Industrial Spill – Immediate Steps
Industrial companies know that an industrial spill is complicated to manage – especially if it’s an emergency. No matter the type of fuel, most spills can be avoided by keeping a proper maintenance schedule. Here are some immediate steps you should take when dealing with a tank spill, or any industrial spill in general.
Inform Emergency Services/Regulatory Agencies
When you’re faced with a tank spill, the obvious first step is to contact emergency services, including the local fire department and hazardous material first responders, as well as OSHA and other relevant regulatory agencies.
Stop the Spill
When first dealing with a spill, you should call upon emergency responders and then have them help you assess the spill size. You must verify that no significant quantity of residual fuel remains in the tank and that no further leakage could occur. You must also contact your state regulatory agency ahead of time so they can oversee the remediation.
Spill Containment
Depending on the size of the site and spill, containing an industrial spill could involve a large team of workers. Collection trenches are helpful to prevent further migration of fuel in the event of rain. You should install booms in the trenches to collect fuel product from run-off in case of rain.
Recover the Spill
If your site cannot be accessed easily by heavy equipment, you can choose to excavate the soil manually. Soil removal should begin right away and continue until visible clean soil is present. Proper documentation should accompany the recovery process as well.
Clean/Dismantle the Damaged Tank System
Clean out any residual diesel fuel in the tank and associated piping. Try to recycle any damaged or unnecessary tank parts or pieces.
Contaminated Soil Remediation
All soil should be put into proper containers and transported for incineration. After remediation, you will need to obtain core soil samples from the remediated areas and have them compared to your State’s Soil Cleanup Guidance Levels. Clean soil should be added to affected areas to prevent any future erosion and bring the ground surface back up to grade.
Decommissioning a Tank
Even though a tank can be officially decommissioned, there could still be fuel remaining within the vessel and its pipes. If tampered with, this could cause substantial liability and hundreds of thousands of dollars in remediation costs. See more on our decommissioning services here.
An independent third-party is definitely worth the money when cleaning up an industrial spill. They can help provide guidance and monitor the completion of the cleanup job. IEC has years of experience helping industrial companies – contact us today for more information on our variety of services.
