Basic training
November 1st 2003

Eco Technology believes that spill prevention is a simple matter of performing basic procedures well. Here the company tells IP&E what these basics are and how they should be approached One third of water pollution incidents are caused by industry every year, including leaks and spills of chemicals, oils, fuel, contaminated site run off and discarded materials. Most of these incidents are the result of ignorance, apathy or neglect of basic procedures. The Regulators are getting tough on polluters. Pollution incidents can now result in large fines, prosecution, clean up costs, bad publicity, associated loss of business, and even imprisonment. The Environment Agency (England and Wales) secured fines totalling 3.6m for environmental offences in 2002, including a top fine of 190 000. The costs of pollution can be severe, and yet putting preventative measures in place can be simple and achieved at relatively little expense. Routes for pollution The key routes for harmful materials to enter our environment are via the drainage systems on site, and by direct spillage to unprotected land. Industrial and commercial sites typically have two drainage systems. However, people often confuse the two, or naively assume that any drain takes effluent away to a safe place for treatment. The surface water drainage system is designed to collect rainwater from roofs, car parks and other outside areas, and runs to the local watercourse (rivers, streams etc). Chemicals and materials entering these drains can cause serious environmental harm to wildlife, plants, fish and other aquatic life, and contaminate our drinking water sources. The foul sewer typically receives domestic sewage (from toilets, hand basins, showers, kitchen areas) and trade effluent (from industrial processes) on site. The foul sewer will ultimately run to the local sewage works. The waste treatment process is biological, and as such can be harmed by releases of certain chemicals and materials. For any discharge to the sewer, a company must legally obtain a consent or permission from their sewerage undertaker (e.g. United Utilities, Severn Trent, etc). Illegal discharges may result in court action and severe fines. For repeat offenders enforcement notices may be served, or in extreme case the sewer may be physically blocked to prevent its use. Soakaways are drains that run directly in to the ground. Spillages on unprotected land or soakaways can lead to harmful pollution of the groundwater, which may persist for decades or longer. Drain survey A drain survey is essential in order to establish where your drains are located and which system they run to (surface water or foul sewer). Best practice dictates that the drains should be colour marked both physically and on paper, with blue for surface water, and red for foul sewer. Installations such as interceptors, fire hydrants, containment devices and shut off valves should all be clearly marked. Ideally the location of spillage control equipment, and materials storage areas should be highlighted. The plan should be made readily available, and staff made aware of the colour coding. Materials Inventory In addition to health and safety requirements, it makes good environmental sense to have an up to date inventory of the materials used on site. Ideally storage areas, materials and typical volumes held, should be marked on a site plan. In the event of a spillage, information will be needed on those materials posing a particular risk to human health or the environment. Once again, this inventory and plan should be readily available. Key contacts In the event of a major spillage a telephone contact list should be readily available, to allow the right people to be notified. Spillages can happen day or night, so it is always best to have working and out of hours contact numbers. The list should include the emergency services, internal company contacts, the Environment Regulator (local office and emergency 0800 80 70 60), sewage undertaker, gas, water and electricity supplier, and waste disposal and spillage response contractor (for incidents that exceed site staff capabilities). Control equipment Good materials handling and storage are essential to prevent pollution incidents. All materials should be stored safely, preferably in a secure and bunded areas. Specific regulations apply to the storage of oils, construction and capacity of bunds. If materials are stored correctly and handled carefully, you instantly reduce your risk of spillages occurring. There has been a steady growth in the market for the supply of tanks, storage facilities and spillage control equipment. It is advisable to check your requirements carefully and take specialist advice. For example, there are three different types of man made absorbents, each with different properties. In the event of a chemicals spillage you do not want to find that your purchasing department has equipped your site with oil-only type absorbents! Response procedure and training A spillage response procedure should be drawn up, displayed and made available to all staff on site. The procedure should take in to account the site layout, drainage systems, materials use, high risk areas and potential outcomes. The procedure should be concise and simply worded. Staff should be able to assess the scale and nature of the incident and act accordingly. A major spillage is generally considered as an uncontrollable release of material, that enters the drainage systems or land. Such spillage should always be reported to the relevant Authority. Ideally staff should be involved in formulation of this procedure and discussion of possible spillage scenarios. The right training should include a `spillage' exercise, whereby water is used to represent a chemical spillage and staff asked to respond in teams, using the right equipment, just as if it were a real spillage. Only through physical practice and testing of this procedure will you be confident that it will work when it comes to the real thing. In summary, spill prevention comes down to staff awareness, good housekeeping, and effective response procedures. For further advice, free publications and training, contact Eco Technology Ltd on 0117 3101360 or visit www.ecotechnology.ltd.uk

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