep copies readily available for workers who use the area.

Some common lubricant classification types are listed above with approximate toxicity concerns. Additionally, the American Petroleum Institute (API) has classified all lubricants into one of five groups with specific warnings. Group I lubricants have been identified as having sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity to humans.

The carcinogenetic component is called a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), also referred to as an aromatic. If your facility handles Group I lubricants, be sure to take extra precautions, such as large placards or other warning signs to keep unknowledgeable team members away.

Similarly, Group II lubricants have been identified as having possible carcinogenicity to animals. While not as dangerous as Group I, these lubricants require the same types of precautions and warnings. Group III and IV lubricants have been treated in such a way as to remove most aromatic compounds, but some components may still be of concern.

Lastly, Group V lubricants are chemically engineered esters, polyglycols and silicone based. In this group, attention should be paid to any phosphate esters, as these compounds have the most potential to harm humans. Allergic reactions are also common for triphenyl-​phosphate compounds.

Keep the appropriate PPE nearby, such as gloves, goggles, face shields or other safety gear. Practices that help to prevent spills, leaks or overuse should be employed, such as using a metered filter cart with quick disconnects for transferring or filling oils from storage. When sampling, use a pressure reducer if the oil is normally more than 100 pounds per square inch gauge (psig).

Greases have a few unique handling precautions as well. These lubricants tend to settle in the tube when stored at lower temperatures and may need to be warmed before applying. Grease shouldn’t be manually warmed above 75 degrees F and should never be warmed with any sort of flame. Also, never hold a grease gun coupler with your hand during application, and consider using grease guns with an installed pressure relief or avoiding pneumatic types for high-risk situations.


Worksite Monitoring

After any lubrication activity, such as draining, change outs or filling, always recheck the worksite and equipment. Look for leaks or spills. It’s possible a seal or cap wasn’t properly reinstalled. Dust or debris may have settled on a small spot that wasn’t noticeable during the maintenance task and now presents a potential hazard.

You may wish to schedule monitored lubrication evolutions. Observe how the lubrication activity is planned and carried out by the maintenance or operations personnel who deal with it each day. This allows for process improvement and helps shore up weak areas of safety training and practices.

Include the lubricant storage area as part of any group cleaning of the plant to encourage personnel to become familiar with the equipment as well as how tools and lubricants should be used and stored. This not only serves to keep the area safe because equipment is properly maintained, but also ensures safety for other concerns like slips and trips.

Disposal

Used lubricants that are awaiting disposal are just as important to store properly as new oil, if not more so. Used oil may have contaminants or expired additives and present different chemical properties than new oil. Used lubricants often are mixed and may have different flash points than the base oil. Store used oil in a separate area from new oil and follow local HSE rules for combining different types of discarded oil or other products, such as oily rags.

For used filters, the best practice is to separate the metal portion for recycling, compress the media to remove the oil and dispose of the oil in a used-oil container. This reduces the fire risk from discarding the entire filter in the trash. Dispose of greasy or oily rags in proper disposal cans and don’t allow them to accumulate or become a hazard. When cleaning equipment, use approved solvents or soaps and ensure any runoff goes to an approved environmental drain.

In short, store your lubricants correctly, handle them well, dispose of them properly, double-check your jobsite, follow all site-specific safety guidelines, and train to the standard by which you want the program to live. In most companies and worksites, safety is priority one. Performing lubrication tasks should be no different. Deliberately adopt a safety-first mindset to plan, execute and evaluate all the lubrication efforts at your plant.