The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) today announced the release of its new Barrel Handling Safety Best Practices Guide developed by member company experts and available to all industry members. This guide represents the first major best practice guidance document on barrel handling for the distilled spirits industry.

The DISCUS Safety & Risk Management Committee prepared the guide with the purpose of sharing best practices and strategies for safely handling the standard 53-gallon barrel around distillery premises.

“Regardless of the warehousing scheme or sophistication of a distilled spirits operation, handling, moving, and transporting distilled spirits barrels remains one of the most dangerous tasks for staff at a distilled spirits plant,” DISCUS Chief Legal Officer Courtney Armour said in a news release.

“With the recent growth of barrel-aged distilled spirits products, more distilleries than ever are handling barrels in their warehouses and around their premises. This guide was developed by top distilled spirits safety experts as a resource for distilleries large and small to help reduce accidents and protect the health and safety of their employees.”

The guide outlines detailed best practices covering loading and unloading full and empty barrels; popular barrel warehouse systems; barrel handling during filling and emptying; how to identify and safely fix common barrel cooperage issues; and the importance of employee safety training.

The Barrel Handling Safety Best Practices Guide is free for all DISCUS members. For nonmembers, the cost is $195, which includes a PDF version and a printed copy. For more information and to request a printed copy, visit the DISCUS Publications and Resources page or email [email protected].

NEWS: We are proud to release the Barrel Handling Safety Best Practices Guide developed by member company experts, representing the first major best practice guidance document on barrel handling for the distilled spirits industry.

Read more: https://t.co/eThIoslYTT pic.twitter.com/Qjbt8xi0iS

— Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (@DistilledSpirit) May 6, 2024

DISCUS Academy Webinar June 17

DISCUS will also be hosting a free DISCUS Academy webinar June 17 at 1 p.m. EDT that will provide an overview of the DISCUS Barrel Handling Safety Best Practices Guide, detail how the guide can be utilized to help safeguard your operations and employees, showcase instructional videos, and share critical insights from DISCUS Safety & Risk Management Committee members and their Health & Safety teams. Please visit Barrel Handling Safety Best Practices | DISCUS Academy to register for the webinar.