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Environmental Risk Assessment

Pollution prevention with peace of mind.

A Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) from RSM Environmental provides a site specific, in depth analysis of your existing on site drainage, monitoring and pollution prevention infrastructure, in line with guidelines and regulations.

How much will it cost?

Our ERA procedure consists of thorough examinations of four areas of your site infrastructure and is available for only

£450

(excluding VAT)

Get compliant

An Environmental Risk Assessment assesses your fuel system against Environment Agency regulations.

Expert assessment

Our highly qualified engineers provide an in-depth report regarding your fuel system risk, safety and compliance.

Available nationwide

Our Environmental Risk Assessment service is available nationwide.

Our ERA is a site-wide inspection

Undertaken by one of our team of compliance experts, we will produce a report that illustrates and advises on any areas we think need attention to reduce waste management costs and mitigate pollution risks, and we will use our expertise to attribute a risk level rating for all those areas that require attention.

Our ERA procedure is based on thorough examinations of four areas of your site infrastructure:

› Bunded Area(s) with bulk storage

› Drainage (and associated Plans)

› Pollution Incident Response Plans

› Drain Closure Systems

What is an environmental risk assessment and why do you need it?

Serious pollution incidents can harm people and the environment as well as damage businesses and affect recreational activities. A serious incident can have a significant financial impact on a business through operational disruption, clean-up and enforcement costs, and claims for damages from third parties. Pollution incidents can damage the reputation of businesses and can affect their ability to secure contracts or subsidies.

Preventing pollution is cheaper and better for the environment – and your finances and reputation – than tackling a crisis after it has happened. And as a reputable business, it should be fundamental to your corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy.

Contact Us

Speak to one of our experts today about our Environmental Risk Assessments

Or visit our contact page

01422 291 277

hello@rsmbusiness.co.uk

Management of your Bunded Areas

A bund is a structure that storage tanks and/or barrels are kept inside. It is designed to prevent oil, fuel or chemicals from escaping into the environment if tanks or barrels leak or burst.

In the UK, commercial installations exceeding 200 litres and domestic installations exceeding 2,500 litres require a bunded tank to comply with the Environment Agency’s ‘control of pollution regulations’.

Bunds or secondary containment systems MUST meet certain requirements, as specified in The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001.

A bund should be able to contain 110% of the volume of the largest container kept within it, or 25% of the total capacity if more than one vessel is being contained – whichever number is bigger.

Is your bunded area fit for purpose?

Our team of compliance experts will inspect the bunded area(s) and advise if it is fit for purpose. If the bunded area is not holding water, we offer an industry specific solution by applying a coating to the area mostly in relation to the products stored (all products are manufactured under the ISO 9001:2015 & ISO 14001:2015 standards). We have the ability to offer solutions for concrete repairs in bunded areas with spray- or brush-applied, fast-curing epoxy coatings designed specifically to provide chemical resistance against a wide range of substances at a variety of temperatures.

Intelligent Pumping Systems – Bund Water Control Units

A bund water control unit is designed to remove unwanted rainwater from bunded areas; ensuring a bund’s capacity remains uncompromised so it is always maintained in line with the event it is protecting against, such as a leaking tank or pipes.

The unit can detect the difference between oil and water and safely pump the water only out of the bund into the surface water drainage system, ensuring compliance with Section 29 of Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001, which says:

“If oil, or a mixture of oil and water, collects in a bund the person with custody or control of the oil will be responsible under the regulations for removing the liquid and disposing of it safely and in accordance with the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994. It is recommended that the water be collected in a sump formed in the base of the bund and removed using a manually operated pump or by baling. A fail-safe automatic pumping system can be used, which monitors the oil and water interface, and automatically activates to pump out only water.”

All water meeting the regulations can be pumped directly into a drainage system, and our team of compliance experts are fully cognisant of the regulations as they relate to each of the four home countries of the UK.

Bund water control unit diagram

Underground Oil / Water Separator Systems

Oil tank diagram

Underground oil separators are fitted to surface water drainage systems to protect the environment from pollution by oils. They separate the oil from the water, and then retain the oil safely until it is removed. They are installed to contain oil leaks from vehicles and plant and accidental spillages.

Separators should be inspected every six months to meet the EN-858- 1 and 2:2002 British standard. In line with this, separators should be integrity tested every five years. These changes will require you to update your maintenance schedule to ensure that you’re doing everything possible to prevent pollution entering watercourses due to your operations.

Separator services we offer:

Separator inspection

Inspection of the interceptor (above ground) and measurement of light liquids and silt levels within, detailed within a written report that outlines any further works that need to be done. Identification of the type of separator and confirm that it is suitable for the site.

Separator service

Measurement of light liquids, service of existing alarm (if present), revalidate closure device, advise if the tank needs to be emptied. To be undertaken every six months.

Separator structural survey

Emptying of the unit, inspect the structural coating of the interceptor by a Confined Space Entry (CSE) team with a full report.

Separator installation

Installation of a suitably-sized separator unit within the drainage network to ensure environmental compliance with end-to-end project management.

Monitoring your oil / water separator

Alarms

We offer a site-specific solution for our clients’ alarm requirements from initial recommendations following the ERA, to the installation commissioning and servicing requirements.

This automatic interceptor monitoring warning device indicates that the separator needs immediate emptying for it to continue to work effectively.

Other benefits include:

› Continuous monitoring of hydrocarbon, liquid and silt levels within an interceptor tank.

› Correct operation of separators preventing pollutants.

› Warnings allow for corrective action to prevent oil passing through the separator and polluting watercourses.

› Automated and remote monitoring.

› Reduction in waste management costs.

Drainage

We can offer clients site drainage solutions and CCTV surveys to show the condition of their fuel storage and prevention assets.

Drains are a critical part of your site’s infrastructure and understanding the condition of the assets is key to ensuring trouble-free, day-to-day running of your site, as well as knowing what goes where on site in the event of an incident.

Our offer includes:

› CCTV drainage survey

› CIPP repair lining

› Drain mapping and confirmation surveys

› WINCAN CCTV Drainage survey with digital footage and defect register

Closure device systems

A closure device fitted to your drainage system on site will isolate the system in the event of an incident, or as a precaution in events such as offloading.

This is critical when a site falls under the Control of Major Accidents (COMAH) status, which aims to prevent and mitigate the effects of major accidents involving dangerous substances which can cause serious damage and/or harm to people and/or the environment. COMAH treats risks to the environment as seriously as those to people.

Site operators are designated lower or upper tier depending on the site and activity. Lower tier operators must prepare a major accident prevention policy (MAPP), while upper tier operators are required to have a MAPP, which must be included as a separate document in their safety report, and also have additional duties such as preparing a safety report.

Fire water run-off

Does your site have a plan in place to deal with fire water run-off in the event of a fire? Many industrial and commercial sites store potentially hazardous materials or chemicals which if exposed to fire, or the subsequent fire water run off can lead to a Major Accident to the Environment (MATTE).

We will carry out a full assessment of your premises to help you identify and mitigate any potential risks of contamination caused by fire water run-off, taking into account CIRIA (736) containment systems for the prevention of pollution.

It is essential to prepare and plan an emergency response and identify how to break potential pathways. Once the pathways are understood, we can identify the potential volume that can be safely stored on site through secondary and tertiary containment.

Why do systems require a control mechanism?

Source Example: a spill on ground from oil drums or tanks

Pathway Examples: drains, through soil to groundwater, over hard surfaces

Receptor Examples: river, stream, lake, groundwater

FOG management

Fat, oil and grease (FOGs) cause blockages often infamously known as ‘fatbergs’, largely created by contamination of waste water from commercial kitchens.

If this waste water is not managed, the FOGs can be detrimental to the drainage/sewer network. This is a contravention of Section 111 of the Water Industry Act 1991, which makes it a criminal offence to contaminate public sewers.

A survey by our FOG specialists could help you by ensuring you have the appropriates grease management equipment in place, or by advising of the preventative equipment and measures you should be putting in place.

Your next steps

How much will it cost?

Our ERA procedure consists of thorough examinations of four areas of your site infrastructure and is available for only £450 (excluding VAT).

Once you’ve received your Environmental Risk Assessment, you’ll have a step by step guide which assess the risk your fuel system has of polluting the environment.

We can then help you plan any maintenance work or upgrades required to keep you compliant.

Get in touch

Request A Callback

Trusted by…

St Georges University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

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Related case studies and blogs

15th May 2023

Case Study

Beatson Clark

Beatson Clark acted swiftly and decommissioned the entire system. Removing all contamination and water from the bund. The strategy was to replace the existing system, which was over 30 years old, with a new fully contained double skinned set of bunded tanks

new tank being delivered at a Liverpool NHS Hospital

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The appropriate Liverpool University Hospital stakeholders pieced together a management plan based on risk. With our support we placed together a programme of works that would sustain th current capacity of fuel on site, whilst at the same time removing all risk associated with the failed tanks and pipework.

9th Mar 2023

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York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS

The trust wanted a comprehensive service provider to test the current system, but to then also be able to compliantly remove the current tanks and deliver, install and commission a new system. The trust had found it difficult to find a provider who could deliver a complete turnkey solution.

Fuel tanks at Tameside and Glossip Hospital

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Tameside and Glossop NHS

Like most NHS customers that RSM support, the trust wanted a comprehensive service provider to empty, clean and then test their current system; but to then also (if needed) be able to compliantly remove the current tanks and deliver, install and commission a new system. The trust had found it difficult to find a provider who could deliver a complete turnkey solution.

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