Oil spill clean up – Oil tank clean up

In the event of an oil spill, the most important factor to consider is health and safety. Oils and chemicals can present major health and safety hazards through skin or eye contact and inhalation of their fumes, many oils and chemicals are flammable and present at least a slip hazard.

It is essential to perform an oil spill clean up as quickly as possible by personnel with the proper personal protective equipment and respiratory protection equipment for the job and with a thorough knowledge of the hazards of the spilled product.

Before responding to the spill, we will consult a safety data sheet to ensure that we fully understand the risks posed by the spilled product and that we can take the necessary steps to protect our responders from these risks.

For high-risk substances, for example, toxic substances, it is essential to ensure that where materials have been spilled, a thorough clean up is undertaken to remove any hazardous residue. We can carry out oil tank leak clean up using protective suits and, if necessary, self-contained breathing apparatus to enable us to clean up the substances safely without endangering our staff and leaving the site safe for you.

For less hazardous oil spills, such as gasoline, it is important to undertake a thorough oil spill clean up to eliminate any fire and slip hazards. It is unlikely that simply placing absorbents on the oil spill will eliminate the fire and slip hazards. Therefore, the area will need to be thoroughly and safely decontaminated before it can be considered a safe environment.

Oil spills can cause major problems for the environment. If the spill enters the drainage system, the oil or chemical may escape into controlled waters. If the spill enters undeveloped soil, it may migrate into groundwater.

It is therefore essential, in the event of a spill, to call on professional assistance such as KBS Maintenance to ensure that the clean-up is as quick, efficient, and complete as possible. If an oil spill has reached controlled waters or undeveloped soil, we can carry out oil tank leak clean up in the event of contamination of surface water, groundwater, and contaminated soil.

Our oil spill clean up service follows the receiving source model to ensure that we not only clean up the visible contamination but also examine whether the spill has managed to escape the site or contaminate the soil, allowing us to perform a complete spill response.

If you would prefer that we liaise with regulatory agencies on your behalf during a spill, we would be happy to do so!

Stopping oil spillage saves more oil loss and reduces potential damage to the environment. A single drop of oil on a water body can cause severe damage to a water body. Clear the visible oil through an absorbent material. In place of porous material, use cat litter or sand to reduce the chance of further spread.

For visible cracks, try pressing clay or a piece of soap to stop the leakage. Be careful as your interact with oil. If possible, get gloves when handling the leakage. If any oil gets into contact with your skin, wash it off with soap and running water instantly. Where no oil leak is visible, or you suspect leakage from valve joints, switch off the flow from the tank.

After dealing with the leak, communicate to the local authorities that you have a home oil leak. The local environmental health department should take the necessary measures to prevent oil pollution from contaminating nearby water bodies. Give as many details as you can. Most local councils advertise their emergency and office contacts through their website.

Communicate to the oil supplier for an oil leak assessment. The supplier removes the reserve left in the storage tank to prevent further leakage until a permanent solution is in place. If the oil spill is not apparent, it would be prudent to notify KBS maintenance for professional oil spill cleaning services. They have professional spill kits and provide proper monitoring both weekdays and on weekends.

Are you insured? Communicate to your home insurer about the leak. You may need to hire a professional oil cleaning company like KBS; the insurance should cater for that. Once the leak contaminates the soil benefits, it will be removed and dealt with. The same case happens with any contamination with water bodies. Oil spill cleanup may tend to be a costly affair.

The Arctic environment poses unique challenges to oil spill response technologies and techniques. While in some limited cases arctic conditions may be favorable for spill response, in most cases the arctic operating environment reduces the effectiveness of oil spill control and recovery methods and equipment.

Dispersants are a group of chemicals applied to oil slicks to accelerate the dispersion of oil in the water column. They do not remove the oil from the water but are intended to limit the amount of oil that forms a slick on the surface of the water or on the shoreline by moving the oil into the dissolved phase. Dispersants are applied using spray nozzles, pumps, and hoses, and can be applied from a ship or aircraft.

Mechanical recovery contains spilled oil with booms and collects it with a skimming device for storage and disposal. Booms are deployed from ships or anchored to fixed structures or land. There are several types of skimmers, which use suction, weirs to remove oil from the water surface.

Once the oils have been recovered, they should be transferred by pumps and hoses to a temporary storage place until they can be disposed of properly.

Oil spill prevention is the best strategy to avoid potential damage to human health and the environment. Oil tank leak clean up is time-consuming and expensive, but oil spill clean up costs are minor compared to the negative impact on an organization’s brand and image. Repeated oil spills, even minor ones, result in increased scrutiny from environmental regulators.

Preventive measures aim to avoid the release of hydrocarbons into the environment and are based on:

• Early warning systems.
• Satellite monitoring systems.

An early warning system is capable of detecting oil spills and leaks on the water. It can detect even small amounts of oil in real time, 24 hours a day, and is reliable in bad weather or at night, when traditional inspection techniques are ineffective. Early detection allows response authorities to take immediate corrective action to stop and contain a spill, providing an effective way to minimize the environmental and financial impact of an oil spill.

Whether or not this has happened to you, you can prevent an oil leak by following these simple protocols habitually;

Ensure all fuel pipelines running to the furnace are placed under a protective tubing or fixed under concrete. It’s more challenging to have accidental line damage this way.

Clean oil pipe connections and ensure tight joints. Oil spills start with loose connections on several pipe sections.

Monitor your fuel consumption. Keep a record of your weekly consumption of home oil. Once in a while, have a comparison check of previous consumption levels. You should notice an oil leak suspicion if fuel usage rises significantly without additional appliances.

Monitor your oil tank and piping. An on-ground oil tank is easier to monitor. For underground tanks, once it lasts at least 20 years, consider replacing them.

Regular maintenance. Schedule regular maintenance with oil spill cleanup companies to perform a random check and look for potential leak points. Regular maintenance helps your tank operation to remain optimum.

We respond quickly to oil spills and hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals with our fleet of specialized vehicles. Our vehicles carry spill kits, absorbents and specialized equipment to contain and carry out oil spill clean up to prevent environmental contamination.

In case of flooding, we evacuate excess water by tanker, quickly and efficiently. In the event of a traffic accident, we handle debris and clear roads to keep traffic flowing. After the incident, our specialized response teams provide a range of fast, cost-effective consulting and site remediation services that put you and the environment first.