New oil storage regulations ahead
May 26th 2005 To bund or not to bund – will you be legally compliant by 1st September 2005?
Oil and fuel account for around 5000 pollution incidents every year. The main causes of oil pollution are loss from storage facilities, spillage during delivery and deliberate disposal of waste to drainage systems. Bulk storage tanks with inefficient bunding often pose the greatest potential spillage risk on site
Enforcement of The Control of Pollution Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 comes into effect on 1st September 2005
The regulations, which aim to reduce oil pollution incidents by 50%, affect all industrial, commercial or institutional sites that externally store at least 200 litres of oil in drums, intermediate bulk containers or fixed tanks. As from 1st September, bunds that are not in line with legislation will be illegal
Common problems with bunds include insufficient capacity, structurally unsound or permeable walls and unsealed or badly sealed pipes that exit bund walls. Many drains lead directly to rivers, streams or lakes. If oil is allowed to enter these drains, it has the same effect as pouring it directly into the watercourse. Highly visible, even at low concentrations, oil pollution can make drinking water unusable, harm wildlife and, if released into groundwater, can cause long-term damage
The Environment Agency, responsible for enforcing the regulations throughout England, takes a very strong line with polluters especially when negligence is a significant factor. Failure to comply with legislation and best practice could result in court proceedings and heavy fines. In order to bring oil storage facilities into compliance with the legal standards by September 1st, it may be necessary to repair, reconstruct and/or reline bunds
Construction of a new bund at Exchem Mining & Construction Exchem Mining & Construction manufactures quality, innovative resin products for the construction, mining and tunnelling industries. Products include chemical anchors that are labelled and packaged to customer requirements for global distribution. Polyester resins used in the production of these products are stored externally in three bulk storage tanks with a combined capacity of 50 tonnes
Malcolm Mackenzie, materials manager at Exchem Mining & Construction, explained, “Fosse Liquitrol carried out a detailed site survey that identified various issues relating to the risk of oil and chemical spillage. One problem that the assessment identified was that the existing bund containing our polyester resin holding tanks was inefficient and, in the event of a tank split, would be unable to withstand the lateral force of a resin spill
Construction and lining of a new bund was advised, in line with The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001. Fosse Liquitrol carried out all the necessary works, including demolition of the existing bund, specification of the appropriate Glass Reinforcement Product and construction and lining of a new bund. The work was carefully prepared, professionally carried out and we are very pleased with the results.” Relining an existing bund with a Glassfibre Reinforcement Product system can provide strength, long life, efficiency and effectiveness, providing the bund is structurally sound and large enough to comply with legislation
Relining of an existing bund at Reckitt Benckiser Reckitt Benckiser’s manufacturing facility in Kingston upon Hull is their production centre for healthcare products, in particular, Dettol. As a world leader in antiseptics, the company was keen to ensure that their bulk storage bunds containing tanks with capacities up to 70 000 litres each of fuels, oils and caustic were made impermeable in the event of a spillage from the tank. Fosse Liquitrol carried out bund relining work to the full satisfaction of the project management, within 6 days, with careful consideration to the sensitive nature of the site in relation to the production of antiseptics
Act now to ensure compliance with legislation by 1st September Miles Hillmann, managing director of Fosse Liquitrol, advises, “To ensure compliance with the impending enforcement of The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001, companies should ask themselves if their oil storage facilities meet all the minimum standards. Simple and cost effective solutions can minimize health and safety risk to workers in addition to helping prevent environmental damage, large fines, adverse publicity, environmental clean up costs and the loss of high value liquids in the event of an accidental spill.” To assist companies that store oils, fuels, chemicals or other hazardous materials on site bring their spill prevention and control facilities in line with the regulations, Fosse Liquitrol is offering a free site survey. Assessments provide diagnosis and recommend practical solutions in a written report that can be used to assist with insurance quotations and to support IS) 14001 applications. More articles from Fosse Ltd: | 
