In 2001, the UK saw the first Oil Storage Regulation enacted for England and since then Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have created theirs. It is imperative that storage of your spill pallets comply with whatever regulation applies to your region(s).
Although each regulation is country specific they do share many key points including the capacity of the sump of a secondary containment system. Typically, these are in the form of spill pallets manufatured from steel or rotationally moulded plastic, designed to hold drums or IBCs.
The regulations clearly state a secondary containment system must satisfy the following requirements:
It must have a capacity of not less than 110% of the container’s storage capacity or if there is more than one container within the system, of not less than 110% of the largest container’s storage capacity or 25% of their aggregate storage capacity, whichever is the greater.
As you would expect there are a wide range of companies offering spill pallets for sale in the UK and the vast majority of them are manufactured to ensure compliance with UK regulations, however there are products on sale that have been designed to comply with regulations in other countries which have different legal requirements to the UK, namely they only hold 100%, not the 110% required, and therefore are not legally compliant in the UK.
You can download a copy of the relevant Oil Storage Regulations from our Advice Centre, or feel free to contact us to discuss your specific requirements. Remember if you cause pollution or allow it to occur, you may be committing a criminal offence.
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