Factories, or sections of a factory, may often reach a point where their intended use is no longer valid. Therefore, they will need to be decommissioned to allow the building to be demolished, dismantled, or repurposed. It can be a highly complex procedure and means following the correct guidance and finding a business that deals with commercial metal recycling. At Morecambe Metals, we pride ourselves on our industrial dismantling and commercial metal recycling services. We can carry this out for you and your business with a safe and efficient approach. We can work with everyone from small trading estate sites to large warehouses and heavy-duty utility sites, which means no job is too big for our specialist team.
What is The Purpose of Factory Decommissioning?
When a building is no longer in use for the purpose it was built, it reaches an end-of-life stage, at which point the process of determining the closing procedure of the building will begin. Decommissioning ensures the building is left empty and in a safe state that will not cause harm to either the environment or the public. The building will likely go through dismantling, demolition, or repurposing following a decommission.
An empty building containing dangerous equipment or hazardous materials poses a risk to the general public, so the process must be planned and followed carefully.
Planning And Defining The End-State of The Factory
Before the decommissioning takes place, there must be on-site surveys and reviewing of all the machinery on the premises. This will cover a full dismantle and decommission, or if the building will still be partially operative during the process. In the event of the latter, it is important to identify all the building components that will still be in use as the decommissioning is carried out. The surveys will also cover extensive research of any machinery to be removed and potentially dismantled. The importance of this stage is to ensure the removal or dismantling is carried out safely and in line with the most up-to-date procedures. This process also allows the team to solidify a contingency plan for any issues.
The Process of Decommissioning – Factory Clearance
Once the reports and assessments have been carried out, the removal and disposal stage of the decommissioning can commence. This is where industrial dismantling companies like Morecambe Metals come in. Our specialist staff are fully trained in the most up to date policies for health and safety, guaranteeing the correct use of personal protective equipment and the dismantling of buildings and equipment. So there is no need to worry about this yourself; hiring our team will take all the strain away from you and your business.
The first step in industrial dismantling. At this stage, a clean and decontamination of the building and equipment are carried out; doing this allows for any chemicals or contaminants to be stripped away and for the equipment to be dismantled safely and helps in the process of recycling the waste materials.
Once the clean is complete, equipment is removed from the building; if the machines are due to be relocated, they will be moved to another facility at this stage. If the equipment is scheduled for dismantling, this is carried out on site. Finally, the materials are transported to a scrap metal waste treatment facility like Morecambe Metals to be sorted, processed and recycled.
The reports and research generated at the decommissioning stage will be referenced for each piece of equipment to ensure the machinery is taken apart and recycled safely and efficiently.
When Decommissioning Leads to Industrial Dismantling
Quite often, once a building has been decommissioned, it will need to be dismantled. The difference between choosing to dismantle a structure instead of demolishing it allows the further use of the materials taken from the building. Whilst demolishing may be a quicker process, materials are often destroyed, rendering them unusable again. Dismantling allows for the recycling of materials and less waste, lessening the environmental impact on the area.
Our facilities at Morecambe Metals can deal with all commercial metal waste. We have licences to achieve this, ensuring the structure is disassembled in a safe and orderly process. With 35 years of experience in scrap metal recycling and our specialist equipment, we guarantee your building will be disposed of in an environmentally positive execution. Our recycling facility can deal with various materials, from ferrous metal recycling to non-ferrous metal recycling.
If you have any questions about our industrial dismantling or commercial metal waste services, feel free to get in touch today and see how Morecambe Metals can help you in the factory decommissioning process.