Expert Guide to Spill Contaminent and Control

Pollution incidents caused by accidental spills occur every day – sometimes the pollutants put human health at risk and they often cause environmental damage and devastate wildlife habitats. All businesses are responsible for complying with environmental regulations and for preventing pollution of the air, land or water.

Many thousands of pollution incidents occur each year. Each incidence is an offence which can result in prosecution and expensive fines including the costs for cleaning up any environmental damage. However this can be avoided with careful planning to reduce the risk and by taking suitable precautions for dealing with any spillages, if they occur. Just one litre of solvent is enough to contaminate 100,000,000 litres of drinking water (that’s equivalent to approximately 50 Olympic sized swimming pools). Oil is a particularly harmful pollutant - a small amount of oil causes a large problem. 5 litres of oil can cover an area of water the size of two football pitches.

Many industrial and commercial sites have the potential to damage our natural environment and Arco (UK) has launched its own Expert Guide for Environmental Management to help businesses reduce the risk of causing costly environmental pollution. Following the guidelines and ensuring that fluids are stored safely and the products and processes are in place to manage any potential spills, not only reduces the chance of causing pollution, but also makes good business sense. Minimising waste and pollution risk saves money and businesses that have a ‘green’ image are at a competitive advantage, which is important in today’s economic climate.

The range of products available from Arco include absorbents and spill kits from the Ecospill Elite and Ecospill Sustainable brands, as well as an Arco own brand range of pads, booms, sheets and hazard waste bags to provide a cost-effective and immediate solution to spills. Through ARC Safety Service, Arco can also deliver a range of spill response training courses from a basic level through to a certified advance course and a ‘Train the Trainer’ module. Arco also offers site surveys, management of spill kits and spill response training and can guide businesses to achieve compliance with regulations and above all maintain a safe and environmentally responsible site.

With oil storage regulations now a legal requirement in England and Scotland and companies in Wales and Ireland bound by a duty of care in terms of pollution and the environment, Arco has a range of storage and containment products to ensure that hazardous liquid containers are stored, labelled and maintained correctly and securely. The Expert Guide for Environmental Management offers guidance on the latest oil storage regulations so that customers are fully aware of their legal and moral obligations.