Hazardous material containment and storage unit

A hazardous material containment and storage unit is disclosed. The unit comprises a basin in which a plurality of molded plastic pods are positioned to form a support surface for placing containers of hazardous material such as conventional fifty-five gallon drums. Each pod may be molded form a collection basin so that only individual pods have to be removed and cleaned when a spill occurs. The containment tray formed by the basin and pods may be enclosed by a plurality of door structures pivotally attached to a door support arch. The vertical sides of the door support arch are positioned within recesses and attached to ledges on the outside surface of the basin. Each door structure has a top, side and front panel which covers a separate quadrant of the containment tray when the doors are closed. A pod for supporting a conventional drum in a generally horizontal orientation over the basin is also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention relates to a containment and storage device for 
hazardous material, more particularly, to a device for storing containers 
such as metal drums filled with hazardous material and for containing 
spillage that may occur from the containers. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
Worldwide industrialization has led to the increased use of materials which 
are environmentally unsafe and which in some cases are extremely toxic to 
humans. Although the problems associated with toxic waste have been known 
for some time, the severity of the situation has only been recognized in 
the last few years with the result being that legislation has been passed 
in the United States of America and in many other countries which provides 
stringent requirements regarding the collection, shipping, containment and 
storage of hazardous materials. Collection of hazardous materials in 
storage drums has become commonplace, but the drums can easily develop 
leaks over time. Periodic inspection can locate slow leaks, but 
catastrophic failure of a drum can occur and result in spillage of a large 
quantity of hazardous material. During shipping of the storage drums leaks 
are more likely to occur due to the vibration and jostling which can occur 
during transport, and leaks during this time can result in extremely toxic 
material being released onto the highway or along the railway. After 
shipping, simply placing such drums on the ground or floor for storage is 
not acceptable as a certain percentage of the drums are likely to develop 
leaks which will contaminate the soil or building in which the drums are 
being stored. If the drums are stored in an outside location exposure to 
the elements (rain, wind, snow, ice) will tend to weaken the storage drum 
and will result in an increased probability of leakage. 
Leakage of the drums during shipping and storage has been partially dealt 
with by the use of containment trays which will contain the contents of at 
least a single 55 gallon drum. Various containment trays have been 
developed and have features which include an elevated surface on which the 
storage drums (typically four) are placed, and forklift channels which 
allow the tray to be lifted by a conventional forklift. It is important to 
keep the height of the containment tray and elevated surface as low as 
possible, since a reduced height means a lower lifting distance and will 
also maintain a safe distance between the storage drum and the face of the 
worker. The elevated surface has been formed in a number of ways, most 
simply by placing a wooden pallet in the tray, or by the use of transverse 
bars or a grating which is supported by the edges of the tray. Because the 
grating or bars do not usually have sufficient strength to support the 
weight of the four drums, methods have been developed to support the 
gratings or bars in the center as well as the edges. The most common 
method is to provide indentations in the center of the tray bottom which 
rise to support the grating. The use of these support members requires a 
higher side wall in order to achieve the same or similar containment 
volume of the tray without internal support members. This results in 
raising the overall height of the support surface unless the perimeter 
dimensions of the tray are expanded. Expansion of the perimeter dimensions 
is not desirable, because it is customary to size the tray to conform with 
industry defined standards, i.e., the size of a typical pallet. 
Furthermore, a higher support surface results in greater difficulty or 
effort for loading drums of hazardous material onto the surface and 
potentially creates a less safe environment by raising the level of the 
drums closer to the face of the worker loading the drums onto the support 
surface. 
When a leak in the drums occurs, hazardous material will spill into the 
containment tray. This typically requires the entire tray to be unloaded 
in order to clean the tray, particularly in the instance where the tray is 
not compartmented to contain the spill within a limited portion of the 
tray. Dividing the tray into discrete compartments necessarily reduces the 
containment volume of a tray having a given height, thereby necessitating 
an increase in the height of the side walls to maintain an equivalent 
volume capacity. Also, spillage is not always readily detectable, 
particularly when the spillage is slight, because the grate or other drum 
support surface obstructs the user's view into the bottom of the tray. 
For protection of the storage drums from the environment, storage sheds 
have been developed in which storage drums can be pushed into, and which 
have elevated floors which allow collection of any leakage in the bottom 
of the storage shed. While these sheds do protect the drums from the 
elements, the additional step required in removing a drum from a 
containment tray to place it in a storage shed means putting the worker in 
close contact with the drum, and stressing the drum by lifting and/or 
pushing it. 
For the foregoing masons, there is a need for a structure which can serve 
as both a containment tray having a relatively low drum support surface 
height and as the basis for a storage building which can be easily erected 
over the tray to protect the storage drums, as well as allowing periodic 
inspection to determine that there has been no leakage of the drums. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
A hazardous material containment and storage unit is disclosed. The unit 
comprises a basin in which a plurality of molded plastic pods are 
positioned to form a support surface for placing containers of hazardous 
material such as conventional fifty-five gallon drums. Each pod may be 
molded form a collection basin so that only individual pods have to be 
removed and cleaned when a spill occurs. The containment tray formed by 
the basin and pods may be enclosed by a plurality of door structures 
pivotally attached to a door support arch. The vertical sides of the door 
support arch are positioned within recesses and attached to ledges on the 
outside surface of the basin. Each door structure has a top, side and 
front panel which covers a separate quadrant of the containment tray when 
the doors are closed. A pod for supporting a conventional drum in a 
generally horizontal orientation over the basin is also disclosed. 
The present invention is directed to an apparatus which satisfies the need 
for a structure which can serve as both a containment tray having a low 
storage drum support surface height and as the basis for a storage 
building which can be easily erected over the tray to protect the storage 
drums. In at least one embodiment, the structure of the present invention 
also allows easy periodic inspection to determine that there has been no 
leakage of the drums. The apparatus comprises a basin which serves as a 
containment tray, one or more support pods positioned within the basin 
upon which the drums are placed, an arch support ledge which may be 
integrally attached to the basin, a door support arch which attaches to 
the arch support ledge by a convenient attachment means, and door 
structures which are hinged onto the door support arch such that upon 
closing of the door structures the drums are enclosed within the structure 
.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
In describing the preferred embodiments of the invention illustrated in the 
drawings, specific terminology will be used for the sake of clarity. 
However, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms 
so selected, and it is to be understood that each specific term includes 
all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish 
a similar purpose. 
With reference to the drawings, in general, and FIGS. 1 through 17 in 
particular, the device of the present invention is disclosed. 
As shown in FIG. 1, the hazardous material containment and storage unit 
comprises a basin 10 upon which is attached a door support arch 40. Door 
structures 120 are attached to the door support arch 40 by means of a 
hinge 60, which further comprises a hinge pin 66 which forms an axis about 
which the door structures 120 rotate and can be closed to protect drums 
70. Handles 23 shown in FIG. 1 can be used for lifting or as a point for 
tying down the entire structure. 
Further detail of the basin 10 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 5 which is 
the side view of the basin 10 and clearly shows a bottom 11 which connects 
to the side 12; in addition there are first forklift channels 20 which are 
spaced such that a conventional forklift can lift the structure, and an 
arch support ledge 25 for attaching the door support arch by means of 
screws or bolts which enter door support arch fastening holes 26. The top 
view of the basin given in FIG. 4 shows the basin 10 with an integrally 
molded support pod 100. Four of these pods can be placed in the basin 10. 
Drums can then be placed on top of the pods. The combination of the pods 
in the basin forms a containment tray which has a volume sufficient to 
contain at least 55 gallons. The integrally molded pod 100 shown in FIG. 4 
has at least one hole 101 which in the event of leakage from a drum will 
allow liquid to flow into the area underneath the integrally molded pod 
101 and will allow air to flow out. FIG. 4 also illustrates the first 
forklift channels 20 as well as a second set of forklift channels 21 which 
allow the structure to be picked up by a forklift from any of the four 
sides. The arch support ledge 25 can be seen in FIG. 4 as well as the door 
support arch fastening holes 26. The ends vertical arch sides 44 of door 
support arch 40 are positioned within arch support recesses 28 and are 
fixedly attached to arch support ledges 25. The recesses 28 provide 
vertical stability for door support arch 40. 
It is possible to see how a door support arch 40, a front view of which is 
given in FIG. 12, can be mounted on basin 10 by means of the arch support 
ledge 25 and door support arch fastening holes 26. The door support arch 
40 of FIG. 12 has arch fastener receiving holes 48 which permit the door 
support arch 40, when mounted on the arch support ledge 25, to be fixedly 
attached usually by means of bolts or screws which are accommodated by 
threads in the arch fastener receiving holes 48. This does not imply that 
the door support arch 40 needs to be fastened to the arch support ledge 25 
by screw or bolt means, as any suitable means of attachment can be used 
including gluing or welding. Referring again to FIG. 12, the door support 
arch has vertical arch sides 44 and an arch top 46, and the hinge 60 to 
which the door structures are attached. It is also possible to include a 
storage shelf 140 in the door support arch 40 by fixedly attaching the 
shelf to the inner sides of the vertical arch sides 44 by suitable means 
which can include but is not limited to screwing, bolting, gluing or 
welding. Static grounding and bonding straps 142 can be attached to the 
shelf or another portion of the door support arch which can employ a 
conducting material to provide a path to ground so as to insure that the 
drums do not build up a large static charge which can be extremely 
dangerous in the case of flammable or explosive materials. A typical 
application of the static grounding and bonding straps 142 would be to 
connect them from a storage shelf 140 which is made out of a conducting 
material and which is connected by a copper wire or braided mesh wire to 
an external ground. This can be realized most simply by running the copper 
wire or braided mesh wire to outside of the containment and storage 
structure and grounding at a rod or simply by insuring contact with the 
earth. Contact with the earth does not always guarantee a good ground but 
in the case of materials which are not extremely flammable or explosive a 
grounding rod may not be necessary or required. The storage shelf 140 
provides additional storage space for small cans of hazardous material or 
possibly safety equipment. 
The bottom view of the door support arch shown in FIG. 13 illustrates the 
fastener receiving holes 48 and a hinge pin receiving hole 68. The top 
view of the door support arch given in FIG. 10 further illustrates the 
hinge pin receiving hole 68 of FIG. 13. The door support arch is typically 
hollow to reduce weight, and subsequently has an inner structure which can 
collect moisture or possibly condensed vapors from any leaked materials. 
As shown in FIG. 11 a side vent 42 is provided to allow moisture to 
escape. 
By placing four pods in the basin 10 a containment structure is formed 
which provides leakage control for drums 70. Door support arch 40 may be 
attached to basin 10 by any suitable means such as bolts, clips and the 
like. A preferred attaching means is illustrated in FIGS. 4, 12 and 13. 
Vertical arch sides 44 of door support arch 40 are positioned within 
recesses 28 on the exterior side of the side walls of basin 10 and 
attached to the arch support ledge 25 by means of fastening devices 
entering the fastening holes 26 and terminating in the fastener receiving 
holes 48. This forms a rigid structure to which the door structures 120 
can be attached by means of the hinge 60 and hinge pin 66. Also, any 
runoff from rain or the like is directed along channels 50 outside rather 
than into basin 10. 
The hinge 60 is formed by molding the door support arch 40 and door 
structures 120 in such a manner that complimentary hinge portions are 
formed. This is illustrated in FIG. 6 where a horizontal cross section of 
the hinge 60 at a first location on the door support arch 40 with the door 
structure 120 in place is shown and the door support arch hinge pin 
receiving portion 61 of the door support arch 40 can be seen forming part 
of a hinge which allows rotation of the door structure 120 about the hinge 
axis formed at the center of hinge pin 66 which passed through the door 
support arch hinge receiving portion 61. In FIG. 7 a horizontal cross 
section of the hinge 60 at a second location on the door support arch 40 
is shown where the door structure hinge pin receiving portion 122 receives 
hinge pin 66. The hinge 60 is formed between the alternating sections 
shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 because the hinge pin 66 passes through 
receiving portions in both the door support arch 40 and the door structure 
120. Once the door structures 120 are in place, they can be rotated about 
the hinge axis formed at the center of hinge pin 66 and be closed to 
protect the drums from the elements. The hinges is positioned within 
drainage slots 50. Preferably, drainage slots 50 extend the entire length 
of door support arch 40. Because the vertical arch sides 44 are mounted on 
the outer side of basin 10 in recesses 28 on arch ledges 25, water from 
rain and the like is drained outside of the structure rather than into 
basin 10. 
Each doors structure 120 has a door top panel 123 integrally attached to a 
door side panel 126 and a door front panel 124. In combination with the 
hinge mounted on the vertical arch sides 44, this configuration for door 
structures 120 facilitates unencumbered access by a worker to 
substantially the whole drum stored within the quadrant. When the door 
structures are closed, they form the four sides and roof of the storage 
unit. Since each door structure allows access to a separate quadrant, it 
is not necessary to move or remove a drum in order to gain access to 
adjacent drums. Furthermore, it is not necessary to incorporate additional 
space within the structure to allow the worker to enter into the structure 
as is the case in previously known storage sheds. This feature also 
enhances the safety of the storage unit of the present invention, since 
the worker is not required to enter into a shed which is potentially 
inadequately ventilated. 
A door locking mechanism may be comprised of two metal structures which 
permit the insertion of a traditional lock structure with a combination or 
a key, or a more complicated door locking mechanism which is molded into 
the door structures themselves. The type of locking mechanism will depend 
on the degree of security that is desired and the exact mechanism used is 
not critical to the description of the hazardous material containment and 
storage unit provided here. A placard holding mechanism (not shown) may be 
fixedly attached to one or more door structures which allows placement of 
descriptive signs or literature which describes the content and handling 
precautions of the hazardous material stored inside the unit. This is a 
particularly attractive feature since it enhances worker safety by 
insuring that there is a place for identifying the material. The placard 
holding mechanism may be a slotted frame which is molded into the door 
structures 120 or can be a frame which is glued to the door structure 120. 
The exact type of placard holding mechanism is not critical to the 
invention but its incorporation into a door structure 120 provides for 
easy identification of the contents of the containment and storage unit. 
In this unit there are several possible embodiments for the support pods 
upon which the drums rest. It is possible to make support pods in a single 
manufacturing step resulting in an integrally molded support pod 100 as 
shown in FIG. 4. The top view of this integrally molded support pod 100 is 
shown in FIG. 8 and illustrated the top surface 106 as well as channels 
102 which permit drainage of liquids from leaks on the bottom of a drum 
and holes 101 which permit air to escape as liquid begins to accumulate 
underneath the pod. The side view of the integrally molded support pod is 
shown in FIG. 9 where both the top surface 106 and side 107 can be seen. 
Molded indentations 103 are also shown in FIG. 9 and correspond to the 
indentations in the bottom 11 of basin 10 which form either the first 
channels 20 or second channels 21 which permit lifting of the structure by 
a forklift. If both first and second channels are present in the basin 10 
the side view of the integrally molded pod 100 will be the same on all 
four sides. The pod is preferably molded from polyethylene by rotational 
molding or injection molding. The principal advantages of the integrally 
molded pod are the ease in manufacturing, its light weight and low 
displacement volume within the basin, and the ability to nest the pods 
when not being used. 
An alternative form of pod is the support and containment pod 148 pod, a 
top view of which is shown in FIG. 14, and a vertical cross section being 
shown in FIG. 15. Referring to FIG. 15 the support and containment pod 148 
comprises a bottom surface 158 and a side surface 160 which are joined to 
form a leakproof container. The top surface 156 comprises a recessed 
support channel 150 which receives the rim of a drum, effectively 
preventing it from moving, and directs spillage to a spill monitoring 
reservoir 152. Reservoirs 152 collect leakage from a drum and provide a 
convenient means for identifying if there has been leakage from a 
particular drum. The corresponding top view of the support and containment 
pod 148 in FIG. 14 shows the recessed support channel 150, the spill 
monitoring reservoir 152 and a drainage hole 154. The drainage hole is of 
critical importance since only a small amount of liquid can be contained 
in the spill monitoring reservoir. Excess liquid flows down the drainage 
hole 154, the opening of which is a few millimeters above the bottom of 
the spill monitoring reservoir 152. In this way a small amount of liquid 
remains in spill monitoring reservoir 152, but the excess flows into the 
support and containment pod 148 associated with the drum that has the 
leak. The advantage of the support and containment pod 148 is that it 
allows monitoring of leaks and maintains the leaked liquid within a 
container and does not contaminate the entire basin. In the event that a 
few gallons leak it is possible to contain the liquid within support and 
containment pod 148 and remove the leaking drum and support and 
containment pod 148. In the event of catastrophic failure of a drum, the 
support and containment pod 148 associated with that drum overflows and 
the excess overflow is contained within basin 10 and other support and 
containment pods. FIG. 17 illustrates a support pod 170 which is adapted 
to support a conventional drum in a generally horizontal orientation. The 
base 172 of support pod 170 is adapted to be positioned within 
approximately on half&the basin 10. Base 172 may be open to basin 10 or 
may have an integrally attached bottom to form a reservoir for containing 
spillage. Drum support portion 176 positioned above base 172 is adapted to 
receive the side of a conventional fifty-five gallon drum. Cross channels 
177 serve to channel spillage to main channel 179 which is oriented 
lengthwise below the drum when it is in position on the drum support 
portion 176. Drain channel 180 directs spillage from main channel 179 
through grate 174 into basin 10 or, alternatively, into base 172 when the 
bottom of base 172 is enclosed to form a containment pod. 
There are a number of clear advantages to this invention which can be seen 
by considering the use of the disclosed containment and storage unit. A 
basin is configured with support pods of the integrally molded support 
type or of the support and containment type, depending on the requirements 
for ease of monitoring leakage of drums. When placed in the basin the pods 
cannot move substantially because their sides are adapted to be positioned 
within the recesses formed by the forklift channels. Drums containing 
hazardous materials can be loaded onto the support pods by workers or by 
automated lifting equipment. Because the pods are designed to have a low 
displacement volume, the overall height of the basin with pods is kept to 
a minimum, which makes for ease of lifting the drums and maintains a safe 
distance between the drum surface and the face of the worker. A forklift 
can be used to lift the basin and drums and load them onto a truck, train 
or boat for shipping. Upon arrival at their destination, the basin and 
drums can be unloaded. If the basin and drums are to be stored for a long 
period of time (typically years) it may be necessary to enclose the drums. 
At this point a door support arch can be attached to the arch support 
ledge, and door structures can be added. The drums can be grounded using 
the grounding and bonding strap which is attached to the storage shelf. 
Additional materials can be stored in the storage shelf if required. At 
this point the door structures can be closed and locked. Information 
regarding the contents and inspection dates can be placed on a placard 
which is held in the placard holding mechanism on the door structures. At 
periodic inspection dates, the door structures can be opened and if the 
support and containment pods are used a visual inspection of the spill 
monitoring trench will indicate a particular drum is leaking. 
Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail 
with reference to certain preferred version thereof, other versions are 
possible. For example: the sequence of events described in the previous 
paragraph are only exemplary and it is possible add the door structures 
immediately after loading of the basin with support pods so as to provide 
a closed container for shipping of the drums. Therefore, the spirit and 
scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of 
the preferred versions contained herein.