DGSM Information Paper No.10 - Spills containment and clean-up ...

consideration for the types of emergencies that may occur on site (fire, catastrophic
collapse of a tank, gradual leaks, package punctures, transfer hose/pipeline ruptures,
etc).
the quantity of contaminated fire water that will have to be contained.
3.2 Types of spills control and clean-up measures
The type of measures employed may include the following:
For containment:
− bunding (containment walls around a storage area);
− graded or sloping surfaces;
− drainage to a holding pit, tank or sump;
− trenches or spoon drains;
− a combination of above means;
− drip trays for small packages;
− booms, sand bags and other devices to protect run off into water ways and
drains;
− leak repair kits and other materials for temporary plugging of leaks from tanks
or other vessels;
For clean-up:
− absorbent materials;
− shovels, buckets, mops, bags, over-packs and other equipment;
− pumps and transfer hoses;
For effective management of spills, relevant procedures need to be developed and appropriate
training given to employees in the hazards of the materials and in the procedures. All relevant
procedures, training and other matters should be documented and incorporated into your
safety management system.
3.3 Appropriate materials for use in spill containment measures
When selecting material and equipment to be used for spills containment, you should aim to
ensure the following:
That the materials will be impervious to the spilt material for the likely duration of the
spill;
The materials used in the construction of bunds or other spills clean up and
containment equipment are compatible with the dangerous goods or combustible
liquids.
Two or more materials are compatible if they do not react together adversely to cause
a fire, explosion, harmful reaction, or evolution of flammable, toxic, or corrosive vapours.
DGSM Information Paper No. 10 Spills Containment and Clean-up (December 2003)
CHEM Services , Department of Emergency Services Page 2