On 15th May, the eight members of the Arctic Council, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the US, signed a new legally binding oil spill response accord, Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response agreement, that will attempt to codify spill response between the 8 circumpolar countries.The Council released a statement proposing that the accord will substantially improve procedures for combating oil spills in the Arctic. The agreement will provide the framework for a more integrated approach to dealing with the prevention and containment of oil spills and will encourage future national, bi-national and multinational contingency plans, training and exercises, to develop effective response measures. The Council also announced the establishment of a task force that will develop an action plan on pollution prevention in the Arctic to be presented at the next ministerial meeting in 2015.Vague on the detailSo far there has been little detail about how countries will cooperate in the event of a spill, a point that was made back in February when Greenpeace obtained a draft copy of the agreement which they described as vague at best. Further exploratory drilling in the Arctic also faces opposition from indigenous groups who have signed a joint statement rejecting such drilling for fear of the effect that industrialisation will have on their territories, and joining Greenpeace in calling for a moratorium on Arctic drilling.A Vision of the Arctic futureThe Arctic Council has also announced that 6 new countries, including China and India, have been granted observer status on the council. It is believed that with the Arctic rapidly thawing new seaways will open up and provide much quicker trade links between the West and Asia for oil and liquefied natural gas. In addition, with the chairmanship of the council passing to Canada for the next two years, their focus on creating economic development will see oil extraction move apace in the Arctic.It seems apparent now that with the legally binding agreement in place and a drive towards greater spill prevention and spill containment, that a new era of oil extraction has been ushered in. Swedish minister Carl Bildt made it clear that this agreement sends an important message to the world and more tellingly, to the major oil conglomerates who will now begin to make greater headway into the estimated 90 million barrels of oil untapped oil that lay beneath the Arctic Ocean.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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Spills of oils, fuels, chemicals and many other industrial fluids are an inevitable occurrence across warehouses and workplaces in the UK. However, the long-term effects of any spill will be largely determined by the preparedness of the first responders to the spill. Here are 10 key points to consider when assessing your companies spill procedure.1. Have you done a Site Assessment for Spill Risks?A site assessment for spill risks is the most important part of any effective spill control and must be the starting point. Even if your site only has a few simple liquids such as fuels, lubricants or cleaning fluids then regardless of the volume stored, an experienced member of your staff or a specialist spill risk assessor must carry out an assessment. Most suppliers of spill control equipment will conduct a site assessment free of charge.2. Do you know your sites drainage plan?Knowing your sites drainage plan will enable you to identify any potential routes for the escape of liquids away from the site and potentially, into the water course. Failure to prevent hazardous liquids entering the water course can result in criminal prosecution and a fine.For a comprehensive spill prevention plan your site assessment will require; A plan of the surface water drains (legally marked blue) A plan of the foul water drains (legally marked red) Knowledge of the storage and movement of liquids on your siteFor a complete guide to dealing with hazardous liquids near water see the Environment Agencys Pollution Prevention Guidelines 3, 4, 5, 13, 22 and 21.3. Have you conducted a full review of spill prevention practices before providing suitable clean up facilities?Before finalising plans for the suitable clean up of a spill it is critical to assess the key factors involved in spill risk. These are namely the transporting, handling and storage of hazardous liquids. Ensuring that your site has done everything to minimise the risk of a spill will not only limit the potential for a spill but will allow for more effective spill control. Management procedures, supervision and detailed planning of liquid movements should be antecedent to the deployment of Spill Kits. Ensuring that your liquid stores are adequately bunded is a legal requirement under the remit of the Oil Storage Regulations (2001) and can be a costly enterprise. A thorough investigation of your sites liquid storage is therefore essential before planning and implementing any spill clean-up measures.4. What are the key factors in determining spill response measures? Even though a site spill assessment is important, with all the best laid plans and spill prevention measures in place accidental spills and leaks will still occur. Therefore the first questions that need to be addressed are; Where: Where are spillages most frequent and of the most serious consequences, and to where would it drain? What: What types of liquid are being spilled? How much: Estimate the likely volume of a spill.5. What should be included in spill response measures?The primary aim is to prevent pollutants from reaching the water course so in the event of a spill your first emergency response procedure should be to protect the drainage system. This can be achieved from various methods by either; installing Penstock rings to restrict the flow of liquid, using reusable or moulded drain covers or by fitting inflatable drain sealing systems permanently in the main drains. If you are using drain covers then these need to be located near to vulnerable drains or included as part of a spill kit.Common practices should be reviewed at regular intervals to ensure that your site is compliant with the Environment Agencies guidelines. For instance, past Environment Agency reports have highlighted how vehicle washing in many industrial estates contravened EA guidelines. EA Pollution Prevention Guidelines 3 and 13 should be consulted to ensure strict adherence to the law.6. Which spill kit is right for your site?Spill kits are supplied in a variety of formats, General Purpose, Oil Only, Chemical and Specialist and range in size from 10 litres up to 1200 litres. The spill kit that will be right for your site will vary depending on the type and volume of the liquid stored on site.In many cases a strategically placed spill kit will result in faster and more effective response so consider in your spill response measures: Where is a spill most likely to occur on site? Is there a suitable kit in place or can it be moved there quickly?For instance, if you are transporting oil drums in a warehouse with forklift trucks then you would want to strategically place Oil only wheeled spill kits at various points throughout the warehouse so that they can be quickly moved into position in the event of a spill.7. Do your operators appreciate the risks and consequences of a spill?As part of a spill site risk assessment it is important to factor in how your staff would deal with such an event. In these events it is imperative that everyone who has a role to play is aware of what that role consists of and how best to undertake that role. Senior managers responsible for Health and Safety and Environmental issues are vital in conveying this message to staff and ensuring that detailed planning will result in effective action.8. What spill response training should be offered to site operators?Having the right products in the right place is only one part of the solution but carrying out professional spill training could make all the difference. Accredited spill training is provided by many spill control companies and provides a pro-active and efficient approach to spill prevention and control.9. Do you audit your spill kits?Regularly auditing spill kits is fundamental to having a thorough spill response plan and making sure that they are complete in the event of an emergency.In some cases audit covers will have a tamper proof tape seal that when broken, will alert auditors that the kit has been used and that some of the absorbents inside might need checking and replacing.To limit the potential for people using spill kits in non-emergency situations have a good supply of other absorbents ready for normal daily consumption and reserve spill kit use for emergencies only.10. How can I find out more?You can learn more on effective spill prevention and control by downloading and reading the relevant Environment Agency PPGs or by calling or emailing us at Yellow Shield.
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Since the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill chemical dispersants have been the staple of oil remediation and were used widely in the BP Deepwater Horizon Spill in 2010. Their use has now come under scrutiny amid growing concerns over the toxicity of Corexit, and according to a recently published journal; A Call for a Twenty-First Century Solution in Oil Spill Response, top level officials in the industry will have to wean themselves off a 25 year addiction to chemical dispersants.Historically, major oil spills, such as the 2010 BP Gulf oil spill, often lead to a clamouring of scientists eager to discover innovative new methods for dealing with the absorption and reclamation of oil. In the last three years researchers have been taking advantage of breakthroughs in other areas of scientific study to apply them to the costly and difficult task of absorbing oil spills. Here is a selection of some of the most promising solutions. Carbon Graphene AerogelCreated by Chinese scientists at Zhejiang University, Carbon Graphene Aerogel is officially the worlds lightest material. Seven times lighter than air and weighing only 0.16 milligrams per cubic centimetre, the aerogel is capable of absorbing up to 900 times its own weight in oil at an extraordinary rate of 68 grams per second. This could potentially have widespread applications in the oil industry where the new technology could be used in cleaning up oil spills. Significantly, once the aerogel has reached maximum saturation it can be squeezed or even burnt to reclaim the oil and then reused to collect more oil from the affected area, ultimately reducing the cost of cleanup and salvaging potentially lost oil. High-Speed Skimming VesselTraditionally booms and oil skimmers have been deployed at sea to deal with spills of oil. However, their effectiveness is greatly diminished when used in rough and windy seas or low visibility. So recognising this problem, the company Extreme Spill Technology went to work developing a new high-speed skimming vessel capable of operating in 3 metre waves, twice the height that conventional skimmers could work in. The vessels have undergone testing by the Canadian Coast Guard and the company now plans to roll the skimmers out worldwide. Peat MossA small company in Eastern Norway realised that as peat moss had astonishingly good absorbent properties it could be applied for other uses, such as absorbing oil on land and water. After conducting tests in conjunction with an outside agency they concluded that the efficacy of organic peat moss rivalled that of existing products already available on the market. In 2009 a severe oil spill on south-east coast of Norway gave the company the ideal opportunity to test out the peat moss absorbent on land, and was found to successfully absorb the oil. The company has since expanded upon the idea to use the peat as filler for absorbent socks and are now supplying fire brigades for use on minor incidents of oil and diesel spills. Looking to the FutureOil companies are already expanding their operations into unchartered territories by drilling deeper under the seabed than ever before and conducting exploratory drilling in the Arctic. Amid growing concerns over the safety and suitability of some chemical dispersants it is clear that emerging technologies will have a major role to play in the future of spill containment and remediation. If unparalleled environmental disasters are to be avoided, then the oil industry has a duty to invest in the research and development of remediation technologies at the same level that is currently provided for oil extraction. www.yellowshield.co.uk
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According to the 2011/12 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Health and Safety Executive, falls, slips and trips made up over half of all reported major injuries and almost a third of over 3-day injuries to employees. Slips and trips alone accounted for approximately 940,000 lost working days throughout 2011/12.One of the most common causes of slips and trips in the workplace is the contamination of floors by oily or greasy liquids. There is a number of spill containment products that can help eliminate many of the factors that result in workers being injured and can be employed in workshops, garages, factories or literally anywhere that stores oil drums or chemicals.Drum Spill PalletsDrum Spill Pallets, also referred to as Drum Sump Pallets, are a secondary containment system constructed using tough polyethylene that are used for the indoor or outdoor storage of 205 litre drums. If you are storing oil or chemical drums on site, then a secondary containment system such as a Drum Spill Pallet is a legal requirement, as long as it holds no less than 25% of the drums storage capacity, as stipulated in the Oil Storage Regulations (2001).Drum Spill Pallets also have a couple of valuable features incorporated into the design. Forklift pockets allow for superb manoeuvrability, while a removable grid sits within the pallet to enable easy cleaning of the contaminated sump. If you are using them for the outside storage of drums then you might want to consider using a Spill Pallet with Frame and Cover to prevent the build up of rainwater in the sump. Drum TraysDrum Trays work on exactly the same principle as the Drum Spill Pallets but are only suitable for the indoor storage of 205 litre drums. Made from tough polyethylene the Drum Trays are still fully compliant with the Oil Storage Regulations 2001 but lack some of the more useful features of the Drum Spill Pallets. Supplied without forklift pockets Drum Trays are designed to be a stationary tray for situating drums on when required. They provide a cost effective alternative to the Drum Spill Pallets.The Drum Spill Pallet and the Drum Tray are ideal products to help reduce the risk of accidents at work, leading to a reduction in lost working days and an increase in productivity.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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According to the 2011/12 Labour Force Survey conducted by the Health and Safety Executive, falls, slips and trips made up over half of all reported major injuries and almost a third of over 3-day injuries to employees. Slips and trips alone accounted for approximately 940,000 lost working days throughout 2011/12.One of the most common causes of slips and trips in the workplace is the contamination of floors by oily or greasy liquids. There is a number of spill containment products that can help eliminate many of the factors that result in workers being injured and can be employed in workshops, garages, factories or literally anywhere that stores oil drums or chemicals.Drum Spill PalletsDrum Spill Pallets, also referred to as Drum Sump Pallets, are a secondary containment system constructed using tough polyethylene that are used for the indoor or outdoor storage of 205 litre drums. If you are storing oil or chemical drums on site, then a secondary containment system such as a Drum Spill Pallet is a legal requirement, as long as it holds no less than 25% of the drums storage capacity, as stipulated in the Oil Storage Regulations (2001).Drum Spill Pallets also have a couple of valuable features incorporated into the design. Forklift pockets allow for superb manoeuvrability, while a removable grid sits within the pallet to enable easy cleaning of the contaminated sump. If you are using them for the outside storage of drums then you might want to consider using a Spill Pallet with Frame and Cover to prevent the build up of rainwater in the sump. Drum TraysDrum Trays work on exactly the same principle as the Drum Spill Pallets but are only suitable for the indoor storage of 205 litre drums. Made from tough polyethylene the Drum Trays are still fully compliant with the Oil Storage Regulations 2001 but lack some of the more useful features of the Drum Spill Pallets. Supplied without forklift pockets Drum Trays are designed to be a stationary tray for situating drums on when required. They provide a cost effective alternative to the Drum Spill Pallets.The Drum Spill Pallet and the Drum Tray are ideal products to help reduce the risk of accidents at work, leading to a reduction in lost working days and an increase in productivity.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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The civil case to determine the role that BP, Transocean and Halliburton played in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill began this week.Proceedings on first day saw the lawyer representing the plaintiffs steering committee allege that BP had put production over protection, profits over safety. Mike Underhill, the representative from the Department of Justice was equally scathing of BP, claiming that the disaster was a result of their culture of corporate recklessness. In contrast, BP chief executive Bob Dudley has maintained his belief that the oil conglomerates actions had not been grossly negligent.At the end of 2012 BP settled the criminal case out of court by agreeing to pay 2.9bn in criminal fines alongside the 5.1bn paid out to businesses and people impacted by the spill.The stakes for the civil trial are even higher; if BP is found to have been grossly negligent then they could face a maximum fine of 11.6bn, and a verdict of simple negligence would still carry a minimum penalty of nearly 3bn.The first stage of the proceedings will focus on the cause of the disaster and who is ultimately responsible for the fatal explosion that resulted in the deaths of 11 men and generated the worst offshore oil spill in US history.Transocean, the company that owns and leased the rig to BP, were also singled out for criticism. Jim Roy, representing the plaintiffs, highlighted the inexperience of Transoceans safety official and the cursory spill response training he had received stating that, Amazingly, he had never been aboard Deepwater Horizon.US contractors Halliburton are also facing allegations of negligence over their role in the disaster. They were contracted to cement and monitor the Macondo well that exploded and spewed out approximately 4 million barrels of oil, a well that Jim Roy claimed had been poorly designed, not properly tested and was unstable.BP has been quick to apportion blame to Transocean and Halliburton for their part in the disaster, but on the second day of the trial one of the plaintiffs expert witnesses, Robert Bea, a former safety expert for BP, testified that the disaster had been an example of a classic failure of management and leadership in BP.BP had tried to block Beas testimony on the grounds that he had been spoon-fed evidence and ignored the safety cultures of the other parties. Bea insisted in court that BP had the financial resources to put into place a process safety system that could have prevented the Macondo disaster.It will be the responsibility of Judge Carl Barbier to assess the evidence and to ascertain who was at fault, and whether or not it was due to simple or gross negligence.Once this has been determined the trial will enter a second stage in the autumn to calculate exactly how much oil leaked into the Gulf, and what reparations the culpable party will have to pay. However, industry experts have suggested that BP may try to settle the case out of court to avoid a potential year long court battle and the far reaching financial implications that a fine under the Clean Water Act would have.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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Last week saw the launch of The AusSpill Association (AA), a national association comprising of leading spill control companies united in a common voice to promote the concerns of the industry to government, the public and the environment protection industry alike.They define themselves as a product agnostic body that are looking to create a regulated system of product accreditation and compliance. Principally, they want the environmental regulators and the government to recognise the AA as the voice of the industry, in much the same way that the UK Spill Association is recognised by the UK Environmental and Maritime Regulators.Other key areas of concern for the AA were the classification of all absorbent types (general purpose, oil only and chemical) and the implementation of an industry-standard test for all absorbents. The main benefit being that an independent test of all the absorbent materials used will provide an unbiased judgement on the quality of the absorbent materials.In addition to the testing of absorbents, they are also seeking to establish an Australian standard for spill kits and adopt that standard for the storage and handling of all types of chemicals. Ultimately, the association is hoping that greater uniformity and cooperation within the spill control industry will enable them to assist governments in cementing and developing further international best practices for spill control policy.Standardised materials and product ranges will hopefully aid not only customers in selecting the right spill control products, but should also make the recovery of spills more efficient and effective in the long term.
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A couple of months back we reported on the result of the governments Weekly Collection Support Scheme. Local authorities were invited to apply for grants in February 2012 and around 85 local councils were awarded a share of the 250 million fund in late 2012. The initiative behind the scheme was to enable councils to institute or retain weekly wheelie bin collections.However, a House of Commons research paper published in the last week, has concluded that the majority of the councils that currently operate a fortnightly collections service will not be returning to weekly collections, although it doesnt mention which councils this applies to.The paper will come as a blow to Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, who perceived weekly bin collections to be a basic right for citizens. Despite his championing of the weekly bin collection, Mr Pickles has now implored the people to campaign their councils. This is despite the original policy stating that any council wishing to be considered for the scheme had to pledge to provide a weekly collection service to residents for at least 5 years.Some local authorities will still be instituting the use of wheelie bins and retaining weekly bin collections. For instance, Dudley council received 1.8 million pounds of government money to retain weekly collections, phase out the use of black bin liners and create a more efficient system for recycling. The council has estimated that the introduction of 125,000 wheelie bins and the discontinuation of the black bags will save the around 250,000 a year.Similarly, Darlington Borough Council has announced that wheelie bins will be rolled out across their borough from June this year. There is still one or two dissenting voices who believe that the 240 litre wheelie bins will be too large for the physically frail to handle, and have called for smaller bins to be used where appropriate.To counter act this resistance local authorities could commit to a thorough survey of their residents waste management needs to devise a far more efficient waste collection service. For instance, instead of giving every household the standard 240 litre wheelie bins, households could be assessed on the number of occupants, their waste management habits and how much waste they are likely to produce; then they could be supplied with a wheelie bin in accordance with their needs.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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A couple of months back we reported on the result of the governments Weekly Collection Support Scheme. Local authorities were invited to apply for grants in February 2012 and around 85 local councils were awarded a share of the 250 million fund in late 2012. The initiative behind the scheme was to enable councils to institute or retain weekly wheelie bin collections.However, a House of Commons research paper published in the last week, has concluded that the majority of the councils that currently operate a fortnightly collections service will not be returning to weekly collections, although it doesnt mention which councils this applies to.The paper will come as a blow to Eric Pickles, the Local Government Secretary, who perceived weekly bin collections to be a basic right for citizens. Despite his championing of the weekly bin collection, Mr Pickles has now implored the people to campaign their councils. This is despite the original policy stating that any council wishing to be considered for the scheme had to pledge to provide a weekly collection service to residents for at least 5 years.Some local authorities will still be instituting the use of wheelie bins and retaining weekly bin collections. For instance, Dudley council received 1.8 million pounds of government money to retain weekly collections, phase out the use of black bin liners and create a more efficient system for recycling. The council has estimated that the introduction of 125,000 wheelie bins and the discontinuation of the black bags will save the around 250,000 a year.Similarly, Darlington Borough Council has announced that wheelie bins will be rolled out across their borough from June this year. There is still one or two dissenting voices who believe that the 240 litre wheelie bins will be too large for the physically frail to handle, and have called for smaller bins to be used where appropriate.To counter act this resistance local authorities could commit to a thorough survey of their residents waste management needs to devise a far more efficient waste collection service. For instance, instead of giving every household the standard 240 litre wheelie bins, households could be assessed on the number of occupants, their waste management habits and how much waste they are likely to produce; then they could be supplied with a wheelie bin in accordance with their needs.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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The Arctic Council will meet in Sweden this May to approve the finalised document Co-operation on Marine Oil Pollution Preparedness and Response in the Arctic; a non-binding consensus for spill response preparedness.The 21-page paper outlines a mandate that the eight countries that comprise the Arctic Council shall maintain a national system for responding promptly and effectively to oil pollution incidents.The all encompassing agreement will stipulate that each country will be responsible for notifying about, monitoring and assisting fellow countries in the event of a spill.However, a draft of the paper, which was obtained by Greenpeace, has been criticised by various environmental groups and speakers who have called the agreement vague at best.The document doesnt get to grips with the risks of a spill in a meaningful way, claimed Ruth Davis of Greenpeace.The document makes no mention of specific details relating to how operations would work in the event of a spill, in terms of the number of ships, workers and the materials that may be required to clean up a large spill. Instead it provides a framework on how to manage spills that cross from one Arctic marine area to another.Rick Steiner, a former professor at the University of Alaska and a long standing critic of the oil industry, believes We should be far beyond this rudimentary document, and he alluded to the need for the Arctic Council to make greater efforts towards universal spill prevention.The Norwegian shipping group, DNV, also weighed in, claiming that, present oil spill response technology …cant effectively collect oil in ice-covered waters or detect a spill on water in permanent darkness and bad weather.Universal agreement on how best to handle the clean up of a spill is imperative if the oil industry is to drill in the Arctic, given that a future spill is inevitable. The document drafted by the Arctic Council will help to expedite the overly bureaucratic logistical processes involved in multiple party responses to a spill.However, the problems encountered by Shell in the infancy of their preparatory drilling in the Arctic, highlight the challenges that will need to be overcome in terms of spill prevention, spill containment and the clean up methods employed for an unprecedented spill in the Arctic.www.yellowshield.co.uk
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