SPILL PREVENTION AND CONTROL

PURPOSE

To provide guidelines on identifying, classifying, controlling and reporting Spills to ensure prevention or reduction of its environmental impact and risk to health and safety.

SCOPE

This procedure shall be applicable to the construction project site and shall, as necessary, supplement the construction spill management requirements imposed by the Client.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities are described within the procedures.

 PROCEDURE

SPILL SOURCES IDENTIFICATION

Spill means the discharge of harmful liquid or fluid to land or Water. The most common liquid/fluid used are fuel e.g. Gasoline, diesel, hydraulic oil, lubricating oil; and chemicals e.g. paints, thinners, bases, and acids. Toilet sewage may likely cause spillage if not regularly pumped out by sewage contractor.

The potential sources of the spill in construction & operations include, but not limited to, the following:

• Refueling activities (construction equipment and machinery i.e. diesel generator).
• Cleaning and surface preparation activities (Pipe, steel structure, plant, and equipment).
• Storage of chemicals and hazardous liquid waste.
• Servicing and maintenance activities (plant, Machinery, equipment).
• Routine toilet use.

SPILL CLASSIFICATION.

For the purpose of this procedure, spills shall be classified Into three categories:

Minor spills – less than 20 litters – no potential for affecting and contaminating Groundwater quality.

Major spills – more than 20 litters but less than 100 litters – the potential for affecting and contaminating groundwater quality.

Serious spills – more than 100 litters – the potential for contaminating and affecting Groundwater resources, flora and fauna, and the marine environment.

SPILL PREVENTION.

Chemical storage facilities shall be made available taking into consideration the following provisions, wherever applicable:

• Storage tanks made of suitable material (fiberglass or steel).
• A bund sufficient to contain 110% of the volume of the tank inside the bund to be constructed around the chemical/fuel storage tank, wherever applicable.
• Spill containment basins to be constructed around transfer and loading points, wherever applicable and required.
• Storage to be located away from the main construction area to prevent fire and Explosion.
• Suitable firefighting equipment near the filling and storage area (advisably chemical powder type fire extinguisher).
• Spill containment and clean-up materials and equipment kit containing absorbent pads and a guidance manual to be kept near to the storage area and/or transfer/loading area at all times.

HANDLING AND TRANSPORTATION.

• Handling and transportation of the fluids identified above shall be in purpose-built containers such as hydrocarbon tankers.
• Vehicles carrying the fluids shall be equipped with at least 9-11 kg. Capacity chemical dry powder fire extinguisher.
• Prior to unloading the content from the tanker or from the barrel, hoses and connections shall be checked for any defects. Holding tanks shall be checked for proper grounding.
• During unloading, all connections shall be checked for leaks. Immediate action shall be taken to stop or minimize such leaks. even that the leak cannot be stopped, unloading operations shall be stopped and appropriate measures shall be carried out before unloading can be continued.
• All leaks and spills shall be immediately cleaned up. Oily rags or other materials used to clean up leak and spills shall be classified as hazardous waste and shall be sealed in plastic bags before disposal to appropriate containers or bins.
• Barrels containing hydrocarbons or chemicals shall be adequately labeled, sealed and secured during transportation.
• Chemical/hydrocarbon barrels shall be properly secured to minimize the potential for shock or impact due to excessive movement during transport or falling from the back of the vehicle.
• All unloading operations shall be performed in the presence of a supervisor.

MANUAL HANDLING.

Manual handling of hydrocarbons or chemical shall be performed only by trained personnel and the following, but not limited to, shall be observed:

• Personnel who will handle such products shall be provided with suitable and Appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
• Drums and containers containing such products shall be suitable for their purpose.
• Drip trays to be used to prevent leaks and spills from containers.
• Personnel shall not carry a container with capacity beyond the safe handling load or exceeding 20 litters.
• When handling such containers, proper lifting methods shall be observed.
• Appropriate training shall be given on handling these types of products.

SPILL RESPONSE.

In cases that spills occur, the following response procedure shall be executed:

• Immediately upon discovery of the spill, the concerned person shall take necessary measures to contain the spill to minimize potential damage and to clean the spill. If necessary, he shall call for assistance to stop, contain and clean up the spill.
• Since any spill necessitates the immediate on-site response, the spill containment and cleans up equipment kit shall, therefore, be made available at an easily accessible location.
• The Construction Manager or delegate shall be the overall responsibility for coordinating the clean-up and ensuring that the clean-up equipment is available at all times.
• In organizing the clean-up of a spill, the Construction Manager or delegate shall assess the site conditions and the environmental effects of the spill containment and clean up procedures including the following:
• Immediately mobilize personnel trained on containment and clean up.
• Assess the potential for fuel/chemical recovery.
• Apply absorbent material for final clean up.
• Dispose of all contaminated soil, debris, cleaning materials and absorbent in Compliance with local regulatory requirements.
• Non-petroleum-based hazardous materials shall be dealt with accordingly in accordance with the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).
• Assess and appropriately treat any areas disturbed by the clean-up activities.
• Review the causes of the spill with relevant personnel and take all necessary Precautions to prevent recurrence.
• Hydrocarbon and chemical releases shall be controlled immediately by available practical measures. The report shall be made by the HSE Manager and submitted to the Project Manager/Construction Manager detailing the release, clean-up efforts and plans to prevent recurrence.

MINOR SPILLS.

• Minor spills include splashes and drips during refueling, broken oil, hydraulic fluid or coolant hoses and oil lubricant drip from equipment during normal operation.
• The response time for this type of spill shall be immediate and all personnel shall be trained on the procedure to handle this type of spill.
• The actions that have to be taken for minor spills shall include, but not limited to, the following:
• The person involves shall immediately stop the source of the spill.
• The affected soil shall be picked up by shovels and placed in appropriate Containers.
• Wherever applicable, absorbent material will be used to mop up the spill. The used absorbent material shall be sealed in a plastic bag before disposing of into appropriate Containers.
• The involved personnel shall report the details of the spill to the HSE Manager or Delegate who shall prepare an Incident Report. Incident Report shall be distributed to the Site Manager, Project Manager, and Client wherever required.
•  Details of the incident shall be included in the relevant section of the monthly HSE Report.

MAJOR SPILLS AND SERIOUS SPILLS.

• As soon as the major/serious spill is discovered, the senior personnel at the scene shall immediately cordon off the area and ask nonessential workers to leave the area Especially if the spill poses threat to humans.
• The personnel involved shall immediately inform the HSE Manager or his delegate.
• The HSE Manager or his delegate shall inform the Client’s HSE Manager immediately prior to deploying the Emergency Response Team to contain and clean up the spill.
• The HSE Manager or his delegate shall prepare the incident report and distribute to the Site Manager who shall inform the Project Director/Manager.
• For serious spills, the Client will inform the local authority as necessary.

Spills could be on land or water and in those cases, the following, but not limited to, shall be performed/provided:

SPILL ON LAND.

• To mitigate the spills on land, the source shall be isolated first. The techniques of isolating the source should have been part of the emergency response team training.
• Use sandbags or other appropriate techniques
• Excavation of trenches downhill of the spill to intercept contaminated groundwater, with absorbent material placed in these trenches.
• Appropriate disposal of the contaminated materials

SPILL THAT COULD FLOW TO SEA/OTHER BODY OF WATER

• Use of floating absorbent and/or skimmers to remove the pollutant
• Removal of contaminated material
• Appropriate disposal of contaminated solid waste

REPORTING SYSTEM

  MINOR SPILLS.

• The discoverer of spill shall immediately inform his immediate Supervisor who shall inform the HSE Manager/Officer.
• The HSE Manager/Officer shall investigate the incident and issue the incident report within 48 hours to the Site Manager.

MAJOR SPILLS

• The discoverer of spill shall immediately inform his immediate Supervisor who shall inform the HSE Manager/Officer.
• The HSE Manager/Officer shall investigate the incident and issue the incident report within 24 hours to the Site Manager and to the Client. Within this time, the HSE Manager may decide to deploy the emergency response team depending on the severity of the spill.
• The Site Manager shall inform the Project Manager within 24 hours from receipt of the report from the HSE Manager.

SERIOUS SPILLS

• The discoverer of spill shall immediately inform his immediate Supervisor who shall inform the HSE Manager/Officer.
• The HSE Manager/Officer shall investigate the incident and issue the incident report within 12 hours to the Site Manager and to the Client. Within this time, the HSE Manager shall deploy the emergency response team to handle the spill.
• The Site Manager shall inform the Project Manager within 12 hours after receipt of the report from the HSE Manager. The Project Manager shall then inform the Operations Manager within 12 hours.
• The local authority shall be informed within 5 days of the incident occurrence by the Client whichever is specified in the contract.