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How to Select the Plastic Drum That is Right for Your Facility
Jump to: The Advantages of Plastic Barrel Drums | What are the Applications for Different Poly Drums? | Find Plastic Barrel Drums That are Right for You
Plastic barrel drums are polyethylene containers that can be used in a variety of applications and industries. For facilities that use or store hazardous substances, plastic barrel drums can help to protect personnel and assets from being harmed by dangerous materials. Poly drums from Eagle incorporate design features and product testing that make them ideal containers for storing and transporting hazardous materials.
Selecting the right plastic barrel drum depends on what the container will be used for and in what context. All poly drums from Eagle share certain design features that make them reliable storage containers. To help you find the poly drum that is best suited to your needs, here is a look at the design specs that are common to all plastic barrel drums, as well as an outline of each plastic barrel drum’s intended application.
The Advantages of Plastic Barrel Drums
Blow-molded HDPE construction. The high-density polyethylene (HDPE) construction of plastic barrel drums from Eagle offers the ideal balance of density and molecular weight distribution. The advantage of using these drums to store and transport hazardous materials instead of other safety drums is that plastic barrel drums have a high impact strength even in very low-temperature conditions.
Additionally, plastic barrel drums offer chemical resistance to a wide range of chemicals, making them suitable for use with many different hazardous materials. These drums also provide abrasion resistance that prevents gouging and scuffing during transportation.
Nestable and Stackable. Plastic barrel drums are stack tested at maximum weight up to three barrels high for 24 hours in order to ensure optimal storage capability. Additionally, these containers feature a nestable design which offers a safer storage option. The bottoms of each container fit easily inside the lids for convenient stacking. This feature helps to prevent the barrels from shifting and sliding during storage.
Highest Industry Ratings. All plastic barrel drums from Eagle are United Nations (UN) HM-181 certified, which is the transportation rating system recognized by the Department of Transportation (DOT). These containers are approved for the storage and transportation of packing groups I, II, and III, making them ideal for transporting hazardous materials.
Additionally, plastic barrel drums feature a UL 94HB flammability rating which means that they are identified as self-extinguishing plastic. These containers also feature a food-grade quality FDA 21 CFR 177.1520 rating from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
What are the Applications for Different Poly Drums?
While all plastic barrel drums from Eagle share similar design features, different kinds of poly drums are manufactured to perform in certain environments or handle specific materials. To help you find the drum that is best suited to your facility, here is an overview of the various poly drums available from Eagle.
Plastic Lab Pack Drums. For transporting non-leaking waste materials or chemicals, plastic lab pack drums are ideal. These drums are designed to hold smaller non-damaged bottles, cans, carboys, and 5-gallon pails of non-leaking hazardous substances. Lab packs are not intended to store free liquids or chemicals.
These drums feature a durable design and lightweight construction that makes them easy to transport and store. In addition to storing non-leaking containers, they are also suitable for storing biowaste and incineration items. The HDPE used to construct plastic drums incinerates completely and leaves no residue.
Poly Salvage Drums. Salvage drums are designed to contain damaged or leaking containers of hazardous materials or used absorbent materials contaminated with hazardous substances. These drums are manufactured with a white lid and a metal lever-lock band that ensures a secure closure for added security.
Salvage drums from Eagle are pressure tested to ensure maximum storage capacity. These drums are available in a variety of sizes and configurations, including 55-gallon salvage drums with lever-lock rings and 95-gallon drums with metal-bolt rings. Plastic and metal lever locks can be easily closed without tools and will keep contents secure.
Plastic Overpack Drums. For larger storage items, including non-damaged containers, cans, or drums of non-leaking hazardous materials, overpack drums are ideal. Overpack drums can be used to contain leaking 55-gallon drums safely. By filling the overpack drum with sorbents, these containers can secure other containers that are leaking dangerous chemicals. Overpack drums should not be used to contain free liquids.
These drums feature a screw on lid that is easy to remove and are constructed with the same thickness as the rest of the drum. In addition to the safe storage of larger hazardous materials, these drums are suitable for use with biowaste and incineration items.
Find Plastic Barrel Drums That are Right for You
Eagle is the industry leader in workplace safety equipment. We have supplied a variety of industries worldwide with the tools they need to handle hazardous materials safely. To protect your staff and comply with regulatory requirements, take a look at our extensive product catalog and find the plastic barrel drum containers that are best suited to your storage and transportation needs.