M3L5Spill-Prevention

Module III

Lesson Five: Baseline BMPs

Spill Prevention and Response

Spills and leaks from industrial activities are one of the major contributors to stormwater pollutants. To prevent the pollution from these two sources, a SWPPP must clearly identify the location where spills are likely to occur and their drainage points. Facility operators should ensure that employees are aware of response procedures, including material handling and storage requirements. They must also ensure that there is access to appropriate spill cleanup resources. Spills and leaks prevention is always preferable to cleaning up after their occurrence. Two topics will be discussed in this section:

Spill Prevention Plan
Spill Prevention Response

Spill Prevention Plan

A spill prevention plan should include the following:

Install leak detection devices
Adopt good housekeeping practices
Perform regular visual inspections to identify areas for potential leaks or spills
Recycle, reduce, and reuse process materials to minimize waste onsite
Identify a spill response team to implement the spill response plan
Identify safety measures
Include procedures for notifying appropriate authorities [police, fire, hospital, Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW ), etc.] in the event of a spill
Describe spill containment, diversion, isolation, and cleanup practices

Spill Response

The detail spill response has been discussed in TERC’s SPCC Training Module. When the spill occurs in a facility, the field personnel needs to:

Notify appropriate area personnel to initiate immediate action
Ensure timely notification to all managements and regulatory agencies
Identify and correct causes to prevent or minimize recurrence
Identify necessary revisions to the SPCC Plan

Supporting information such as names, titles, and duty/off-duty telephone numbers of key area and activity personnel to whom spills must be reported should be included as appendices to the SPCC Plan. Contacts at regulatory agencies and other concerned authorities/organizations to be notified and the circumstances that require their notification should also be included as supporting material. All significant spills reach the stormwater systems must be reported to the National Response Center at 1-800-424-8802.

Back to Top