No company ever wants to be involved in an accident, but safety-conscious companies find ways to manage risk and minimize costs should an accident occur. The Dycho Company, Inc. ("Dycho"), is one of these companies. Dycho, a company of 19 employees with headquarters in Niota, TN - half-way between Knoxville and Chattanooga - has operated for 52 years as a provider of complete chemical services. Its product line includes a full line of industrial and water-treatment chemicals. Throughout its history, the company had never experienced an accident with chemical spill potential.

That was all about to change. It had just turned 8:00 a.m. when Tracey Simpson, president, received the phone call he'd always feared. "I always knew that an accident was possible given the number of deliveries we make every day," says Tracey. "I just kept my fingers crossed that it would never happen, and if it did, that no one would get injured."

The accident involved one of Dycho's six delivery trucks. Dycho's driver was on his way to Fairfield Glades, TN, traveling on a narrow road, when an animal jumped in front of the truck. The driver's instinct to avoid the animal resulted in a quick swerve, toppling the truck. As the truck skid to a stop, it hit a power pole, which tore the roof from the truck. The force of the accident ejected the trailer's load.

After learning that the driver escaped the crash with a broken collarbone, Tracey turned his attention to the chemicals that were on board. The trailer was loaded with 200 bags of salt - each holding 50 pounds, and four containers of sodium hydroxide 50%. The sodium hydroxide was being transported in Hoover Materials Handling Group, Inc.'s. APR® (All-Poly Reusable) Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC).

On his way to the crash scene, Tracey began calculating how much product could have been lost. The reportable spill level of sodium hydroxide 50% is 1,000 pounds. When he arrived at the scene, Tracey saw bags of salt strewn about with crystals all around the accident area. It took him longer to locate the APRs. One APR was hurled down a ditch into a wooded area approximately 60 feet from where the trailer came to rest. When he approached the APR he was amazed to see it looked intact. Upon closer inspection, the APR was free of leakage. Tracey was in disbelief.

"I was tickled to death that Hoover APRs held up under such strenuous conditions. I always knew Hoover supplied the highest quality IBCs on the market, but had no idea they were this good. We've been purchasing the APR because our customers like them. They are easy to maintain with no wire cage to worry about rust or corrosion, and with a quick pressure wash, the APR is presentable."

Hoover's APR is an all-poly, reusable IBC assembled of a rotationally molded, linear LDPE bottle secured to a plastic pallet. The durable design promotes longer life, low maintenance costs and corrosion resistance, while storing liquids up to 1.9 specific gravity.

The cleanup from the accident was not completed until 2:00 a.m. the next morning, and as a safety precaution, nearby residents were evacuated from their homes for several hours. While The Dycho Co. experienced significant clean-up expenses, Tracy estimates it would have been at least double had it not been for the strength of Hoover's APR. "I never thought much about it before, but I'm sure glad we trusted our products to Hoover", said Tracey.

For more information on Hoover Materials Handling Group, Inc.'s. APR Intermediate Bulk Container, call 800/844.8683, or visit www.hoover solutions.com.