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Permit coverage must be obtained by either the facility owner or the operator. These are frequently the same. However, if they are different, the responsibility to obtain coverage falls on the one who has day-to-day operational control at the facility. So if the owner does not have operational control, the operator bears the responsibility to […]
Step 1 The first step is performance-based. This means you have to acquire and maintain the equipment needed to prevent oil spills. In the context of the rule, managers have flexibility in selecting the type of prevention equipment that works best at the best price and ease of operation and maintenance for their specific facilities. […]
SWIMS is an easy acronym you can use for SPCC training to help your workers remember what to do after a spill has occurred: Stop the leak. (e.g., shut the valve, shut off ventilation, shut off all ignition sources in the immediate area) Warn others. Call spill response coordinator, supervisor, and first responders. Isolate the […]
Here’s a checklist to get you started on developing an SPCC training program that works. Are employees familiar with spill prevention procedures? Are employees familiar with spill prevention/control equipment used at the facility? Does your facility have written procedures for inspecting/testing oil spill containment systems? Have appropriate personnel been properly instructed in the operation and […]
My facility is required to have a SPCC plan. I am a P.E. and was wondering if I can write and certify my plan. If you are licensed as a professional engineer, you may write and certify your facility’s SPCC plan. You do not need to be certified in the state in which the facility […]
Equipment that met EPA’s definition of a mobile refueler were exempted from the sized-secondary containment requirements applicable to other types of oil-bearing equipment such as bulk storage containers or tank batteries. However, if you are a qualifying mobile refueler, you are still required to meet general secondary containment requirements. A few definitions you should know: […]
Here are several points you should think about to determine if your facility is subject to the SPCC program: First, the program applies to capacity, not the actual amount oil stored. Second, in calculating capacity, count only containers with storage capacity equal to or greater than 55 U.S. gallons. Third, oil-filled equipment also counts in […]
EPA compromised by splitting the responsibilities. Here’s what they did: Self certification is allowed if the facility has a total aboveground oil storage capacity of 10,000 U.S. gallons or less; and in the 3 years before the date the SPCC Plan is certified, the facility has had no single discharge of oil to navigable waters […]