Top 3 Reasons for Secondary Spill Containment
At Consolidated Containment, we believe that investing in our planet means investing in the environment. That’s why we’ve been making products that help save our planet for the last eight years.
Investing in spill containment is investing in the future of our planet. The EPA and OSHA have created guidelines specifically pertaining to secondary containment to make sure that when spills or leaks happen, those exposed to the chemicals and the environment surrounding the spill are safe. Without secondary containment, the environment surrounding the spill and employee health could be compromised, which is why secondary containment is so important.
It’s the law
There are several regulations in place that protect your facility and employees from the hazards of keeping oils and chemicals on site. EPA guidelines guard US waterways against oil and other spills, and OSHA guidelines guard employee safety and facilities from hazardous chemical spills.
However, each organization is responsible for making sure its facility is ready for the worst and that includes making sure employees are adequately trained for such an occasion. There are several online resources for understanding the regulations the EPA has.
The EPA has a guide to the Spill Prevention Control, and Countermeasure Rule (SPCC), and OSHA and the US Department of Labor have some helpful information on hazardous waste collection and health risks.
Reduces risk of hazardous spills
In 2021, the EPA found that 8% of inspected facilities did not have an SPCC plan, and 92% of inspected facilities did not have contingencies set in place for general secondary containment and sizing secondary containment correctly. It’s important to assess the materials your facility has.
This means asking questions like:
- What chemicals/hazardous materials do we store?
- What are the best ways to store them and be in compliance with regulations?
- How much secondary containment do I need?
- What safety precautions do employees need to know in dealing with these hazardous materials?
A great resource for making sure you have enough secondary containment are these Secondary Containment Calculation worksheets. Also, be sure to review the organization’s Facility Response Plan, and get familiar with it.
Guarding your investments
When working with expensive equipment, it’s important to maintain it. If a spill occurs without proper secondary containment, it has the potential to ruin other equipment and instruments, and the environment, or even expose employees to hazardous chemicals. Having the correct secondary spill prevention in place means you’re not only guarding your investments, but you are guarding the environment, the facility, and employees’ health. Understanding Exposure Evaluation is imperative when guarding the organization’s investments. OSHA has a handy database of occupational chemicals to help facilities understand the best way to handle them.
By investing in secondary spill containment, we are investing in our planet and protecting the environment and those that live in it. The EPA and OSHA are two resources that help facilities maintain environmental and safety integrity. It’s up to us to make sure that the environment, our facilities, and our employees are safe, after all, as Wendall Berry said, “The earth is what we all have in common.”