| Centralised manifolds & warning systems |
The asphalt plant at Morrinton, near Dumfries, is operated by Bardon Aggregates which has instituted a number of improvements:
• all four bitumen delivery pipes have been brought to a centralised manifold point. For sites requiring
split loads, this has the mutual advantage that the delivery tanker does not have to move to deliver to
another tank
• all tanks have been fitted with both “high” and “ultimate high” warning lights, the latter being
accompanied by audible warnings. These warning lights and siren are located immediately above the
clustered delivery pipe flanges
• fire extinguishers are located in a protective, rapid-access, cabinet adjacent to the manifolds
• the emergency shower is now connected to the mains water supply.
NB: Header tanks should not only be insulated to stop freezing, they should also have some form of
rudimentary heating system. Dousing a person with near-freezing water is likely to exacerbate the shock
resulting from a bitumen splash – Editor |