Consultation on storage of dangerous liquids for COMAH sites
A consultation on a new policy to improve the bulk storage of dangerous liquids has been released by the Competent Authority (CA). The policy applies to oil and fuel storage installations across Britain covered by the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations.
The CA is comprised of the Environment Agency (EA), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and is responsible for oil and fuel storage installations across Britain that fall under Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations.
The proposed policy sets out ways to improve protection of people and the environment, both on and off-site, and applies to sites that store and use large quantities of petrol and other fuels. It is believed this has been triggered by the Buncefield incident.
This proposed containment policy will clarify and strengthen the requirements for primary containment, such as alarms and emergency shut down systems, to prevent spillages from storage tanks. It also requires improvements to secondary and tertiary containment systems, such as bunds around tanks, to reduce the consequences of any spills that do occur.
The upgraded standards will apply immediately to any new sites, so they comply with best practice. It is acknowledged that the upgrading of existing establishments is disruptive and that costs to the industry are likely to be substantial. In some cases it has been estimated that it may take up to 10 to 20 years for existing sites to upgrade to comply with the policy.
The draft policy proposes to apply new standards according to risk, and will be implemented on the basis of the hazards of the substances present, taking account of the situation, community and environment where the installations are located. The highest standards will be expected where the risks to people and environment are greatest.
This policy is a response to several of the recommendations made by the Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board in their Design and Operations report, published in March 2007, and the CA Report on the Findings of the Oil/Fuel Depot Safety and Environmental Reviews.
The consultation document and the regulatory impact assessment can be downloaded from
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/consultations/1696211/?lang=_e
Responses are due by 19 September 2007. The policy should be finalised and released by December 2007.
Source www.environment-agency.gov.uk (accessed 01/08/07)