Oil and Fluid
Work entailing contact with oil and fluid
All types of used lubricants are classed as environmentally hazardous waste products. When a lubricant has been used it will generally be much more harmful than one that has not been used.
Lubricants contain many environmentally harmful substances and are not as a rule easily degradable when they are disposed of into the environment. Lubricants contain chemical additives to improve their functionality. In many cases, these additives can induce allergic reactions and skin irritation as well as posing a health hazard or causing environmental damage.
Cars with automatic transmission
About 3-4 liters of fluid collects in the torque converter housing of an automatic transmission. This fluid should be drained off, as it is an environmentally hazardous waste product. Drain the torque converter housing as follows:
1 Unscrew the drain plug and drain the transmission of fluid.
2 Drill a hole in the torque converter housing.
Important
Wear protective clothing, including close-fitting and impermeable gloves, wherever possible.
Do not wear clothes or shoes that have been soiled by oil or fluid.
Use a barrier cream. Apply it to your skin before each work shift and it will be easier to wash off oil and fluid.
Wash thoroughly with soap and water so that all oil and fluid is removed (special skin cleansers and a nailbrush will facilitate this).
Do not wash off oil and fluid with gasoline, paraffin, diesel oil or thinner. Solvents will cause the oil and fluid to penetrate your skin.
Clean open sores immediately and bandage them. Should any skin trouble develop, see a doctor.
Oil filter
Used oil filters are classed as environmentally hazardous waste products. About 3-4 deciliters of oil is left in each oil filter after use.
Filter pressing
The best way to deal with used oil filters is to squeeze the oil out of the inserts. Using an oil filter press or oil filter cutter, the filters are drained of waste oil more effectively at the same time as the volume of the drum is utilized more efficiently.
In the case of filter pressing, the oil filter must be cut open and the insert separated from the metal casing before the oil is squeezed out of the filter.
Oil filters are collected, squeezed or unsqueezed, for transport to a suitable plant for further processing. The metal parts of the squeezed filter can be sent to a scrap recycling center.
WARNING
Avoid prolonged and repeated contact with oil and fluid, particularly waste oil which is injurious to health and harmful to the environment.