David Plumb & Co keep museum safe

While the tank may have been small, the difficulty of one of David Plumb & Co’s latest projects at Worthing Museum was at the other end of the scale.

When the museum decided to change from its old oil-fired heating system to a brand new gas one, it was faced with the choice of removing the old oil tank or making it safe and leaving it where it was. It chose the later, so main contractors MBM Services of Brighton called in specialist tank cleaning and fuel site decommissioning company David Plumb & Co.

Because the 1,200-gallon tank had been housed in a self-bunding sealed room – in case of leaks – the only way to gain access was through a 2ft x 2ft hatch in a cellar wall and an even smaller inspection plate.

As much of the residual oil as possible was pumped out, to be disposed of at a specialist waste site. That is the only really mechanical part of the process.

“From then on,” says David Plumb director Nigel Plumb, “The only real way to ensure the tank is totally clean is to get in there and clean it by hand. That means the most hi-tech equipment we use is a mop and bucket and a scrubbing brush. The aim is to ensure that no remnant of oil is left behind, so that an explosive fuel/air mixture cannot build up in the tank.”

To ensure the air in the tank was safe to work in, compressed air was forced into the tank to force fumes out. The atmosphere inside the tank was then tested with an oxygen meter, before an operative in a protective suit and harness was allowed in to complete the emptying and cleaning process. The harness is to aid those outside if the inside man needs helping from the tank. All David Plumb employees who go into tanks are fully trained in confined space working.

13 October 2006

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