Have you ever seen the warnings from your local water or sewer provider or your septic tank cleaner not to pour grease down your drains? This can cause some serious backups, as grease can accumulate and block water flow, leaving you with both a major plumbing bill and a lesson learned. While households may not produce that much grease, restaurants generally produce enough to require the installation of a grease trap. What a grease trap does is separate the water from the grease, which is denser and heavier than the water, before the water leaves the building and enters the sewer system.
13 WHAM reports on new suggested regulations for grease traps after a 3-year-old boy dies in a tragic accident.
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The victim’s mother experienced something that many, if not every, parent has experienced at some point. She had no one to watch her child and had to work a shift at Tim Horton’s. Monday morning, the child fell through the grease trap cover outside the University Avenue Tim Horton’s. The 3-year-old child was pronounced dead at the hospital.
In the wake of this tragedy, legislation has been drafted in Albany to address the issue and hopefully, prevent future incidences. The legislation outlines four key safety measures, which if passed, grease traps must adhere:
- Covers must be bolted or locked when unattended
- Signs informing people of the potential dangers placed in the area of the grease trap
- Covers can no longer be made of plastic and must be made of metal
- Annual inspections will be required
The legislation will be up for consideration at the next legislative session.
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