Construction Contractors: Do You Know What Your Hired Cement Truck Drivers Are Doing With Their Washout Slurry?
Do you own a construction company and hire subcontractors to mix and pour concrete foundations? If so, pay close attention to how those cement truck drivers take care of their trucks at the end of the day. If they aren't taking the proper measures to wash out their trucks' chutes hoppers, and drums, you could be contributing to environmental harm and leaving yourself susceptible to steep fines imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Dangers Of Cement Washout Slurry
Cement trucks drivers need to wash out their trucks regularly to prevent any residual mix from drying and building up inside their chutes, hoppers, and drums. To do this, they run a high-powered stream of water through their truck components. However, cement is highly acidic, and if the slurry that is discharged during this process is allowed to leach into the ground it could pose great risks to aquatic plants and animals in the surrounding area.
The Associated Consequences
Should the cement truck drivers you hire fail to appropriately contain their washout slurry, they could face state fines of up to $10 per gallon of slurry illegally dumped, plus $10,000 per day until the cleanup is complete. On a federal level, fines could exceed $27,000 per day. And if you happen to know that your hired work is illegally dumping concrete slurry and you allow them to continue working and don't report the problem to the Environmental Protection Agency, you could be held partially responsible for the fines your subcontractor accrues.
Ensuring Correct Procedures At Your Construction Site
The easiest way to ensure that the cement truck drivers you hire are properly disposing of their cement slurry is to make it convenient for them to do so. Start by contacting a local dumpster rental service and requesting a portable cement washout roll-off dumpster.
Get A Portable Containment Bin. Washout roll-off dumpsters are designed to streamline the process of containing and disposing of cement slurry. They're completely leak-proof, and come with ramps that allow cement truck drivers to easily back their vehicles up so that the slurry discharges directly into the containers.
When a dumpster is nearing full capacity, you can call the waste service and have them pick up the slurry and transport it to a recycling facility, and they'll drop you off a new containment bin while they're at it. They'll also inspect every containment bin before they drop it off, so you never have to worry about a washout contamination occurring due to faulty equipment. The best part about cement washout roll-off bins is that they can move with you. When you have a new job site to go to, just contact your waste service and request a driver come and transport the bin to your new location.
Go Over The Rules. Will your roll-off bins in place, the only thing left to do is to make sure that the cement drivers you hire use them. Upon hiring any new cement truck driver, be frank -- let them know that they have access to a portable washout bin and if they agree to work for you, they must also agree to use the bin you've provided when cleaning out their trucks. Doing so will allow you peace of mind in knowing that every bit of dangerous cement slurry produced by each job is being correctly disposed of and not polluting your local waterways and threatening the financial state of your business.
Some cement truck drivers may argue that they have their own washout bins at their own facilities, but the only bins that you can know for sure are 100 percent in compliance with the EPA's guidelines for cement slurry containment are the bins that you have sitting on your construction site.
Cement washout slurry is dangerous to the environment and if your business is associated in any way with its illegal dumping, you could be in big trouble. Set your business up for washout bin dumpster service so you know that your cement truck drivers always have a safe place to dispose of their slurry, and require that every single cement truck driver that does work for you use the on-site containment bins you've provided. For more information about disposing of construction waste, contact a company like Tri-State Disposal.
