While performing asbestos removal work at a plant which manufactures feminine hygiene products, Marcor, the US-company that provides industrial cleaning and vacuuming services, was asked to look at a very unusual job. A massive proliferation of cotton fibres adhered to every surface, from floor to ceiling. It almost looked as if it had snowed inside the building.
After unsuccessful attempts by several other contractors, Marcor was asked to devise a method for removing cotton fibres from two separate manufacturing areas. The two rooms, with 30-foot ceilings and covering a total area of about 20,000 sq. ft, contained 30 tightly-packed machines used in the manufacture of feminine products. As a routine part of the manufacturing process, the machines released an abundance of cotton fibres. The released fibres were everywhere – on machinery, lights, rafters, HVAC units, ducts, fan motors, etc. The manufacturing areas needed a thorough cleaning. In addition, the plant would need continuing, periodic cleaning at regular intervals.
The most difficult aspect of the project was accessing 30-foot-high ceiling areas, where much of the debris had accumulated.
Marcor’s Design/Fabrication/R&D division devised an efficient, cost-effective industrial cleaning/vacuuming methodology. It included Marcor’s Guzzler™ vacuum system and several vac-packs. Four 32 hoses, each 100 feet long, were attached to the Guzzler™ for sucking debris from problem areas. Some scaffolding was used to reach high areas, but, in most instances, one- and two-man lifts positioned among the tightly-packed machinery were the only means of accessing hard-to-reach surfaces in the high-ceiling areas, which held much of the debris. The backpack-vacs were attached to the technicians on lifts as well to the workers combing the floor areas and machinery. The Guzzler™ and backpack vacs were periodically cleaned, and all debris was disposed off as non-regulated waste.
Following completion of the project, the client was 100% satisfied and very impressed that Marcor’s first attempt at this challenging project had succeeded.
