Oil spills endanger public health, impact drinking water, devastate natural resources and disrupt the economy. Spills can happen during production, storage, or transport. Every effort must be made to prevent oil spills, and to clean them up promptly when they occur. Costs associated with spill prevention are much less than those associated with spill cleanup. Consider that only one gallon of oil can contaminate a million gallons of water. It is easy to see why preventing and immediate cleanup of spills is so important, and why having a formal plan to prevent and control spills is critical.

Discussion Points:
• SPCC Plan
• Regulations for storing and handling petroleum products
• What you need to know to prevent spills
• What to do if a spill occurs
• What are the training, reporting and record keeping requirements?

Discussion:
An SPCC plan is a written document that includes regulatory requirements and information specific to your facility, and should include information about annual training. SPCC plans should be reviewed at least once every five years or when there are changes in the facility’s design, operation or maintenance affecting a spill potential. Facilities need an SPCC plan when they have above ground storage of oil capacity of more than 1320 gallons and underground storage with capacity of more than 42,000 gallons. This amount of oil is not the actual quantity of oil being stored, but rather the amount that could be stored. When it is necessary to report a spill, you will find reporting guidelines and phone numbers in your SPCC plan.

As always, be safe out there!