ENVIRONMENTAL CODE OF PRACTICE
Oils & Fuel Handling
Overview
Businesses and individuals are responsible for complying with
environmental regulations and for avoiding pollution incidences.
Careful management of hazardous materials, fuels and oils can be
taken to avoid such incidences, avoid negative publicity and fines.
Effective pollution prevention measures can be identified by
carrying out an environmental review (site audit), which should
cover legal requirements, areas of risk, resource management and
waste minimisation and community relations. An environmental review
is the first step towards developing an Environmental Management
System (EMS), which provides the framework for a company to deal
with the immediate and long-term environmental impact of its
products, services and processes.
The environmental agencies have produced a publication entitled
‘Getting your site right - Industrial and Commercial Pollution’ to
help businesses reduce the risk of causing environmental pollution.
The publication offers good practice measures and ideas for
improvements, many of which can be implemented at little or no
cost. Remember it is your responsibility to ensure that relevant
environmental legislation is complied with at all times.
Oil and fuel storage
The protection of groundwater and watercourses from oil and fuel
pollution is a key consideration and subject to regulations.
In England, all oil storage containers must comply with the
Oil Storage Regulations 2001.
The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing the regulations
throughout England and may serve notice requiring inadequate
facilities to be brought up to standard. Failure to comply with a
notice is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution.
Although these regulations only apply in England, at the time of
publication similar measures are planned in Wales and Northern
Ireland.
In Scotland, The Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland)
Regulations 2006 came into force on the 1st April 2006.
The regulations come in three stages:
1. New tanks installed after 1st April 2006 will have to comply
by 1st October 2006
2. Existing tanks within 10 metres of surface water or 50 metres
of a borehole or well will have to comply by 1st April 2008
3. Remaining existing tanks will have to comply by 1st April
2010
In Northern Ireland and Wales you should still consider meeting
the requirements of the Regulations, as they are designed to
prevent contamination of the water environment which would be an
offence under other legislation.
Fuel storage below ground is primarily covered by the
Groundwater Regulations 1998. In cases where the control of
Pollution (Oil Storage) Regulations 2001 do not apply (e.g. on
farms and for waste oil) following the guidelines below will
minimise the risk of your site causing pollution.
In summary, the Regulations state that:
Oil storage tanks must be of sufficient strength and structural
integrity so as to be unlikely to leak or burst under normal
operating circumstances- Oil tanks and drums must be stored in some kind of secondary
containment, usually a bund
- Also, all of the valves, filters, sight gauges and pipe work
must be contained within the bund when not in use
- The bund must be big enough to contain 110% of the maximum
volume of the container. For bunds serving multiple containers, the
bund should be able to hold 110% of the largest tank, or 25% of the
total volume, whichever is larger
- A single drum requires a drip tray able to contain 25% of its
capacity, and mobile bowsers should be self-bunded, stored in a
bund or have a drip tray
- The bund should be impermeable to water and oil, and must not
contain any drainage valves
- If there is above ground pipe work, it must be properly
supported and maintained
- Underground pipe work needs to be suitably protected from
damage, with detection measures in case of leaks, and mechanical
joints need to have accessible inspection points
- Care should be taken to position storage tanks away from any
possible damage from traffic, and secure from vandals
- Tanks and bunds should be maintained and checked regularly
All types of oil, with the exception of waste oil, are covered
by these regulations, including petrol, diesel, vegetable,
synthetic and mineral oil. Waste oil storage is covered by the
Waste Management Licensing Regulations. It is important to note
that in the case of flammable liquids, such as petrol, additional
health and safety requirements may also apply
The environment agencies have produced Pollution Prevention
Guideline for oil (PPG2), which provides guidance on how to
minimise the risks associated with storing oil above ground. It
also contains a checklist to help you decide whether improvements
are needed to your oil storage to ensure compliance with the Oil
Storage Regulations. Advice on storage in drums and intermediate
bulk containers is available in PPG26 and details on minimising the
risk of your boat or marina causing such pollution can be found in
PPG14. PPG 8 covers the storage of all waste oils.
In addition to the requirements of the legislation, the
following Best Practise is recommended:
- Fuel storage and dispensing installations should be well
maintained. Maintain all delivery hoses, pipe work and trigger
nozzles to a high standard and secure them to prevent unauthorised
interference. Clearly display a notice providing advice on how to
avoid spillages and what to do if they occur
- Oil should not be stored on pontoons as the risk of pollution
is greatly increased. Where this is unavoidable, please discuss the
necessary pollution prevention measures with your local Agency
office. Prefabricated proprietary tank systems are likely to be
necessary to provide adequate protection from pollution. These have
a primary container with integrated secondary containment.
- Ensure fixed storage tanks cannot move from their base or float
away in the event of unusually high tides or floods as this causes
pipelines to break and oil to be spilled. Where possible, avoid
placing tanks in areas at risk from flooding. Contact your local
Agency office to check if your tank is located in a flood
plain.
- It is recommended that fuel tanks and pipe work should be
installed above ground whenever possible. This will enable regular
maintenance checks to be carried out and leaks to be identified
earlier.
- Underground storage tanks provide one of the greatest risks to
groundwater quality. This is why their control comes under the
Groundwater Regulations 1998, in England and Wales. The Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also produced
the Groundwater Protection Code, which gives comprehensive guidance
on the installation, operation and decommissioning of underground
storage tanks. In Scotland, the Scottish Executive Environment
Group Publication “Underground Storage Tanks for Liquid
Hydrocarbons”, covers this topic. These documents should be
consulted whenever an underground facility is present or
planned.
Dispensing oil and fuel
When dispensing fuel, the potential for direct water
contamination is more pronounced, especially at landing places and
marinas. In order to reduce these risks the following procedures
should be undertaken.
Fuel installations should be well maintained and all delivery
hoses, pipe work and trigger nozzles kept to a high standard and
secured, perhaps in a secure cabinet (with a drip tray) to prevent
unauthorised interference. Flexible delivery pipes should be kept
within a bund and have a cut-off valve or lockable valve where it
leaves the container. “Trigger” delivery nozzles with automatic
cut-off on release are considered good practise.
Any pump attached to the tank should have a check valve in the
feed line to prevent the tank contents draining down in the event
of damage to the pump or feed line. The pump should be positioned
or other steps taken to minimise risk of impact damage and
unauthorised use. Be aware that the potential for leaks increases
with the number of joints in the pipe work. You should ensure that
an appropriate form of leak detection is in place, dependent on
whether you are using a pressure or suction delivery system.
Wherever possible locate dispensing facilities in an area where
spills can be contained easily, for example, away from main river
flows or heavy river traffic. When refuelling, vessels should be
adjacent to the dispensing point to ensure that none is spilt in to
the water or the boat itself. Consider allocating a separate berth,
which is used only for refuelling.
Fixed fuel tanks
These should be carefully filled adjacent to the fuel supply
facility, ensuring that no fuel is discharged over the side or into
any part of the vessel. Some free space should be left in the tank
to avoid overflow should the craft tilt. Any spillages must be
cleared up with a suitable absorbent. Absorbents and other
materials used in a clean up operation will be classified as
hazardous waste and should be properly disposed of at approved
facilities or local authority waste disposal sites.
Portable fuel tanks
Portable tanks and spare fuel containers should be filled away
from the water’s edge and never overfilled, as spillage and bilge
contamination will result. They must be clearly marked with the
type of fuel and sited and secured safely on the vessel to minimise
the risk of collision damage, accidental spillage overboard or
unauthorised interference.
Mobile bowsers
In England mobile bowsers must also comply with the Oil Storage
Regulations and should be maintained to a high standard. The
bowsers should have secondary containment able to contain 110% of
the bowser storage capacity. All ancillary equipment including
sight gauges, vent pipes, valves and filters should be within the
secondary containment. Where fuel is delivered via a flexible pipe
it should have a manually operated pump or valve at the delivery
end that closes automatically when not in use. The pump or valve
must have a lock and be locked shut when not in use. The pipe must
have a lock where it leaves the container that is locked shut when
not in use. Where fuel is to be delivered by pump, an anti-siphon
valve should be incorporated in the delivery line. When not in use,
bowsers should be kept securely locked, preferably in a bunded
compound well away from the water’s edge or surface water
drains.
Where a tank (proprietary or conventional) is used for
re-fuelling plant, yachts or vehicles the refuelling area surface
water drainage should be isolated from the general site drainage
system and passed through an oil separator because it is most
likely that oil will be “lost” from refuelling activities rather
than from storage tank itself. If you wish to discharge to a
controlled water body you should obtain consent from the
Environment Agency. The use of overfill prevention devices is
recommended as just an overfill alarm may not notify an overfill in
time.