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You know that despite the best prevention you may run into difficulties and an accident may occur when you least expect it. To minimize contamination, hazards to people, and environmental damage you must REACT immediately. To help you prepare, this section will tell you:
how to PLAN and be ready to respond to a problem;
how to REACT to a minor, intermediate or major spill;
what to do after a spill occurs.
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Every base should have a Spill Control Plan which tells you how to REACT to spills. As part of your plan, you should conduct drills on a periodic basis to prepare for a spill. You need to train so that you can respond to:
MINOR SPILLS
(25 gallons or less)
INTERMEDIATE SPILLS
(from 26 to 55 gallons)
MAJOR SPILLS
(more than 55 gallons OR any spill into water, where injuries occurred or where spills occurred off U.S. controlled property.)
This handbook can serve as a reminder for you in these situations, but it is not a substitute for training!
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| Maintain
supplies, rags, absorbent pads, or other
kinds of materials that will soak up spills
on hard surfaces (like dry sweep) or know
where you can easily get them, that will
help.
Keep
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
accessible (gloves, goggles, etc.).
INTERMEDIATE & MAJOR SPILLS
In addition to the procedures above:
Know where to go for help.
Know where spill kits are kept and learn how
to use them (see following section).
SPILL KITS
Spill Kits should be maintained in and
around all locations where HM/HW are stored,
handled or disposed of. Various types of
kits can be ordered through the Army Supply
System (see Appendix
B) and should include: rubber
gloves, safety goggles, putty, rubber
mallet, wooden plugs, absorbent booms,
absorbent pads, plastic bags, and in some
cases a disposal barrel.
THE SPILL DRILL
The hazards faced in a spill, minor to
major, could be significant and ruin your
whole
day. You should have already been trained to
always:
1.Protect yourself by using your PPE
including: gloves, goggles and suits; and
extinguish all cigarettes--SAFETY FIRST!
2.Do the Spill Drill -- REACT!
A helpful reminder of what you should do is:
REMOVE
THE SOURCE
ENVELOP
THE SPILL
ABSORB/ACCUMULATE
CONTAINERIZE
THE HW
TRANSMIT
A REPORT
REACTING TO A MINOR SPILL
After you have protected yourself from
exposure:
REMOVE THE SOURCE
If it is dripping: stop the drip with a
wooden plug or putty.
If it is from a leaky connection: tighten
the connection or replace the broken parts.
ENVELOP THE SPILL
If it is flowing, put an absorbent sock or
pad down to catch the flow.
Use your shovel to build a small dam or berm.
ABSORB/ACCUMULATE
On a hard surface put down dry sweep.
On a gravel or mud surface, lay an absorbent
sock or pad on the spill.
CONTAINERIZE IT
Place used absorbent material in a plastic
bag or container.
Use your OVE shovel or entrenching tool to
dig up the contaminated soil and place it in
a container or plastic bag. Be sure to bring
the container or bag to a proper HW
collection point.
TRANSMIT A REPORT
Tell your boss or supervisor what you
spilled and what you did about it.
By REACTing quickly, you eliminate hazards
that could cause injury. You also give the
spill less of a chance to seep into the
ground, which makes cleanup easier and helps
protect water resources.
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