Chemical Storage:
Risk Control Through Spill Containment

In trying to set guidelines for liquid spill containment and control, state and federal regulations often make the task murkier than some of the chemicals they are trying to contain. Yes, there are guidelines for what is considered a reportable spill. Yes, there are regulations for the proper storage and handling of hazardous chemicals. And yes, you could fashion your control and containment plan around those rules. But the regulations governing chemical spill containment can change, and nothing is out there to prevent a local jurisdiction from trumping federal guidelines with more stringent rules. Plus, chemicals not considered hazardous today could be tomorrow.

In the end, rather than chemical storage being a simple matter of following regulations, the goal becomes identifying risks and responsibilities. Can those be determined?

Some risks are pretty clear: costs associated with cleanup and reclamation, plus potential punitive fines and penalties. In extreme cases, personnel and communities could be at risk of contamination, resulting in hospitalizations, treatments and lawsuits. The damage to a company’s reputation is harder to quantify, but in the end, indirect costs could prove to be just as devastating as direct.

The fact is, there are already too many industrial sites sitting empty and unmarketable because environmental cleanup costs are prohibitively expensive. It does not matter that when the facilities were operating; they followed the handling, storage and containment rules of the day. The upshot is that for a comparatively small, up-front investment those site owners could have nearly eliminated their spill contamination risks while protecting their investment and indemnifying themselves against potentially catastrophic losses.

So what is a responsible plan of action? Considering that, in concentrated form, nearly any industrial chemical is hazardous to the environment, and chemical contamination is quite often measured in parts per billion, and very few chemicals today are unregulated, the bottom line for all companies should be to contain every potentially hazardous liquid.

And that is not a very difficult thing to do.

In examining spills from minor to major, there are numerous products on the market today to help control, contain or clean up any and all spills. Sorbent products like pads, pillows, socks and booms help contain and absorb small volume spills. Sorbents typically come in three categories:

• Universal for both water- and oil-based chemicals
• Oil-only for use on water to absorb floating hydrocarbons; and
• Special for absorbing aggressive, caustic chemicals.

As the volume of a spill increases, the risk of widespread damage or contamination also increases. At this point, spill containment becomes an issue. For liquid chemicals stored in drums or intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), pallets, shelves and racks with built-in sumps have become popular containment devices. Typically designed to handle one to eight drums, spill pallets are transportable via forklift and are constructed of steel, stainless steel or plastic. Racks and shelves can be incorporated onto the pallet for horizontal drum storage, allowing spill-protected dispensing. Regulated under the EPA, OSHA and NFPA, secondary spill containment sumps must be designed to certain specifications in order to be considered spill compliant. Check with local and state authorities for design requirements for each location and materials allowed. In addition, the spill pallet must be compatible with the material stored, e.g. plastic spill pallets/sumps for storing caustics.

For companies that operate with open processing or dispensing areas, spill decking products provide compliant, modular spill containment. A typical system may include multiple 4-by-6-by-5-foot grated spill decks; each deck can be joined together to form a variety of configurations, depending upon a facilities space or processing system requirements. Attached ramps are also available to ease material handling.

In cases where small volumes of hazardous chemicals require secured, sometimes isolated storage, lockers are utilized. Designed for up to eight drums or two IBCs, and appropriate for indoor and outdoor placement, lockers can be built with a variety of options, including temperature control and fire-rated construction. They can be used for chemical dispensing as well as storage and are easily relocated via forklift.

While pallets and lockers work well for small numbers of drums/IBCs, cabinets and buildings provide enclosed, secure storage for larger volumes of drums while still allowing for compliant secondary spill containment. Cabinets are designed primarily for indoor or outdoor storage and can accommodate up to 144 55-gallon drums. These structures are available with a variety of door styles, can be multi-tiered, and allow single- or double-sided access depending upon the material handling requirements of the user. When storing flammables, fire-rated construction and fire suppression systems can be engineered into the design. Buildings typically are designed for outdoor placement and used for both the storage and processing of chemicals. Fire protection systems are available as well as temperature control and ventilation options for heated or cooled storage. Both cabinets and buildings can be relocated via forklift or crane.

For larger spills, such as from tanks or sprinkler releases, containment often means confining the spill to the affected room or area. Doorway spill barriers, both manual and automatic, effectively seal off the room, preventing contamination to other areas of the facility or storm and sewer drains. These large-area spill containment products operate indoors or out, and in conjunction with berms or solid walls. Manual barriers are normally used in low traffic or remote areas, with the barrier deployed at all times. In the event of vehicular traffic, the barrier is easily removed to allow access.

Automatic barriers are relatively new products (see Figure 1). Unlike ramps/berms, the barriers lay flat in the doorway, allowing vehicular and pedestrian traffic to pass unimpeded. At the first sign of liquid, the barrier will deploy, sealing off the room. Such barriers are fully automatic, requiring no external power source to operate.

These products are readily available to help any business store and safely contain any size chemical spill. Cost is always a factor. The equipment will not add to the bottom line; it is purely for loss prevention. But compared with the potential costs associated with cleanup, reclamation and litigation, these up-front, one-time investments will pay dividends in risk abatement and peace of mind for years to come.

Please order our brochure on “Automatic Doorway Spill Barriers”