The Risks of Overlooking a Bird-Waste-Free Work Environment
Bird waste in substations is a significant threat that is easy to underestimate as a mere nuisance. Because substation operators may not understand the seriousness of the threat, keeping a substation free from bird waste and preventing bird incursions may be lower priorities than other operational challenges. But the consequences of inaction are great:
When utilities and power producers with a severe bird problem eventually do turn their focus to remediation, they discover the many challenges they face:
PROTECTING WORKERS
Substation personnel face risks at an infested substation site. Particles of dried excrement can become an airborne pathogen, and fresh bird droppings — or an area of accumulated bird droppings that has recently been rained on — create a slip-and-fall hazard inside a substation. Even performing routine maintenance may require extra training and the use of additional respirators and other personal protective equipment. In addition, workers who understand the health risks may be leery of working near feces-encrusted equipment.
CLEANUP COSTS
Removing accumulated bird droppings is necessary to mitigate the health risk, but it’s also expensive. Utility Products notes that utility companies pay high costs to “constantly clean and repair the damage caused by build-ups of bird feces. It is often necessary to take systems offline for cleaning and repair.”
THE THREAT TO RELIABILITY
Droppings contain ammonia and high levels of uric acid, which eats away at surfaces over time. Bird feces can be corrosive to building materials and equipment. Dried, accumulated bird droppings can also become conductive “streamers” after periods of rain or mist. These “streamers” can cause flashovers, fires, and outages.
The only sure-fire way to keep bird waste from reaching problem levels is to make your substation a place where birds don’t want to be.
TransGard can help. Our proven full-spectrum bird-repelling system keeps birds from entering, roosting, and nesting in substations. If you’ve got challenges with birds, or would like a free audit to assess the problem, contact us today.