Chapter 9 - Environmental Safety & Industrial Effluents Flashcards
What is Environmental Safety?
Environmental safety is a comprehensive safety policy that provides policies, practices and guidance so as to ensure that the environment is free from hazards and thereby result in the wellbeing of employees, general public and the flora and fauna which is also an essential part of the environment by preventing harmful releases to environment.
What are the responsibilities of a HSE manager?
In short:
It is the responsibility of the HSE manager to carried out the industrial safety and accident prevention along with environmental safety that is essential for sustainable development.
In detail:
• Assessing the risk or the operations
• Job hazard analysis
• Incident investigations
• Ensuring industrial hygiene
• Environmental safety compliance
• Safety observations by
walkthroughs around the worksite
• Hazmat controls
• Appointing safety committees
• HSE training
• Collecting data regarding the
leading and lagging indicators • Taking the industry towards
environmental safety qualifications like ISO 14000
What are the Components of Environmental Protection?
• Waste management
• Protection of natural resources
• Biodiversity protection
• Pollution control
What are the Omani standards for environmental protection?
• Omani law on conservation of the environment and prevention of pollution
• Omani law on protection of sources of potable water from pollution
• Sultanate decree 114/01 deals with protection of habitats through environmental permit system which mandates any construction to be certified by Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MOECA)
• Ministerial Decree 17/93 : Management of solid waste
• Ministerial Decree 18/93 : Hazardous waste
• Ministerial Decree 15/2021: Export of certain specific waste
• Ministerial Decree 23/2020 : Ban on single consumption plastic bag
• Ministerial Decree 34/1974 : Controlling marine pollution
What is Industrial Effluent Treatment (ETP)
An efficient and effective process of treating contaminated waste water produced by industries making it acceptable for re-use or disposal back to the environment.
Define “Influent.”
Water or any liquid that flows into the treatment plant.
Define “Effluent.”
Outflowing water or liquid from the treatment plant to a natural body of water.
Define “Sludge.”
A semi-solid slurry material produced from an industrial processes or from waste treatment plant.
What are the different levels of ETP?
- Pretreatment or Preliminary Treatment
- Primary Treatment
- Secondary Treatment
- Tertiary Treatment or Advanced Treatment
What is the “Pretreatment or Preliminary Treatment” stage?
It is a physical process that removes large solid wastes like rags, grit and grease using screens and grit chamber.
What is the “Primary Treatment” stage?
It is a physical and chemical process that removes settleable, floating wastes and suspended solids.
At this stage 70% of suspended solids are removed and 30% BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand).
Sludges that are setting down at the bottom of the primary clarifier is frequently pumped out for sludge processing.
What is the “Secondary Treatment” stage?
It’s a biological and chemical process where biodegradable organic matter is removed by aerobic processes by which 85% of organic matter is removed.
What is the “Tertiary Treatment or Advanced Treatment” stage?
It’s a physical, chemical and biological process in which residual suspended solids and even dissolved solids are removed. This improves the quality of the discharge water. Processes like chlorine treatment, ozone treatment, UV light etc. are the main processes that removes the micro-organisms.
Discuss the flowchart of the processes of an ETP.
Chapter 9 - slide 14
What are the purposes of ETP?
• Purifies the waste water, so that water can be reused and avoids the harmful effects to the environment.
• It takes care of the general contaminants like oil, grease, toxic materials, and harmful pollutants and the discharge is made ready to send out without affecting the environment.
