A co-worker asked me to ask the Cove if someone has a hazardous waste spill containment procedure. Basically, a procedure on what to do in the event of an accidental spill into the sewer system.

It turns out that a small garage-sized company had an accident: A kid knocked over a container of machine coolant and it went right into the gutter. Now, the fire department, OSHA, etc is requesting that a "Spill Containment Procedure" be documented along with paying an $8000 fine!:mg:

Any guidance or help would be greatly appreciated. :thanx:

A co-worker asked me to ask the Cove if someone has a hazardous waste spill containment procedure. Basically, a procedure on what to do in the event of an accidental spill into the sewer system.

It turns out that a small garage-sized company had an accident: A kid knocked over a container of machine coolant and it went right into the gutter. Now, the fire department, OSHA, etc is requesting that a "Spill Containment Procedure" be documented along with paying an $8000 fine!:mg:

Any guidance or help would be greatly appreciated. :thanx:


Try this link. It may help you.

http://www.abwem.wpafb.af.mil/hazmat/docs/Final%20Installation%20HAZMAT%20Management%20Program%20Plan.pdf

Hi Crusader,

What to do in the event of a spillage depends largely upon the chemical/material that is being spilled. For example, a relatively tiny amount of mercury (say from a thermometer breakage) can constitute a major problem if the mercury gets onto your skin, or is washed into the drain.

In Europe there are regulations and legislation (e.g. CHIP) that govern how materials should be identified, categorised, stored, handled etc. It's the same in most other parts of the world, including the US (OHSA regs I believe).

A key part of the process is the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) which is a 16-section document which gives a load of information for any chemical supplied by a vendor. In the UK, the vendor MUST supply this document free of charge for any chemical they supply. It's the law. The good news is that the 16-section MSDS format has now been adopted across most of the world.

The way to use these documents is to identify every chemical or hazardous substance that you have, obtain the MSDS from the vendor for each substance (many are available from websites), do a risk assessment (this is usually a quick process due to the comprehensive info given in the MSDS) and write a procedure covering how to act in the event of a spillage.

In your example, the machine coolant will have an MSDS which should be available from the distributor or manufacturer. This will tell you what to do in the event of a spillage. Get hold of this document, plus those for any other chemicals on site, and take it from there.

Hope this helps. :)

P.S. Here's a link to an MSDS in the "standard" format for Mercury:

MSDS for Mercury, 99.999% (https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/96252.htm)

It's not my spill, not my problem. The document that is needed is a specific Procedure for Spill Containment not the MSDS, which the other party already has in their possesion. But thanks for the added input. I suppose a procedure could be written from the data on the MSDS?

Yes - that's how it is normally done. The MSDS format has evolved to the extent that a GOOD example (such as the one I linked to earlier) should be easy to convert into a procedure. The 16 sections cover everything you need to worry about.

But it is difficult to give you a generic procedure for a hazardous waste spill simply because the steps you will need to take will depend upon the nature and quantity of the material.

The MSDS is a great place to start, and your friend may be able to get this easily from the vendor's website.

It is possible that someone else on the Cove may have a specific procedure for machine coolant, but as there are hundreds of different formulations it's unlikely you'll get exactly what you need.

Regards

Alex

I can't tell if your from Canada or California, but what you are looking for is as basic as Ham & Eggs, especialy in that state. The issue also isn't so much Cal-OSHA as it is with the Cal-EPA, if the Fire Dept is involved it's because they are probably the CUPA for your area.

Spill control procedures are a dime a dozen and you could actually come up with a good one by referring to 29CFR 1910.120. The Cal regs fall under 8 CCR for OH&S and 22 CCR for Environmental

Look at http://www.dir.ca.gov/Title8/5163.html for some info for basic spill control from Cal-OSHA also look at this link for Hazardous waste Operation and Emergency Response http://www.dir.ca.gov/Title8/5192.html

A commercial site with tons of info is www.ehso.com

Also look at this link towards the bottom http://www.labsafety.com/refinfo/ezfacts/

I could actually write a simple procedure but they need to do their own work and comply with regulations like everyon else.

A co-worker asked me to ask the Cove if someone has a hazardous waste spill containment procedure. Basically, a procedure on what to do in the event of an accidental spill into the sewer system.

Yes we have a couple of such procedures:

Small discharge, excluding hydrofluoric acid.
Major discharge, excluding hydrofluoric acid.
Discharge of hydrofluoric acid.

They are in swedish, of course, but basically they are checklists, also containing info about whom to contact, where to find the necessary equipment (site maps), where to find information on the chemicals, valves to close, what protection to wear, how to document and evaluate the event…

I know this is a bit "bigger" than what you asked for, but still... You get the idea...

/Claes

I was under the assumption that there might be a generic format for a spill containment procedure. We don't have anything like that here - not required from what I am told. I will pass on the info you have provided. Thanks to all!

Generic you say?

Don't spill nothing

If you spill something, don't let it go down drains, run into the street or soak into the ground.

If you spill something or see something that has spilled, clean it up.

That's about a generic as it gets.

Hi. This is our "generic" procedure in times of chemical spills.
Hope this helps.:bigwave:

I am including the text from our spill procedure. This may be a bit grand for a small garage type company, so it may need to be scaled back a bit. And they should look at the regulations for their area to determine when to report a spill and to whom. In addition, they should put a spill kit in place and train their employees on how to handle a spill.

Hopefully this will help your friend!


EMERGENCY RESPONSE SPILL PROCEDURES
9.1 POLICY
Company Name is committed to containing all on-site chemical spills and minimising any adverse effects to both workers and the environment. The company will ensure the necessary materials and equipment are readily available in the event of a spill and designated workers are trained to function as an emergency spill response team.

9.2 PROCEDURES
Upon discovery of a spill, the first worker at the scene shall complete an immediate evaluation of the spill or leak and identify:

1) The amount and type of material involved, e.g., liquid or gas
a) The risk of explosion or fire
b) If the spilled/leaked material is a known flammable or combustible, immediately remove all sources of ignition

2) What population of people will potentially be exposed
a) If the spill/leaked material is known flammable or combustible, warn workers in the area of the possible fire/explosion hazard and determine whether the workers need to be removed from the immediate area until the spill is contained

3) If the spill is classified as small and within the workers control, he/she should;
a) Stop the flow by shutting of a valve or up-righting the pail or drum
b) Wear the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during all phases of the clean up given his/her knowledge of the material and the Material Safety Data (MSDS) requirements, i.e., gloves, aprons, safety goggles and respirators
c) Make certain the area is well ventilated

4) If the spill is classified as large and beyond the control of the first worker at the scene, he/she should immediately:
a) Alert other workers in the area of the emergency
b) Call supervision for the spill response team
c) Isolate the area and do not allow anyone to enter the area is declared safe

5) The spill response team will attempt to contain the spill/leaking material by one of the following methods:
a) Soak up the spill with absorbent packs, shop towels and/or absorbent pigs
b) Use a sewer cover to prevent any flow into storm or sanitary sewers
c) Place soaked material in a sealed drum until approved solid waste disposal is possible and secure and label all drums
d) Pump spilled liquids into drums for reuse or disposal if a pump with an explosion-proof motor is readily available

6) The Team Leader will document the spill on the Investigation Report form and have the report signed by the Manufacturing Supervisor/Operations Manager and a copy to the Director of Operations, the Environmental Management Systems Coordinator, and the JHSC

7) If the spill has caused or is likely to cause any of the following, the Operations Manager, or designate, will report the spill to the Ministry of the Environment Spills Action Centre at PHONE NUMBER:
a) Impairment to the quality of the natural environment - air, water, or land;
b) Injury or damage to property or animal life;
c) Adverse health effects;
d) Safety risk;
e) Making property, plant, or animal life unfit for use;
f) Loss of enjoyment of normal use of property; or
g) Interference with the normal conduct of business.

8) Should a spill result in any negative physical effect on any worker
a) Consult the MSDS for proper first aid procedures and implement
b) Arrange for medical attention, as required
c) Implement WSIB reporting procedures, as required

9.3 SPILL REPORT
Spills that occur will be recorded in the investigation report and discussed in the Health Safety and Environment meetings. (See Reference 16.2 – Investigation Report Form)

5642

Here is a copy of the one we use at my company - MSDS sheets are obtained in addition to this when needed. We are a transportation company so we could be carrying many differenct chemicals - this is pretty generic.

I should add that we are in automotive stamping & welding. We really don't have very hazardous chemicals on site. C Emmons - I think your procedure is a bit better if the potential is there for a very serious spill. Thanks for posting it.