Dealing With The Immediate Aftermath of an Oil Spill
If your business handles oil storage or works directly with pipelines, your team should always be prepared to prevent the devastating spread of a spill or leak.
Although emergency response teams like TAS Environmental Services are available 24/7 for assistance, the time between the spill discovery and our arrival is critical to the success of a spill’s containment.
Oil spills and leaks can create a hectic environment, so it’s always important to have a default plan of action in place that helps mitigate any damage.
Always Have an Oil Spill Kit On-Hand
In any industry that works closely with crude oil, an oil spill kit is an essential that should always be nearby. An oil spill kit can help a team quickly contain a problem until a professional response team’s arrival for recovery and final clean up.
An oil spill kit should contain the following items:
- Absorbent Mats
- Dust-Pans
- Waste Bags
- Gloves
- Protective Eye Gear
- Protective Overalls
- Rubber Shoe Covers
Stop the Flow if Possible
Stopping the flow of your spill or leak can be as simple as turning off the valve that controls the flow of your oil. However, if your team cannot seal off the problem, another effective way to at least slow down the flow of your spill is through careful bucket or container placement that catches and prevents oil from going to waste and spreading throughout the immediate area.
Avoid Using Detergents for Clean Up
Attempting to clean up spilt oil in a body of water using detergents or other related methods can actually cause further environmental harm.
If oil has already reached its way to a body of water, it’s best to wait for your environmental services team to ensure that the clean up is efficient and follows EPA best practices.
Never Wash Oil Away
Never attempt to wash oil down a drain or into the bare ground. Both of these locations will eventually lead to natural water. Getting rid of oil by these means only contributes to environmental damage that puts the surrounding community and wildlife at risk.
If you can’t effectively clean up the bulk of your spill through the means of your spill kit, make every effort to prevent the spread of the oil through a sandbag barrier. Once the oil is contained, our emergency response team will quickly be able to get to work on safe environmental remediation.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Finally, you’ll want to ensure that your business is covered for any losses that it may have experienced during the incident.
Reach out to your insurance company immediately and inform them of the spill or leak. Oil is a key product of your business, so you want to guarantee that you are able to recover the costs of your lost oil.
TAS Environmental Services Helps Your Team Overcome an Unexpected Oil Spill
No matter how careful your team’s transportation and handling practices are, spills unfortunately happen. Although we’ve covered some of the most basic actions your team can take to reduce environmental damage, the big cleanup is a job that should be left to the professionals.
Whether you need help planning for a potential spill, containing a current incident, or general remediation, TAS Environmental Services is an accredited team that has the training, experience, and equipment to efficiently mitigate the damage of any toxic spill.
Contact us today to learn more about our services.