Introduction
This blog is a continuation of Part One of Spill Response, Abatement, and Reporting. This section will cover topics such as importance of employee training, mitigating spills, and proper protocol for employees in the event of a spill. If you have not read the first section of this blog, check it out for free under the blog section of our website and the link will be attached at the bottom of this blog!
Employee Training
Training and preparing your employees for emergency situations such as spills, and releases is critical to the minimization of damage in the event of an emergency. Emergencies can be caused by equipment failures, third party causes, natural disasters, etc. Having custom training plans for your employees including direction on who to call in the event of a spill, supplying employees with spill kits, and other various relevant training can help prepare your employees for emergencies and can generally save a large amount of money in the long term.
Mitigating Liability
Although this section is generally focused on maintenance shops, these strategies and tips are good to know for anyone.
- Proper storage for fuel and other chemicals
- Proper housekeeping for vehicle maintenance areas
- Spill, prevention, control, and countermeasure plans; stormwater pollution prevention plans; etc.
- Proper recordkeeping for waste disposal
- Properly remediate and report (if necessary) spills
- Have a contingency plan
- Review and maintain adequate insurance coverage
Sticking to these basic points can help to both prevent spills from happening and can help to ensure a faster clean up when spills inevitably do occur.
Secondary Containment Systems for USTs:
Examples of secondary containment in substation design:
Mitigating Spills
It is very important to have employees prepared in the event of a spill. However, it is also important to actively try to prevent the risk of a spill in the first place. These strategies can help to both minimize damage and prevent spills in the first place.
- Establish policies and procedures for employees to follow (notification, containment, etc.)
- Properly report the incident, as appropriate
- Have spill kits stocked and available
- Plug holes or tears in containers
- Design sites with the potential for spills in mind
- If it is a leak from a vehicle, be selective of parking/stopping locations
- Have support resources available before they are needed
If there are no spill kits available, earthen resources can be used as well:
In the event of a punctured tank or leak many things can be used to plug or stop the leak:
Extra Tips
- Train employees to work with authorities at incident scenes, and advise them of your company’s contacts and procedures
- Do not allow employees to talk to the media
- Refer the media to their manager or the proper company representative
- Advise employees not to sign any response contractor’s contract at the incident scene (without management approval)
Conclusion
A severe spill could happen with no notice which is why it’s so important to always have a plan and to be prepared. At Highlands Environmental Solutions, we have trained professionals to help with any of your environmental needs. From preparing for spills to cleaning them up, HES has got you covered! For more information, reach out to info@hesnc.com to see what we can do for you!
Spill Response, Abatement, and Reporting; Part One – Highlands Environmental Solutions, Inc.
