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Railcar & Truck Loading Platforms
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Tank truck loading and unloading procedures are similar to railcar applications and trailers must meet established DOT requirements for transporting vinyl acetate. Approved DOT trailers include MC 307 or low-pressure chemical ISO containers. Trailers and ISO’s are typically bottom unloaded with a 2-valve extension pipe flanged to the top of the trailer.
All trailers must be equipped with pressure relief valves, and trailers with bottom outlets must be equipped with remote-controlled stop valves.
Your Project
Typically, as a starting point, we will need to know answers to these questions for your project
- The Railcar connection locations need flexibility – Do you know what the breadbasket connections look like?
- Are you using liquid and vapor arms/hose as two separate devices or a piggyback arm?
- Is the loading station indoors or outdoors?
- Is the loading area temperature controlled?
- How are you going to spot your railcars
Our highly trained technical sales team will undertake a detailed site survey prior to undertaking any work to check and clarify all dimensions, obstructions, access issues and other salient points. Our challenge is to provide the safest working environment – protecting operators and the equipment – while simultaneously enabling you to improve throughput and productivity.
Your Project Needs
Whether you are looking for a turn-key installation, on-site supervision or a maintenance program, SafeRack is positioned to assist you. We can do as little or as much as you need. Our project management and supervision team is the best in the business at supporting your company’s needs.
- Collaborative Design – Our loading platform specialists will work with you one on one, if you design to design the best loading solution for your specific needs
- Contract review – drawings and associated documents relating to the contract prior to site arrival
- Risk Assessment – Undertaking a site risk assessment
- Shipment Inspection – Detection of any shipping damage or abnormalities
- Material Receiving – Supervised off-loading and transport at site
- Installation Management – Supervised Installations and Coordination
- Start-up & Commissioning – On-site training for both users and maintenance personnel
Loading Arms
Generally speaking, SafeRack recommends rigid pipe loading arms where possible for the following reasons:
- Balanced throughout their movement envelope
- Designed not to hit the ground – protecting the asset and the operator
- Ergonomic – one man operation
- Fitted with manual or actuated valves.
- Fitted with optional purge/vent facilities
- Can be moved into position with ease and left hanging in the air while the operator prepares the tanker connection
- Parked neatly
Hoses require:
- Annual pressure test
- Are difficult to stow neatly when not in use
- Can be dropped
- Can be driven over
- Are very heavy to use if fitted with a valve at the tanker connection point
- Cannot be easily heated or have vent/purge valves fitted to it
- Prone to catastrophic failure
Typical Vinyl Acetate Loading Platform
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Vinyl Acetate Loading Arms | |
 | Vinyl acetate is typically loaded into railcars or tank trucks via boom-supported stainless steel loading arms or chemical hoses with a flange connection. The arm or hose has a top inlet with a control valve to ensure that it is self-draining after use and is supported by a by-pass arm along the length of a mechanical loading arm to improve handling. This can be installed with one liquid and one vapor arm, or both the liquid and vapor hoses can be mounted on a single by-pass arm. Typical unloading procedures call for a rigid stainless steel self-draining loading arm with Viton, PTFE, or EPDM seals. Purge lines can be fitted to the arm for nitrogen purging. Additional features such as parking latches with proximity sensors can be incorporated into the total system to ensure the arm is correctly stowed when not in use before any rail movement can occur.
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Loading Gangways & Safety Cages | |
 | A wide 48 – 60″ access gangway is preferable, as it helps improve access and egress to and from the vessel. In addition, a wide gangway will reduce the risk of the operator’s PPE getting caught, torn, or damaged, improving productivity and safety. Hydraulic and pneumatic-powered gangway solutions improve ergonomics and provide ease of use for operators, even in a loss of power situation. Gangways are fitted with a two-rail safety cage for the railcar crash box. Centered 6’x6’ or 7’x8’, the safety cage sits directly over the cashbox. This provides a safe, secure work environment for operators. |
Vinyl Acetate Eye Wash/Drench Showers | |
 | ANSI guidelines state that an eyewash/drench shower needs to be located 10 seconds or 55’ (16.8m) from contaminants or hazardous materials. Eyewash stations need to be on the same horizontal plane with no obstructions. Installation of a standard combination drench shower/eyewash unit can save space and fits easily into any work environment. |
Vinyl Acetate Spill Containment | |
 | Spill containment pans are provided at the point of loading operations and are an essential component in overall site safety and environmental protection. |
Vinyl Acetate Grounding | |
 | Vinyl acetate is a combustible liquid and vapor. Industry best practice includes the grounding of all vessels before starting the loading or unloading process.
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Vinyl Acetate Safety Gates | |
 | Safety Gates are installed at the top of stairs and any other openings to ensure operator and visitor safety at all times.
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Vinyl Acetate Custom Options | |
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Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements | |
 Eye/Face Protection: Wear chemical safety goggles. A face shield (with safety goggles) may also be necessary.
(APF = 10) Any chemical cartridge respirator with cartridge(s) providing protection against chlorine*; or any supplied-air respirator*. *Reported to cause eye irritation or damage; may require eye protection. APF = Assigned Protection Factor Recommendations apply only to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) approved respirators. Refer to the NIOSH pocket guide to chemical hazards for more information. | |
| Use a local exhaust ventilation and enclosure, if necessary, to control the amount in the air. Consider using a corrosion-resistant exhaust ventilation system separate from other ventilation systems. It may be necessary to use stringent control measures such as process enclosure to prevent product release into the workplace. Use backup controls such as double mechanical pump seals to prevent the release of this material due to equipment failure. | |
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SUCCESSFUL VINYL ACETATE LOADING PROJECTS
Vinyl Acetate 101
Things to know about vinyl acetate
Vinyl acetate is regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and is classified as a flammable material with the DOT identification number UN 1301.
Vinyl acetate is an industrial chemical that is produced in large quantities in the United States. It’s a clear, colorless liquid, and is slightly soluble in water with a sweet, fruity aroma. Vinyl acetate is a very flammable liquid and vapor and can be ignited by heat, sparks, or flames. Vinyl acetate is used in the production of many industrial chemicals, primarily to make glues for packaging and the building industry. It’s also used in the production of paints, textiles, paper, and as a coating in the making of plastic films.
Only properly trained and equipped personnel should be permitted to load or unload vinyl acetate tank cars and tank trucks. Operators should wear approved PPE equipment including impervious clothing, footwear, gloves, and goggles.
Vinyl acetate can be hazardous to human health and acute exposure can cause respiratory irritation and organ toxicity. Do not breathe dust, fumes, mist, or vapors. Use only outdoors, or in a well-ventilated area.
First-aid measures for exposure include:
- Remove operators from the source of exposure and into fresh air.
- Remove contaminated clothing immediately.
- Wash skin thoroughly with soap and water.
- Flush eyes with tepid water for 15 minutes.
- If ingested do not induce vomiting, but immediately call your local poison control center.
Aspiration into the lungs can cause fatal chemical pneumonitis. If ingestion has occurred, assume there is a risk of aspiration into the lungs. Vinyl acetate is not corrosive and works well with aluminum and stainless steel. Carbon and milled steel are rated “C” or “fair” with softening and/or loss of material strength; therefore it is not recommended for long-term use.
Is your plant or facility compliant with ANSI, OSHA, and local safety codes? We can help!
EMERGENCY EYEWASHES / SHOWER EQUIPMENT AND THE ANSI/ISEA Z358.1 – 2014 STANDARD
Following eye contact, you must start washing with water immediately to prevent permanent damage. In the event of skin contact, you must start washing with water immediately to prevent slow-healing chemical burns.
Are you aware that ANSI guidelines state that Eye Wash/Drench Showers need to be located 10 seconds or 55′ from contaminates or hazardous materials and located on the same horizontal plane, with no obstructions? If bottom loading/unloading, an additional shower should be located at grade as well. SafeRack provides the above equipment plus much more needed to keep employees safe and expedite bulk chemical loading and unloading.
OSHA Regulation Experts – Does your existing chemical safety equipment or chemical loading systems meet OSHA’s latest requirements? SafeRack’s professional technical sales consultants are available to meet with your team to make recommendations to keep your facility in front of OSHA’s ever-changing country and region-specific standards and regulations, including lifeline and trolley beam fall arrest systems, metal stairs, and access platforms.
Installation Gallery
Why SafeRack?
The SafeRack approach is a collaborative one. Let’s call it The SafeRack Way. We have, over many years amassed a great deal of experience and understanding of the safety aspects involved in loading road tankers and railcars, as well as the behavioral habits of the operators.
Experts In Chemical Loading
North America’s largest loading terminal
World-leading designer, manufacturer, and installer of truck and railcar loading platforms
As one of the primary railcar loading points, Hardisty is one of the major crude oil hubs in North America and a major origination point of pipelines that export to the United States. SCS was asked to supply and construct a SafeRack crude oil loadout terminal spanning nearly half a mile. The USD Hardisty terminal can load up to two 120-railcar unit trains per day and consists of a fixed loading rack with 62 railcar loading positions enclosed, separate control, operator, and mechanical buildings, as well as a unit train staging area and loop tracks capable of holding multiple unit trains simultaneously. SCS also supplied and installed boom-supported loading arms with supply and vapor management systems.