Oil spills spread rapidly, especially when they reach open water. A spill as small as one gallon of used motor oil contaminates one million gallons of fresh water. The environmental consequences of uncontained spills are horrific.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also imposes penalties for harming the environment. They fined a railroad company $600,000 in 2016 for multiple offenses. Part of the remedial action required was to install secondary containment at their rail yards.
Why Do You Need Flexible Spill Containment Berms?
The EPA sets guidelines, objectives and limits for The Clean Water Act (CWA). Their aim is to keep oil and oil-related materials out of our water.
The Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) rule forms part of the CWA. SPCC regulations govern all sites that use, process, store or consume oil except transportation companies. It requires effective and proactive measures in response to an oil discharge. If above ground storage capacity exceeds 1,320 gallons, each container above 55 gallons must have secondary containment.
Applications for Collapsible Spill Containment Berms
Wherever a truck is loading or unloading hazardous chemicals on your site, you need spill containment. Trucks park in the spill containment berm during loading and unloading. Remote areas where no permanent spill containment berms are in place use collapsible berms. This also applies to refueling. If an incident occurs during refueling, the spill containment berm will control the spill.
Store pallets of portable drums in collapsible spill containment berms. They will contain a leak from any of the drums. Spill containment berms come in different sizes and configurations to enable customized storage areas. Collapsible berms even protect the contents of large, upright tanks. SPCC requires that berms are sized to capture the contents of the tank along with expected rainfall.
Power utility companies use secondary containment for transformers because they contain oil. During maintenance activities, oil spills may escape into the environment. Collapsible berms prevent this from happening. Use spill containment berms as temporary or permanent installations to protect against transformer oil leaks.
The applications for collapsible berms are endless. They prevent oil and grease from leaving a vehicle wash down. Emergency services decontaminate response personnel in decon berms. Laboratories use berms to store hazardous chemicals. Industrial warehouses set up storage locations using collapsible berms.
More Spill Containment Solutions
QuickBerm®
QuickBerm® is a highly flexible and collapsible spill containment berm. The single piece design is easy to setup – just tug on the wall and allow the inside braces to rest on the floor. Wrap-around diagonal radio frequency welds on the corners ensure leakproof operation.
There are no exterior support braces on QuickBerm®. This means that it has the smallest footprint to sump area ratio. Place a QuickBerm® directly alongside a wall to save space.
Rigid-Lock QuickBerm®
The Rigid-Lock QuickBerm® is a patented spill containment berm with rigid support braces that lock into position. Stainless steel braces are two feet apart and lock at 90 degrees. Erect the berm easily by pulling up the side walls. Pushing down on the wall unlocks the support for vehicle access.
A great advantage of Rigid-Lock QuickBerm® is its robustness. Moderate to heavy vehicles cause no damage as they drive over the berm into position.
Purchase a BCI Spill Containment Berm Today
BCI offers a comprehensive range of collapsible spill containment berms. We customize our products to meet your needs. Fill in this contact form and one of our professional sales associates will contact you.