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Every industrial site has a duty to inspect the liquid containing tanks they use on a regular basis, to check for signs of aging, wear and tear or even leaks. A leaking tank can cause significant damage to the environment, which at the least can earn you a hefty fine and at the most cause serious injury to a member of your workforce.

You can of course replace any old tanks with new, but there is another more cost-effective solution available.

Tank repair

Bunded tank repair and relining can be carried out quite successfully in many instances, negating the need for the removal or disposal of your old tank and all the associated repiping work. In fact, just having your tank refurbished could save you around 80% of the cost of replacing the tank with a similar vessel.

One of the most common types of tank repair is called a Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) system. In this method of repair a primer coat of resin is applied to the tank before one or two layers of strand matting are added. A chemical tissue veil is then added to the tank surface before a resin wash coat and then a final top coat is added.

Tank repair is a perfect solution when the removal of a tank from an inaccessible area is impossible.

Oil spilled into the North Sea from a Shell oil rig is the worst leak in a decade say environmentalists.

The Gannet Shell oil platform started to leak oil over two weeks ago now, with over 216 tonnes of oil already spilled into the sea around the leak area. The amount of oil which has leaked has already surpassed the annual totals for the area seen over the last decade.

The leak has been slowed significantly since it was first noticed however, with only around one barrel per day now leaking from a section of damaged pipe. But, environmentalist’s still say that the oil, which has now mostly dispersed by natural means, still poses a “serious risk” to the local bird population.

Around a week after the spill, the technical director of Shell’s activities in Europe, Glen Cayley, stated:

"This is a significant spill in the context of annual amounts of oil spilled in the North Sea.

"We care about the environment and we regret that the spill happened. We have taken it very seriously and responded promptly to it.

"The high winds and waves over the weekend have led to a substantial reduction in the size of the oil sheen as can be seen from the current levels on the water.

"We continue to expect that the oil sheen will disperse due to wave action and that it will not reach the shore."

Discussions are now taking place between government advisors and the Scottish Procurator Fiscal as to whether to prosecute Shell for the leak.

Intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) are becoming widespread throughout industry as the popular method to store liquids used in process controlled applications.

However, IBCs need to be stored correctly and as such you need to find a way to store them which meets the current hazardous liquid storage regulations.

Bunded IBC stores are the perfect type of spill containment device to use in both indoor and outdoor environments. Because they are bunded they can prevent spills from the IBC causing damage to the surrounding environment. As the spill is contained within the bund it can be cleaned up easily.

Some storage units for IBCs include roller shutter doors or sliding doors with both options available in lockable types. Some storage units are capable of holding up to 24 IBCs, meaning that you can have a designated storage point for these liquid storage tanks at your factory.

If you need any advice regarding what type of containers are suitable to meet the Control of Pollution Regulations, the information can be found in the Environment Agency’s Pollution Prevention Guidelines PPG 26.

Every industrial site has to take delivery of the products it uses safely and securely. These products usually arrive in a bulk format and have to be transported to different parts of the factory, where they can be used in different applications.

Liquid containers and oil drums can be especially awkward to handle, as can palletised goods, which need some sort of lifting equipment to move them to their designated location.

Pallet trucks

Hand operated pallet trucks are a common site in any factory. They are easy to operate and easy to use, making them perfect for moving palletised goods from one location to another. A pallet truck will usually use a hand pumped hydraulic lift to raise the pallet from the ground, and then using the handle, the pallet can be pulled or pushed around the factory.

Sack trucks

Sack trucks are a simple yet effective way to transport goods around the factory. The trucks can be pushed or pulled and some trucks have multiple wheels fitted so they can be pulled up or down stairs if needed.

There are a huge range of spill kits available which are suitable for just about every size and type of spill. The smallest kits are capable of dealing with a spill of just a few litres of spilled solution. However, the largest kits, which usually come in a wheelie bin container, can be capable of absorbing and hence cleaning anywhere in the region of around 1,200 litres of liquid spill.

If you only need small spill kits on site, a mini spill kit is defiantly worth a look. Mini spill kits are capable of absorbing around 10 litres of liquid and are the perfect kit to keep in your car or even at specific locations around your industrial plant.

Soaking up an oil spill is made easy with a mini spill kit. The spill kit can even work in environments where there is a chance of water contamination, as only oil will be soaked up by the spill kit, leaving the water to run through the absorbent material. This makes these kits excellent to use when oil has found its way into a drain.

Because they are small in size, a mini spill kit is also easy on your pocket making them a sound investment for all types of businesses.

Many sites have now realised the importance of having spill control procedures in place should a spill of any kind occur. Some sites even have spill kits available at appropriate locations to cope with a spill. However, it’s normally the case that the spill kit a site may own will only be sufficient at coping with a spill of a certain volume of liquid. For this reason, many spill kit manufacturers have now developed a range of application specific spill kits.

Forklift truck spill kits

Forklift truck spill kits can be fitted to any every forklift truck you have on site. They have a 12 litre liquid absorption capacity. The kits can also be used outdoors as they will not be saturated by rain, and the adhesive backing on the kit can be used to attach them securely to the vehicle.

Vehicle spill kits

A vehicle spill kit comes in an easy to handle carry bag and is suitable for use on any HGV, truck, van or even car. The kit contains everything you need to absorb a spill from the vehicle itself and can also be used to cope with a spill from the goods carried by the vehicle. It has a 28 litre absorption capacity.

Having the correct signage at work is essential. Signs help employees and visitors not only find their way around a site but also some signs, such as safety signs, actually give people essential information about escape routes or information on where a fire extinguisher for example may be located.

If you use large quantities of hazardous liquids on site, you will also probably have keep spill control equipment on site too. And to use this spill control equipment employees will need information regarding its whereabouts and what types of spills it can be used on. This is when spill signage can really help.

Spill kit location and usage signs

Spill kit signs can give employees information about the whereabouts of the spill kit and what type of liquids the spill kit can be used upon.

Wet floor signs

Signs that let employees know that a floor is wet should always be available to use in an emergency. It’s imperative that these signs are used after a liquid spill.

In an emergency signs

General signs detailing what to do in a spill emergency should be positioned at specific locations around the site where hazardous liquids are kept. The signs can detail things such as how to raise the alarm and what steps to take to evacuate the general area.

The safe dispensing of used or excess liquids into drums needs to be done in a manner which minimises the chance of some of the liquid being spilled. This is especially crucial when pouring hazardous liquids or chemicals. The nozzle on the drum may only be a couple of inches in diameter, so pouring the contents of your pail or other liquid containing device into the drum with any degree of accuracy can be somewhat tricky.

To solve the problem of potential spillages when pouring liquid into a drum, a drum funnel is the perfect solution. A drum funnel is a polyethylene cap which fits over the top of a 205 litre drum. It creates a large surface area, where the liquid can be poured and directs the liquid carefully into the drum nozzle. The polyethylene funnel also comes with a lid, which can be fitted in place when the drum and funnel are not being used.

Drum funnels are not just available for 205 litre drums; they’re also available for IBCs too, so you can be sure there will be no drips or spills when pouring any type of liquid.

Spills of hazardous substances can cause many problems, not just to the local area where the spill occurred, but when the spill gives off noxious fumes, a greater area can be impacted upon.

A chemical spill from a plant in Fife is being monitored closely after around 10,000 litres of what is believed to be nitric acids spilled from a storage tank.

The spill was so severe that all employees sand contractors were immediately evacuated from the area and local residents were told to close windows and doors to keep the noxious fumes from entering their homes.

A process storage tank at the Cameron Bridge Diageo plant spilled its contents and required monitoring by emergency services, who were concerned further liquid could spill from the vessel or the situation could worsen.

A spokesperson from the firm confirmed that no one had been injured by the spill and none of the spilled chemical had found its way into the surrounding environment. The spill is now being cleaned up using absorbents and other spill clean-up devices.

A spokesperson stated:

"As a precaution all employees and contractors on site have been evacuated and as a safety measure residents in the immediate vicinity have been advised to keep their windows and doors closed.

"The plant has been safely shut down while emergency services monitor the situation.

"We are now entering the clean up phase to safely remove the chemical spillage, estimated at 10,000 litres, which is an acid-based cleaning product widely used in the food and beverage industries."