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Many industrial sites require the storage of large qualities of oil at site for operational and maintenance purposes. And to cope with the storage of such large quantities of oil, a great idea is to use a polyethylene oil storage tank. A secondary containment system is a must when storing large quantities of oil, in case the container bursts or leaks. And the oil storage regulations 2001 state this fact clearly. Polyethylene is thus an excellent candidate to use in these types of situations as it is both maintenance free and corrosion free too.

Polyethylene tanks are really keenly priced, but it’s the vast range of shapes, sizes and volume capacities they are available in which makes them the number one oil storage choice for industry.

Polyethylene bunded tanks come in horizontal and vertical options, with storage capacities between 430 litres and 5,000 litres available to purchase. And because polyethylene is corrosion free, the tank will last for a significant number of years before a new tank will be needed. Most polyethylene tanks now come with a ten year manufacturer guarantee.

For large industrial sites a simple mop and bucket may simply not be enough to cope with the amount of cleaning which needs to be done on a daily basis. The organised cleaning of a site needs a more specific solution, so the person carrying out the cleaning duties has all the necessary equipment with him.

Mobile cleaning stations are a dedicated cleaning station and cleaning management system in one that can be taken with the cleaner wherever he goes. Comprising of a trolley fitted with a host of liquid and product trays, the unit can be equipped to deal with just about anything you want.

Numatic cleaning stations

A standard mobile cleaning station from Numatic comes with two five litre pails and twin half trays. Also included are 18 litre and 12 litre large sized pails and a sack holder which can hold 120 litres of waste. The system uses a system which separates dirty and clean water easily, making your mopping tasks easy and giving you the best results every time.

The River Avon in Tewkesbury is currently in the process of being cleaned up after a break in at a local mill led to a large amount of oil entering the water course.

The river was polluted after oil from a stolen machine was allowed to enter a drain nearby. The Environment Agency was called to the spill to try to minimise the damage caused. They placed a boom across the river to contain and absorb the spilled oil.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency, Serena Balsbon, stated:

"We would advise any owners of industrial property, operational or derelict, to review their pollution plans and security arrangements.

"The current high value of scrap encourages these types of incidents and it is often cheaper and always better for the environment to take preventive action, rather than clean up the aftermath."

The owners of the derelict building where the theft was from have not yet commented on the spill.

If you have to deal with a spill of a hazardous liquid on site you will need to make sure the person who cleans up the spill wears appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

PPE comes in many forms, from simple nitrile glove to complete coveralls, which can protect the wearer’s body from a host of different hazardous solutions.

Nitrile gloves

Nitrile gloves are a wearer’s first line of defence from coming into contact with a spilled substance. The gloves come in standard or heavy duty varieties and are usually textured, improving the wearer’s grip. Blue nitrile gloves are suitable for use in the food manufacturing industry and show a distinction from latex gloves.

Disposable protective coveralls

Disposable protective coveralls should always be worn when there is a chance that a person may come into contact with a harmful substance. The full body suit is flexible enough to be worn in even confined spaces and can protect against dry particles or even chemical spray. Coveralls even come with an elasticated hood so the user is completely protected.

Wearing the right PPE when you are cleaning a spilled liquid is really important as your personal safety should never be compromised.

When you need to store hazardous liquids or chemicals on site, you need an appropriate place to store them. Many of the compounds and solutions industrial firms use today are hazardous, but they need to be accessible so staff members can access the contents when they need them.

Some of the liquids that may need to be stored in a safety cabinet include acids, chemicals and alkalis. A safety cabinet can also be used to store things such as PPE and first aid equipment.

If you are looking for a safety cabinet, you need to make sure that it is COSHH approved and also offers some form of fire protection. Many of these types of cabinets are colour coded, so staff on site can determine what the contents of the cabinet are without having to open the cabinet.

Flammable storage cabinets are usually yellow in colour. They feature a liquid sump at the bottom of the cabinet so any liquid spills will be contained and are usually supplied with leak proof shelves.

Safety cabinets come in range of sizes, from small 15 litre regular cabinets to 50 litre large sized cabinets that can store a host of products.

There are a wide range of different types of spill kits available for use, they can however be categorised making the selection process easier for the potential buyer.

Oil Spill kits

These spill kits have been specially designed to soak up and clean oil spills and fuel spills. Most of these types of kits also repel water, making the oil the only substance collected. This means they are the perfect kit to use to collect oil from the surface of a water course, a lake or even the sea.

General purpose spill kits

A general purpose spill kit is a versatile spill kit that is capable of dealing with most types of general spills. They are the ideal kit to keep in the workshop or on the shop floor and contain everything you will need to cope with a spill at your site.

Chemical spill kits

Designed to cope specifically with spills of a chemical nature, chemical spill kits can absorb and contain aggressive chemical spills. Some of the things included in a chemical spill kit are PPE, a disposal bag and appropriate absorbent materials.

Emergency spill kits

If a spill kit doesn’t fall within one of the above three categories you will most likely find it in the emergency spill kit category. Emergency spill kits are specialist kits that can be bought to deal with body fluid spills, acid spills, alkali spills or even mercury spills

Factories that use chemicals as part of their day-to-day activities need to have a spill response plan in place should these chemicals leak or contaminate a public area.

Most companies now have various spill products on suite including absorbents and spill kits but if you have a range of neutralisation products available to hand as part of your spill response as well, you should be able to clean the chemical spill quite successfully, neutralising any harmful liquid before someone comes into contact with it.

Chemical neutralisers come in either acid, alkali or bleach types and are designed to be used on these particular types of spills. The neutralisers come in powder form and when activated change colour to indicate a spill has been eliminated.

Coming in easy to use and handle containers, the neutralising powders are safe to use and also reduce the hazardous waste associated with untreated spills. When the spilled chemical has been treated the residue is environmentally benign so can be easily disposed of.

It’s important to choose the right chemical neutraliser for the products you use. If in doubt it’s worth contacting your spill response company who will be happy to advise.

Many domestic premises now have a range of wheelie bins for their household waste. There is usually a general waste bin, a garden waste bin, a bottle and plastics bin and a bin for paper and card. The different bins are easily recognisable as they use specific colours for different types of waste.

On an industrial scale, the waste from factories is treated in a similar way, except usually to a much larger degree and there is usually lots of different types of waste. To cope with this there are a range of different types of industrial wheelie bins available, all which feature toughened lips, so they can be lifted by compactors or refuse trucks, meaning human contact or lifting of the waste is never needed.

Wheelie bins are available in sizes from around 120 litres to 1100 litres and can even be manufactured in tough steel, adding to their longevity and durability potential. They are also available in colours including green, brown, yellow, blue, grey, and even red, so you can sort your waste appropriately. Because most wheelie bins are made of high density polyethylene they are easy to clean and hence can be used daily for many years with little or no maintenance.

Industrial sites have to keep large numbers of drums and IBCs on site for their liquid storage needs. However, to comply with current legislation, preventative measures should be put in place in case a spill occurs from a drum or an IBC. And the best way to catch any leaking fluid is in a bunded spill pallet.

A bunded spill pallet is basically a secondary spill containment unit which is sited under the drum or IBC so if a spill occurs the liquid will be contained.

The spill pallet is usually designed to hold 110% of the liquid in the tank above the pallet, so even if all the liquid spills from the vessel, it will all be contained within the pallet. Some pallets also have a dispensing section incorporated into the vessel, so if any drips occur when the liquid is being dispensed they will be captured and not affect the surrounding environment.

Some drum bunds are capable of holding up to eight drums and some are also available with a cover, so can be stored outside.