The fact that transport related spills can occur almost anywhere, (In the depot, at the customer’s yard, from loads in transit and not forgetting leaks from the vehicles themselves) makes understanding the risk and preparing for incidents very important.

The Environment Agency recorded over 500 incidents in England and Wales involving transport, cargo, storage and distribution during 2009 with environmental pollution (which is a criminal offence even if it is as a result of accidental release) incidents resulting in many cases.

Data gathered on the causes of road and transport related pollution incidents that occurred during 2009 showed that:

20% were as a result of illegal and poor practice

19% as a direct result of a road traffic accident

18% from accidental spills

12% from fires

9% poor management of equipment, materials, waste and facilities

4% poor management and control

18% other causes

It goes without saying that it’s of paramount importance to understand all the hazards and potential risks in your operation to allow an evaluation to be made about what actions and training needs to be put in place. This process should be carried out on a regular basis to incorporate any new or changed operations and typically should include areas such as:

All the vehicles on site including battery operated versions

All vehicle related activities; such as refuelling (including Adblue), wash down, cleaning and maintenance and servicing

Storage and disposal of all the new and used products required to maintain your fleet (oil, coolant, lubricant, chemicals, fuel, batteries, tyres brake pads etc.)

Goods in storage and on vehicles

On site catering facilities (new and used cooking oil)

Having understood what products you have on site or in transit is only the beginning of the process, you need to understand your site drainage system, both surface and foul water to allow you to know where a spill can flow to. How would you seal them in the event of an incident?

It isn’t always the size of the spill that determines its seriousness, small amounts of “the wrong” product accessing a water course or causing ground contamination can just as easily cause major harm to the environment.

For a comprehensive plan to work your thinking must include planning for once your vehicles leave your site and how you respond to emergencies that may happen out on the road or on your customer’s premises.

The process of carrying out a spill risk assessment can be time consuming and it can be easy to miss areas that you would not necessarily associate with spills. Failure to implement and action appropriate plans will at some point lead to a pollution incident with the potential result being prosecution with fines and or imprisonment, clean up costs, increased insurance premiums or even a refusal to renew, financial penalties from customers or even lost contracts as a result of adverse publicity. So why not utilise the experience of others, an “outside” pair of trained eyes will at the very least confirm what you already know but more often than not, see something that has become commonplace to you. Our experienced managers are available to provide you with a confidential report at no cost and without any onus on you to purchase anything. 

As an ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 18001 accredited UK manufacturing company Empteezy Ltd has more than 24 years experience in the spill containment and spill control industry and uniquely we are the only one that manufactures absorbents & spill kits, rotationally moulds spill pallets and fabricates fully compliant bunded steel storage units for drums and IBCs in our own factories.

One of the critical areas not to overlook when assessing your spill hazards is the involvement and training of your staff, they are pivotal to a successful plan. By involving and encouraging ownership by the people who are likely to encounter an incident you will minimize the risk of it occurring in the first place. The best written plan is nothing without the full understanding and backing of the people who will action it.

When researching legislation and other information to help you plan don’t forget to utilize the UK agencies whose role it is to “police” the environment. The Environment Agency is a good source, providing invaluable advice on reducing risk and improving environmental performance. Websites like www.netregs.gov.uk and www.environment-agency.gov.uk provide guidance including Pollution Prevention Guidelines (PPGs) which cover legal and good practice requirements including:

Oil storage PPG 2

Oil separators PPG 3

Refuelling facilities PPG 7

Vehicle washing and cleaning PPG 13

Pollution incident response planning PPG 21

Incident response – dealing with spills PPG 22

Don’t forget to discuss any plans you make with your insurance provider, they will often have a view on the direction you should take and a decision taken without consulting them could increase your premiums or invalidate a claim.

The bottom line is you have a responsibility to plan and train for all eventualities on your site, your customer’s site and while your vehicles are on the road. We can help you with your planning and training and can of course advice you on the right spill kits, drain blockers, drain covers, sorbent materials, spill pallets etc to ensure you can deal with minor spills and, more serious incidents in a safe and professional way. To discuss your requirements why not contact us for a first chat to see how we can help you, call 01506 430309 or mail advice@empteezy.co.uk

Spill containment, spill control, absorbents, spill kits and waste handling from the only company in its business sector to hold ISO 9001, ISO 14001 & ISO 18001accreditation. Empteezy Ltd are a UK manufacturing company with over 24 years experience in the design, manufacture, distribution and sale of steel storage units for 205ltr drums and 1000ltr IBC, rotationally moulded polyethylene spill pallets, drum funnels, storage cabinets, bins and carts. These are supported by our own EEZYSORB® and Hexadyn® range of absorbent pads, rolls, socks, cushions and booms in General Purpose Maintenance, Oil Selective Environmental and Maintenance and Chemical formats. Our comprehensive portfolio of spill kits for all sizes of spill includes 9ltr grab bag kits, 62ltr Spill Doctor™ portable kits to 600ltr cupboard kits. And with a wide range of containers available we can make kits to your own specification.

All our drum and IBC storage containers are manufactured to ensure compliance with the English and Scottish Oil Storage Regulations with sumps holding 110% of the single largest item stored or 25% of the combined total (if more than one item is being stored) whichever is the greater. Our fire rated versions have had the components used in their manufacture independently tested to ensure they comply with BS EN 1634-1:2000

For smaller quantities of liquid we have UK standard, Justrite® FM approved and 90 minute fire rated laboratory cabinets. As a major distributor of Justrite® products we carry significant stocks of safety cans, laboratory waste cans, oily waste cans, dip and wash tanks, safety funnels, taps drum vents and anti static wires.

In the event of a spill splashing a member of staff we offer the Speakman® range of emergency showers both free standing and wall mounted, eyewash and eye/face wash basins, laboratory handheld drench hoses and portable systems.

Our waste handling attachment skips for fork lift trucks are available in Auto Tipping, Auto Dumping and Roll Forward versions enabling the user to take waste from the workplace to a skip in a safe and controlled manner and dump it automatically. No wires, no climbing on the mast, its all safely controlled from the cab.

Uniquely we manufacture all our absorbents, steel containment, polyethylene spill products and waste handling skips in our own factories and with operation in the UK, Estonia, Belgium, Holland, France, Spain, Italy, UAE and Hong Kong we are well place to serve you locally or internationally.

Why you must store oil carefully

Oil accounts for over one quarter of all pollution incidents in the UK. Many drains lead directly to rivers, streams or lakes. If you allow oil to enter these drains, it has the same effect as pouring it directly into the watercourse. You may be prosecuted and fined if oil from your site enters the ground or watercourses and you may have to pay substantial clean-up costs too.

If you store oil in England or Scotland, you must comply with the general requirements of the Oil Storage Regulations. These regulations do not apply in Northern Ireland and Wales however you should still consider meeting the requirements of the regulations, as they aim to prevent water pollution. If you pollute water you are committing an offence and you may be prosecuted and fined.

Check your storage equipment: You must use oil containers that are strong enough and that are unlikely to burst or leak during ordinary use. You must store containers within a drip tray, bund or any other suitable secondary containment system. This is to contain any oil that escapes from its container.

For oil tanks, intermediate bulk containers and mobile bowsers, your secondary containment system must be able to hold:

At least 110% of the volume of any single container in the storage area, or if there is more than one container 110% of the largest container’s storage volume, or 25% of their total volume (whichever is greater).

For drum storage your drip tray must be able to hold at least 25% of the total storage capacity of the drums. 

Don’t forget wherever possible to locate the secondary containment system somewhere it will minimise the possible damage from vehicles. You must also ensure that the base and walls of your bunds are impermeable to water and oil.

Also remember that the base and walls of your bund must not be penetrated by any valve pipe or opening that is used for draining the system.  Where a fill pipe is not within the secondary containment system, you must use an additional drip tray to catch any oil spilled when the container is being filled. You should ensure this drip tray cleaned and emptied before each new delivery.

Why not take advantage of our free of charge, confidential and without onus site assessment, an outside pair of trained eyes to help ensure you are fully compliant.

 Call or email us to arrange your assessment today - Tel: 01506 430309 Email: andrew@empteezy.co.uk