Oil spill prevention can be a challenge. But there are some things that can be done that will either prevent oil spills from happening altogether -- or at least provide some degree of damage control.
In order to prevent oil spills, it's important to ensure that there is always at least one extra layer of protection between the oil and the surrounding area. So if the oil is stored in drums or barrels, don't just set those barrels down on the shop floor, and don't just pile them onto the tractor trailer either. That's just asking for trouble.
Instead, look for ways to create a double layer between the oil and the environment. Fortunately, there are numerous products available that help with that. The most obvious would be pallets, which come in various shapes and sizes.
For example, oil drums in a facility can be kept quite safely on pallet platforms. And if pallets aren't practical, you can even get drum storage cabinets to keep them safe.
In addition, there are other types of oil spill prevention tools: spill berms! These can be used to contain a spill if one should occur. They are arranged around the oil spill so that the oil won't spread into sensitive areas.
Spill berms are also available for use on or around trucks. They can even be used as a surface on which the drums are placed to begin with.
But what if a spill happens after all. Sure, berms can contain the spill, and so can pallets. Once a drum leaks, however, there is another part that needs to be taken care of. The oil needs to be cleaned up.
And at that stage, it's time to bring in absorbents, generally in the form of spill kits. And since the spill in this case would involve oil, the oil-only spill kits will be ideal.
They are filled with absorbents in various shapes and forms that will help clean up any oil that has leaked or spilled. And best of all, since these are oil-only absorbents, they will even remove oil from bodies of water.
The question that remains is how to have all these things ready should a spill occur. That's really the key -- you can't start shopping for oil spill prevention equipment after the fact. You've got to be prepared.
And in order to be sure to have what you need, you need to assess the potential for spills, and then stock up on oil spill prevention kits in sufficient quantities to handle the worst case scenario that might occur.
Want to know more about oil spill prevention? Get valuable tips and the latest news about absorbents and other environmental safety products on Travis Zdrazil's Safety Maintenance News blog and get his free newsletter too. Travis is an expert on environmental safety products and has supplied businesses with products to aid in meeting EPA and OSHA requirements for more than 10 years. You may publish this article, but must keep the resource box ©2009 PCI Products Company. All rights reserved. |
