Spill Containment - est55030147

DOE-EM-STD-5503-94

14.0. SPILL CONTAINMENT

14.1. BACKGROUND

The intent of this section of the HASP is to meet the requirements of

29 CFR 1910.120 (b)(4)(ii)(j). The spill containment program should address all hazardous

substance spill scenarios that are likely to occur at the site. In addition, the spill containment

program should also provide procedures to contain and isolate the entire volume of any hazardous

substance spilled in the course of a transfer, accident, or onsite release.

The overall objectives of the Spill Containment chapter are to:

Identify the minimum requirements of the spill containment program that may be relevant

to the site and provide methods to contain and isolate the entire volume of any hazardous

substance spilled in the course of a transfer, major spill, or an onsite release; and

Provide information on the initial spill action, spill response evaluation and organization,

and spill clean-up procedures.

14.2. PREPLANNING

In order to develop a successful spill containment program, an assessment should be conducted

of the site conditions, current operations, and planned activities. The assessment should carefully

examine all hazardous materials on site for where and how the materials are:

Stored (e.g., location, type of container),

Handled (e.g., processed, used, transferred), and

Transported (e.g., mode, routes).

As part of the assessment, each area or activity should be analyzed for potential accidental

releases or spills. Examples of situations that have potential for spill or release are:

Bulging or corroded containers,

Transfer line connections (e.g., leaking seals, misaligned connections),

Metal fatigue of storage tanks,

Leaking or inoperable valves, and

Poor housekeeping (e.g., drums improperly staged).

Many potential spills can be avoided through application of proper engineering controls to

hazards identified in the assessment. In areas where storage, handling, and transportation

activities occur, preplanning to contain the largest volume of material that could be released in

the area will minimize worker exposure. The containment measure should be appropriate to the

hazardous material(s) identified and should be installed in the area or located nearby. The

following examples are measures most frequently used:

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