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RIGHT The initial inspection of the 1,420,000 gallon steel tank revealed lead in the exterior coating, as well as lead and chromium pigments in the interior coating. Further inspection of the interior revealed pitting with as many as 10 deep holes in the floor. entire tank and clean it out before applying the coating system at once. Dehumidifying the environment below 40 percent will then stop the corrosion process when the equipment is running 24/7." According to the project specs and Alpine's own confined space entry protocol, each crewmember would have to check in with an attendant every time they entered the space. And every crewmem- ber and attendant received confined space training — and periodic refresher training — according to OSHA standards. The interior of the tank was sandblasted to "near white metal," (NACE No. 2/SSPC-SP-10), using 12-40 coal slag abrasive recom- mended by the coating manufacturer for the surface profile. To achieve this, Alpine had four interior abrasive blasters working as well as a pot tender managing the six-ton abrasive pots and bulk storage trailer on site containing the abrasive. Two 900 CFM Sullair 900 H compressors located outside the tank were used to supply the air for the abrasive blasting. All crew members wore PPE with Bullard 88 supplied air breathing blast hoods and Miller fall protection. The Alpine crew used an additive called Fesi-bond, to pretreat the lead before removal of the abrasive from the interior of the tank. The shell manways/manholes were 30 inches in diameter so the material was removed by a Mini-Veyor portable conveyor system and also by hand. The removal process was intense for the crew. Scaturro explains, "They had to shower and change their clothes in a decontamination trailer before leaving the work site each day due to the lead abate- ment process." They didn't want to risk any lead contamination. Once the lead-based paint had been removed, the steel was then blown down with compressed air and the full-time TIC on-site Write in Reader Inquiry #164 88 CoatingsPro J January 2009