Steps taken by the facilities which is covered by Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule

A facility that meets the criteria described above must comply with the SPCC rule by preventing oil spills and developing and implementing an Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan.

Prevent oil spills: Steps that a facility owner/ operator can take to prevent oil spills include:

• Using containers suitable for the oil stored. For example, use a container designed for flammable liquids to store gasoline;

• Providing overfill prevention for your oil storage containers. You could use a high-level alarm or audible vent;

• Providing sized secondary containment for bulk storage containers, such as a dike or a remote impoundment. The containment needs to hold the full capacity of the container plus possible rainfall. The dike may be constructed of earth or concrete. A double-walled tank may also suffice;

• Providing general secondary containment to catch the most likely oil spill where you transfer oil to and from containers and for mobile refuelers and tanker trucks. For example, you may use sorbent materials, drip pans or curbing for these areas; and

• Periodically inspecting and testing pipes and containers. You need to visually inspect aboveground pipes and oil containers according to industry standards; buried pipes need to be leak tested when they are installed or repaired. Include a written record of inspections in the Plan.

Prepare and implement an SPCC Plan: The owner or operator of the facility must develop and implement an SPCC Plan that describes oil handling operations, spill prevention practices, discharge or drainage controls, and the personnel, equipment and resources at the facility that are used to prevent oil spills from reaching navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.

Although each Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan is unique to the facility, there are certain elements that must be described in every Plan including:

• Operating procedures at the facility to prevent oil spills;

• Control measures (such as secondary containment) installed to prevent oil spills from entering navigable waters or adjoining shorelines; and

• Countermeasures to contain, cleanup, and mitigate the effects of an oil spill that has impacted navigable waters or adjoining shorelines.

Author - Bio

Every Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plan must be prepared in accordance with good engineering practices. Every SPCC Plan must be certified by a Professional Engineer unless the owner/operator is able to, and chooses to, self certify the Plan.  No matter who certifies your SPCC Plan, remember that ultimately the owner or operator is responsible for complying with the rule. Even if you think that your facility is fully compliant with the SPCC regulations but unless you have implemented a training program and are routinely training new and existing oil-handling personnel, you are not fully in compliance. Quest Consultants and Associates has the facility to provide complete SPCC training to their clients which in turn helps them to be in compliant with SPCC regulations and also helps to understand, develop and implement SPCC Plans. For more information, visit http://www.questepa.com.