Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

Hazardous Substance Spill Preparedness and Response

Renée Forque

May 8, 2013

Environmental Impacts• Hazardous substance spills are a threat to the environment and human health• Oil and other hazardous substances are difficult and expensive to clean up once spilled

Laws and Regulations• The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation

(ADEC) both have regulations for the storage and handling of hazardous substances as well as protocols for spill response

• Violations of the laws and regulations for hazardous substance storage, disposal, and cleanup are punishable by fines and penalties

• In the event that inspection of a hazardous materials operation discloses violations of the hazardous materials regulations, stations may be subject to the following fines for each violation:

* $495.00 if related to training ** $110,000 if violation resulted in

death, serious illness or severe injury to

any person or substantial property

damage

Why Does Spill Prevention & Response Matter?

CIVILMinimum $250.00*Maximum $55,000.00**

CRIMINALIndividual $250,000.00Corporation $500,000.00

A Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC) details:

• What large-volume hazardous substances are located at each site• What to look for monthly and annually to prevent spills• What backup protection is in place in the event that a hazardous substance spills • What steps to take should a hazardous substance spill occur• Who to contact should a hazardous substance spill occur• Records of staff training, facility inspection, and spill reporting

What is a Spill Plan?

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• Aspects of your facility, including:

The facility point of contact The location and vicinity of the facility and any history of contamination Amount and types of hazardous materials stored Drainage patterns detailing where a spill would leave the site Secondary containments to contain spills Sensitive areas to protect in the event of a spill

• A labeled diagram identifying high-risk locations that includes:

All tanks Buildings, drainage, and lights Dispensing areas Environmentally sensitive areas

What is in a Spill Plan (SPCC)?

• Read the SPCC and be familiar with what it says (both in case of an emergency and in case of an ADEC inspection). Let Jennifer or Renée know if you find any errors or missing details

• Sign the SPCC and keep a copy at your station within easy reach of your hazardous substance tanks, by your clearly labeled spill kit

• Conduct monthly and annual inspections on time and keep watch for spills between inspections. The first few inspections should be sent to Jennifer or Renée to be certain that they are being filled out properly

• Make changes if primary staff change or if tanks or drums containing hazardous substances are moved or disposed of. Date and initial changes in the SPCC and in the SPCC Amendment Log. Contact Jennifer or Renée if you are unsure about what changes to make in the SPCC

• Teach staff about proper hazardous material storage, transfer, inspection, and disposal procedures and about what to do should a spill occur

• Record trainings/discussion with staff in the SPCC Training Log• Label tanks and spill kit clearly; tanks should be have a • Report spills ASAP by phone and by filling out a Spill Reporting Form and be honest about the spill amount. Contain spills

first if it is safe to do so!• Maintain Best Management Practices (BMPs) listed at your site, if any• Notify Jennifer or Renée if the ADEC conducts an inspection at your site• Ask questions about anything you don’t understand. • Do not miss inspections because you didn’t ask how to conduct one!

What do Maintenance Staff do with the SPCC?

• Train multiple people on how to conduct spill inspections to increase awareness• Inspections don’t have to be done separately from your daily work – just look at your tanks

and drums, etc. as you walk around your station• If the ADEC does show up to inspect your site, show them how you’re trying to be compliant,

but don’t tell them more details than they ask for• Good staff training on spill response can be done with a mock spill of water• Pay attention to the timing of your inspections – setting a reminder in Outlook or just

remembering to check your inspection binder monthly helps• Build berms around outside spills as soon as they happen• Replace parts that appear rusty or damaged as soon as you see them • Use spill kit supplies only to clean up spills• Use a spill kit checklist to make you aware of what’s in your spill kit and what you need to

reorder• Don’t get complacent! Thoroughly check drums, tanks, dispensers, and connections each

month

What Recommendations Help with Compliance?

• A spill response kit should be located in a secure, yet readily accessible location near potential spill areas

• A spill response kit should be clearly labeled and a copy of your spill response plan should be located nearby

• A list of basic equipment and materials (specific to your facility) should be included with the spill kit

• A description of what materials to use for different spill volumes should be included with the spill kit

• Spill kits should be packed in order of when things will be needed. Personal protective equipment should be packed on top (to remind employees to put it on before commencing spill clean-up), with absorbent materials and equipment underneath and debris containers on the bottom

How Should Spill Kits Be Prepared?

At minimum, spill kits should include:

• Heavy duty gloves (more than one kind and pair)• Chemically resistant safety glasses• Breathing protection• Boot covers (e.g., Tyvek)• Granular absorbents• Oil-specific spill pads• Booms (4 if on land, 10 if near water)• A container to hold clean-up debris (55-gal. drum with sealable lid, thick plastic bags, etc.)• Plastic dust pan and broom [spark-free] for sweeping up granular absorbent• Labels to properly mark containers• Tape to cord off spill area• Forceps, tongs, or other tools to pick up contaminated debris or broken glass• A basic First Aid kit• Temporary plugging compound

All employees should be familiar with the location and use of all spill response equipment and materials

What Should be in a Spill Kit?

Spill materials come in five basic forms: socks, booms, pads/mats, pillows, and granular absorbents. Here’s how to pick the right material for a spill:

Socks

Sorbent socks are a first line of defense for containing large spills. They create a dike to keep spills from spreading. They conform to fit snugly in tight spaces and around corners. Socks can also snuggle up against the base of leaky machinery to catch leaks

and drips before they get into walkways and create a slip and fall hazard. Socks will absorb up to one quart of fluid per 12 inches of product.

Spill Kit Response Materials

Booms

Booms absorb petroleum-based fluids and contain spills on water for easier handling. Links at both ends can hook together for any size spill. Booms are socks that are longer and larger in diameter than socks. They are most often used to contain and absorb oil-based liquids that have spilled in a river, lake, ocean or other body of water, but they can be used to contain oily spills on land

as well. They’re especially useful when the spill is outdoors and it’s raining.

Spill Kit Response Materials, cont.

Pads/Mats

Universal absorbent pads, sometimes referred to as absorbent mats, are used on roadways, walkways, plant floors and in other areas for chemical spills and oil spills when pillows and socks interfere with operations, traffic or safety. Mat pads are precut into rectangle shapes and are designed to be fast and easy to grab and use. Mat rolls come in many widths, and are most often used to capture leaks, drips, spills and overspray that could hit the floor, making aisles and walkways slippery. Some mats are designed

to be extra durable so they can hold up to foot, cart and even forklift traffic for weeks or months at a time – even when fully saturated. Others types of mats are optimized for soaking up larger volume leaks and spills and may be less well suited for heavy

foot or cart traffic.

Spill Kit Response Materials, cont.

Pillows

Once you’ve contained a large spill, pillows help soak up the corralled liquid quickly are ideal for absorbing steady streams of fluid . Pillows are similar to mat pads in that they cover a large area and soak things up quickly – they just soak up a higher

volume per area covered than a mat. Pillows are also popular for soaking up persistent drips from a single source.

Spill Kit Response Materials, cont.

Granular Absorbents

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes mats, socks and pillows just don’t fit the bill. For example, sometimes they won’t fit into a nook or cranny that the leak or spill has found. Because loose absorbents “flow,” they can get into hard-to-reach places where

other absorbents can’t.

Spill Kit Response Materials, cont.

• All staff and operators must be familiar with the facility and it’s operations in order to conduct regular inspections and perform regular preventative maintenance

• Staff and operators should know how to detect a spill. Look for: Visible or spilled product on the ground Sheen on the water Smell of fuel in the air Inventory that does not reconcile Dead vegetation or dead or oiled fish, birds, or small mammals Smell or taste in drinking water Sounds, such as spraying liquids, high pitch release form pressure vessels, etc.

• Staff and operators should be familiar with the SPCC and should all know: Who to notify of a spill or call for help Actions to take in the event of a spill Deployment strategies for spill response materials and equipment Critical and sensitive areas to protect How to recover spilled product Proper management of recovered product and contaminated soil

How Should Staff be Trained in Spill Response?

1. Survey the incident from a safe distance to determine the source of release, type of material spilled, occupied buildings that may be threatened, and public and environmentally sensitive areas that may be threatened.

2. Protect yourself with appropriate safety gear and then work to contain the spill as soon as possible : Use materials from your station’s spill kit to contain and/or absorb the spill Stop transferring fuel immediately if a spill occurs during a transfer Close valves upstream of leak flow Place buckets or basins under leaks from pipes or valves Apply a temporary patch over a leaky pipe or tank If spill is from a damaged tank, transfer remaining fuel to another tank For winter spills, pile snow to form a dike around the spill and dig ditches in the ice to control the spill For summer spills, use dirt and mud to form a dike around the spill and dig a ditch to divert the spill away from streams

and other water bodies

3. Call for help – call your supervisor, the facility manager, Jennifer or myself, and, if necessary, local responders

4. Analyze the incident by collecting hazard info on the spilled product, predicting the likely flow direction, and estimating the extent of the spill and potential for human harm

5. Protect the public and yourself by evacuating areas downwind from spill fumes, cording off the spill area, keeping non-emergency personnel and the public away from the facility and spill area, and knowing when to stay away yourself

6. Coordinate with available personnel and cleanup responders when they arrive

What is the Proper Spill Response Procedure?

Monthly Annually

What should be Inspected, and When?

• Contact Info:

Questions?

Renée Forque, Environmental Impact Analyst II Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities Maintenance & Operations Section, Central Region P.O. Box 196900, Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6900 Phone (907) 269-0714| Fax (907) 248-1573

Jennifer Micolichek, Environmental Impact Analyst II Alaska Dept. of Transportation and Public Facilities Maintenance & Operations Section, Central Region P.O. Box 196900, Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6900 Phone (907) 269-5690| Fax (907) 248-1573