Pollution, Spill and Firewater Containment in Artic Conditions

 

Pollution Risks Increase Drastically in near Artic Conditions, But now there is no Need to Close Down Your Site!

 

Where us the drain?
Where us the drain?

The recent spate of Arctic conditions which  swept across most of the UK and Northern Europe, brought with it a series of major difficulties for companies attempting to deploy conventional spill and pollution control apparatus such as drain mats and absorbents. Even the most diligently prepared emergency teams struggled to locate drains under inches of snow. However, locating the drain is only the first of many problems! Have you considered how much time it would take to dig away snow and to chip away ice from a frozen drain with a shovel or the consequence of using a blowtorch? Further, what about the risks on a site with spilt or stored petrochemicals? Finally, what about the risk of entrapped methane within the drain? One spark let alone a naked flame and you could become history and the incident has become a disaster!  

Fact, the risk of a spill is greatly increased with extreme weather conditions and with snow cover plus iced up drains it can become impossible to legally keep your site operating and if you do you could find yourself standing "very thin ice" with regards to the validity of emergency response procedures and conformance under ISO14001.

Thankfully trying to find a spill or firewater containment system which works in all weather conditions is no longer a problem. Environmental Innovations Limited, a UK based designer, manufacturer and installer, can pre-install one of their DrainstopperTM or FlapstopperTM spill and firewater containment systems in the drain ready for action at the press of a button.

Apart from the basic moral responsibility to protect the environment the new stringent Polluter Pays Principle at the heart of the new European Environmental Liabilities Directive (ELD 2004/35/EC) makes no allowance for ignorance or extreme weather conditions when it comes to instigating fines or allocating potentially massive remuneration costs. So it's vital that when developing your Emergency Response Procedure that it will be engineered to work all the year round, 24/7 in all weather conditions otherwise you will be obliged to stop operations at the sight of the first snowflake of winter!