First things first

When looking at spill containment and control on site the first step is always planning and assessment. Assess exactly what chemicals are on site, their location and quantity, only then will you know the following:


· What absorbent to stock: Do you require chemical, oil only or universal. Or will a non selective granular be best?


· How much absorbent to stock? Only having a 25litre spill kit onsite when you regularly have over 5000litres of liquid is not sufficient


· What PPE you require for clean up


· Once absorbed does the product count as ‘Hazardous Waste’ and if so how is it removed from site


· What type of containment equipment can it be used with eg. Does it react with polyethylene or steel?


· Are the chemicals inside or outside?




With regard to planning PPG 21 suggests making a site drainage and incident response plan (guidance is available here). Having a precise knowledge of drain layouts on site allows strategic containment and control product placement. For example there is no point having a drain cover on site if it is stored inside, 200metres away from the nearest drain, wall mountable covers are available as response time to spills is critical. The same applies to spill kits and other containment devices. I have over the years seen many spillpallets stored outside under no cover with drums of oil on, what is the point? Oil floats on water and unfortunately it rains a lot in England, so at some point the oil will flow out over the top and totally defeat the object of the pallet. Maybe this is an area the Oil storage regulations missed, oil in England if outside needs to be stored in a bund capable of taking 110% of the largest container or 25% of the total whichever is the larger. But in the case of single drums 25% will do? Last time I checked UK mean average rainfall was 926.9mm so surely I shouldn’t be putting a drum in a device capable of taking 51.25litres, here lies the problem it is not so much how much the containment device can take, but the drum needs to be placed within a covered unit therefore not allowing rainfall intrusion plus giving additional benefits such as security and preventing the drum from weather degradation.




Planning and assessment also helps offsite teams if a major incident occurs and can help prevent pollution from spreading. Drains can be shut off or blocked and the clear up procedure can begin. After all I’m sure prevention is better than cure .

Where to start?

When thinking about spills the first thought in most minds is the Exxon valdeze disaster, an oil tanker that most people remember from the television. It actually ranks low on the list in terms of volume of oil released, but its remote location made government and industry response efforts difficult due to it only being accessible via boat or helicopter. The truth of the matter is oil spills occur everyday, even though oil is a natural occurring liquid, found in porous rocks underground, when spilt or allowed to escape into the environment it has such a devastating effect on wildlife and habitat that we cannot just allow oil pollution to occur.

Around 33,000 oil pollution accidents happen every year in England and Wales, with the Oil Storage regulations 2001 introduced to discourage pollution incidents. But has this worked? Maybe, but not enough is being done. With Scottish Oil Storage regulations affecting storage of oil within a building - England and Wales must follow suit. You only need to go to your local garage to see oil drums of various sizes sat outside corroding away, but who is going to stop them? The Environment Agency? Do they have the time or the resources to police - I don't think so, what inevitably happens is someone is out walking the dog and spots oil on the surface of water and reports it to the Environment Agency who then investigates and traces the oil back to the source. Surely a more proactive approach is required; fines need to be higher, more random site inspections must occur, companies must be made aware that if they pollute they will be prosecuted and a black mark goes against the company name. You could introduce a penalty offences scheme whereby if 3 incidents occur at your site, trading must be ceased. If you have pets and are caught mistreating them and you are found guilty you can be forced never to keep animals again. Yet if you pollute the environment you can pay your fine and be on your way, surely if we care about our planet and want to protect it, pollution, and in particular spills need to be more than a thought of an oil tanker from March 24, 1989.