The control of pollution has been dealt with for many years by the various PPGs or Pollution Prevention Guidelines issued by the Environment Agency and such statutes as the Groundwater Regulations. In 2001 the DEFRA sponsored Control of Pollution Oil Storage Regulations were introduced and these raise very serious issues for all companies which use and store more or less any quantity of oil.

Simply put, if you are an organisation which stores more than 200 litres of any type of oil then the new rules apply to you. Failure to comply is an offence and named individuals can be personally charged with a crime. The timescale for having to comply may depend on the sensitivity of your site and it is important that you know what your responsibilities are.

The penalties may be serious but PPL - Pollution prevention can help determine the sensitivity of your site under the terms of the 2001 Oil Storage Act. We can quickly identify any problems and help you prioritise your response by offering sensible, straight-forward costed reports allowing you to see the scale of a problem (if any) and a develop a "road map" or budget for corrective action.

This starts with a "2001 Oil Storage Regs" site audit carried out by one of our specialists, all of whom are OFTEC trained and which also includes an official oil storage tank survey for each tank on site. The PPL audit is recognised as one of the most comprehensive available and results in a clear, detailed report in plain English which explains what we are looking for, why we are looking for it, summaries of the regulations and guidelines as appropriate, what we have found and what our recommendations are.

The final report includes site-specific information on proximity to water-courses, streams, rivers and boreholes (water extraction and British Geological Survey) and other factors which determine site sensitivity and thus whether it triggers the 2003 or 2005 compliance threshold. The report also includes information on past notifiable pollution incidents in the locale along with information on geological, mining or other activities conducted nearby which mat affect your site. We report on all aspect of oil storage the condition of any tanks and associated pipe-work, fill and delivery systems. We highlight those areas which require further investigation and make recommendations on working practices which need attention.

The report will provide a detailed, fully costed, list of remedial actions. This might range from simple recommendations on housekeeping, staff training, change in working procedures or the purchase of basic spill kits and absorbent materials right up to tank and pipe replacement, the installation of interceptors, alarm systems, drain plugging systems etc. We can organise any aspect of site redial works, clean-up, drainage system inspection, training and equipment supply. These might be offered directly by ourselves, or where it makes more sense, we act as the co-ordinator connecting you directly to reputable contractors and suppliers.

All remedial services and products can be provided by PPL - Polllution Prevention and we can guarantee that our prices and services are the most competitive. We are, however, very jealous of our reputation and we are perfectly happy for our report to used as the basis for third party price enquiry pr competitive tender.

Important clients are given our 24/7 emergency help-line number. During normal working hours this number takes you straight through to a our central advice who will are there to offer any information or, in the event of an emergency, will pass you straight through to our Inland Spill Response teams. Out of normal hours we assume any call will be an emergency and it will be directed straight through to spill teams.

Interceptor Inspection and Maintenance

European regulation EN858 requires that all interceptors (oily water separators) are inspected for oil and silt build-up on a regular basis and emptied as appropriate to keep them operating properly and fit for purpose. The rules also say that every new interceptor installation must include a high oil level alarm to warn when it needs emptying. In addition to manufacturing the Oilstar range of Interceptor Oil and Silt alarms PPL offers a complete interceptor inspection and service package.

CONTAIN, MONITOR, CLEAN-UP & CONTROL