CEMENT LORRY ROLLOVER ADDS TO A CHALLENGING DAY AT LEHANE ENVIRONMENTAL

CEO INSIGHTS – ROBERT LIMB OIL SPILL RESPONSE LTD

My mobile rings, with the Regulatory Authority flashing up on the screen. I am informed that a truck has gone in over a bridge in a town. The information is sparse as the Inspector himself is only on route to the scene but he is expecting photos from the Fire Service who are already on the scene. Whilst I’m on the mobile phone an email pops through on my screen – URGENT CHEMICAL TANKER LEAK ON NATIONAL PRIMARY ROUTE – SULPHURIC ACID. Our Operations Manager has already identified resources that can be mobilised for the Chemical Spill.

We added the RTA to the incident list and put more resources on standby.

As most emergency service providers know, the information and the accuracy of it, on any initial call for an incident, can be totally misleading. Products/ UN Numbers/Volumes/Locations etc can all be incorrect. Until we have confirmation, we do not know what we are dealing with. This is why we request photos of markings and of the site if possible and also copies of other relevant documentation such as SDS/DG Notes etc.

Ideally, we want to speak to someone on the scene but this is not always possible. We dispatch an Advance Response Unit to the Acid Tanker Spill. The acid spill appeared to come from a top manhole on an acid tanker and the spill on the road extended for about ~50m. The driver was turning off on a slip road just after roadworks and it appears the breaking action caused the acid to spill out through the manhole. The acid was mainly on the slip road and the hard shoulder and was visibly fuming. We requested the attendance of the Road Maintenance Contractor to close the slip road and divert the traffic.

In the interim the photos started coming through from the RTA. The truck had indeed gone over the bridge, the photos looked very bad and the first instinct was tragedy - that there was possibly a loss of life. This would also require us to deploy a Trauma Cleanup Team.

A follow up call from the regulatory authority however confirmed that the driver was in fact in hospital and in a stable condition. This is the most important part of any incident – protection of life – whether it is people involved in the incident or our teams responding. Our Biohazard Teams do Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup and we are all too aware of the tragedy that people meet with.

The report from the RTA was that

fuel was leaking from the Truck. It was identified from the photos as a Cement Mixer. This meant that there was potentially 400 litres of fuel to leak, plus Lube Oils and more seriously was the concrete in the barrel. This combination could have a devastating effect on the river which was a prime fishing location.

A Spill Team were just leaving another site following an oil spill on a construction site and these were now allocated to the Acid Spill. Acid Spill Equipment was loaded into a Spill Response Unit to have it ready in our depot for the team returning from the Oil Spill.

Our Glass Lined Acid Vacuum Tanker was also placed on standby. When the team arrived on site, the Road Maintenance Team had successfully closed off the Slip Road. This enabled our team to safely work on the road.

A special Acid Encapsulant Absorbent/Neutraliser was ap-plied to the free acid. The tanker was cleaned down and also neutralised. The manlid was inspected and sealed securely. After all the acid had been neutralised and drummed, the road was then washed with the washings collected by suction. One of our Tail lift ADR Transport Units loaded the drums of acid waste on board for consignment to an EPA Licensed Hazardous Waste Transfer Station.

The RTA was certainly challenging. It occurred on a 6 Arch Bridge in a town with a sharp corner before and after it. The advance Incident Response Unit was deployed which enables direction to follow up resources for the best access road etc. In cases such as this, road closures and diversions are involved and this could add an hour to a response time if they don’t access the incident via the correct road.

The Cement Mixer had gone completely off the road and was laying on its side in the river. Fortunately, the dry spell had caused water levels in the river to be low – circa 30cm. However this river can reach depths of 1.5m and as with all water incidents one needs to be aware of the potential for sharp rising levels which may not be caused by local rainfall but weather conditions in upstream areas or for example Hydro Dam Water Releases. This is where the Risk Assessment comes into play. Check weather forecasts for the region, ensure no other potentials for water level increases, check stability of bridge or for further falling debris, stability of vehicle in river, potential for fire or explosion – the list can be endless. A Response Team cannot be put at risk as being the next casualty/tragedy. We are there to bring a positive out-come to the incident – to take it from the abnormal/emergency state to normal.

A Site Risk Assessment was carried out and following a toolbox talk operatives commenced doing a recce on the site to determine the most suitable location for deployment of booms. Fortunately, we were able to drive to the riverbank via a narrow laneway. It wasn’t suitable for our larger response units however it enabled the booms and equipment to be transferred into our 4x4 Response Unit to be brought to the deployment location thereby limiting manual handling.

The oil was leaking from a number of locations on the vehicle. We tie-wrapped absorbent pads to stop the leaks at a number of points. The hydraulic oil tank was underwater and this was leaking a small amount of oil via its cap. Despite efforts it was not possible to stem the leak. Absorbent booms were deployed at the source with fibre absorbent. 3 further boom barriers were deployed down-stream from the source. Following a full assessment of the Truck, a recovery strategy was formulated. Due to the unstable nature of the barrel, it was determined that the barrel would be disconnected from the truck and lifted separately. This would involve separation of hydraulic connections with resultant potential for contamination. Localised containment was provided whilst the mechanical team set about the separation of the barrel from the truck. Meanwhile the 300 ton crane was setting up getting the load ready for lifting. The weather was starting to change which could provide additional risk to teams working in the river. There was also the added new risk in relation to stability of the truck and the barrel during the recovery phase.

The removal of the truck went effortlessly and the crane placed it on the road where it was up-righted. Next the barrel was lifted and again this was recovered without any issue. The barrel was placed on a low loader trailer and secured in place. Some minor leaks of oil started appearing however our teams were on hand to contain and cleanup the oil. Once the truck and its barrel were secured and all leaks were stopped, the recovery team took away the vehicle. Whilst the crane was de-mobilsiing, our teams completed the cleanup of the bridge area to remove any remaining traces of oil to enable the road to be reopened. The river was inspected and remaining debris removed and bagged. As there was no evidence of oil in the river and the source had been removed, the absorbent booms and fibre absorbent were then removed and packed into UN Approved Drums for licensed disposal.

Night was closing in when the team were drumming the absorbents and the rain came down heavily. The water level and velocity was evidently increasing. Just in time as our team departed the site.

Another successful response, completed safely