Using Secondary Containment Systems To Protect Life And Health

By Karyn Shields


There are a lot of chemicals and other substances that make life worth living and help make it the best it is. Some of these substances, such as gas, oil and others are a danger to the environment if they are allowed to leak out of the container it is in. This is especially true when being transported. You have heard, many times, about a leak from a gas truck or an oil spill on a roadway. It snarled traffic and caused damage to the surrounding area with nasty, often flammable materials. Secondary containment systems, if in place, would have assisted in making sure this did not happen.

There are as many differing systems as there are primary containment systems. These are based on a couple of considerations. When designing a system whose primary purpose is to catch something that escaped its primary containment, the material it is fabricated from is important. It must be able to withstand whatever effects would damage something else. In other words, it must be immune from any deteriorating action the substance generates.

An example of a true containment is found in your own home. When you are removing the trash from your kitchen, you may often place the full bag inside of another liner to ensure nothing falls out. This is so you will not have to sweep and mop it all over again. This is a good example and brings the message home, as it were.

It was an easy choice about that containerization. When looking at industrial and transportation systems, it gets more complicated. Decisions, in these areas, require looking into flexible or rigid construction. There is also the consideration about temporary versus permanent installation.

A couple of these substances you hear about all of the time are the transport of gasoline and oil by truck or rail. The rigid primary tank for the transport for either one of these can tear or become punctured for many reasons, not the least common of which would be an accident. This has caused many gallons or barrels of environmentally unsafe material to be spilled out and endanger others due to the chance of fire or other accidents happening around them.

The bladders that are installed for the protection of people standing around and the road as well as the environment will contain any leakage. This bladder will also have another valve for evacuating the liquid inside it. This makes it easy to complete the delivery, although there may still be some clean up, on the truck. The EPA does not need to be called in and massive reports, clean up and certified inspections will not have to be completed.

On the other side of things, a rigid containment system would look like a retaining wall erected around a tank of chemical. Occasionally this is simply a curb height fabrication of concrete or cement. This will ensure that, if something happens to the tank that causes a leak, it will turn into an actual spill that gets all over. There will still need to be a cleanup, within the walls or curb, however, it will be confined to that area alone.

The Environmental Protection Agency, The Food and Drug Administration, depending on the industry, and OSHA mandates special cleaning for any leaks. These are detailed, exacting and time consuming and are followed by certified inspections for recovery from any spills. No matter where they are used, having a secondary system for containment is absolutely necessary.




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