Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/53564
32 • FEBRUARY 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS Ask the fuel expert LOGICAL DECISIONS, INC * 9, 6, & 11 GAUGE PREFORMED STEEL * 1 5/8 ", 1 7/8", 2 3/8", 3", & 4" * CORRECTIONAL & MILITARY APPROVED * GALVANIZED, ALUMINIZED, VINYL COATED, & STAINLESS STEEL 800-676-5537 www.LDI.com 225-274-1115 Could an oil spill happen at your business? BY JACK LEE, PRESIDENT/CEO, 4REFUEL INC. Everyone remembers the devastat- ing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico when an explosion on the oil rig Deep- water Horizon on April 20, 2010 killed 11 workers and spewed some 18,000 barrels of oil per day into Gulf waters, creating the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. The full extent of the damage won't be known for a long time and the repercussions will be enormous. But what can businesses like ours learn from this event? Okay, maybe you don't have an oil rig drilling in your yard, but if you store fuel in a tank or fuel trucks and equipment on your site, you are intro- ducing hazards to your workers, the environment and your bottom line. Every time your people stop at the pumps you are subject to the damages. Sure, this isn't life and death and you're unlikely to pollute hundreds of miles of shoreline, but the risks are still high. Damages from a spill can in- clude lost productivity, toxic seepage, and higher insurance rates and the re- sulting clean ups that could run in the tens of thousands of dollars. But you can protect your company from spills by reviewing which of the three com- mon methods of fueling you use and deciding on the best option for your business. What's the best way to get fuel? The first is commercial card-locks, Avalanche Series™ Concealed Fastener Fence Yorktown Series™ 5/8" x 3/4" Picket a relatively safe method as long as the drivers pay attention. When there's a small spill at card-locks, the station typically absorbs the cost. However, if it's a large spill it's on your tab and the clean-up has to meet the station's stan- dards. Even if there is no spill, card- locks present the unavoidable and unhealthy exposure of your employees to diesel or gasoline fuel on their hands, clothes and equipment. Ornamental Fencing Glass Panel Railing Okay, maybe you don't have an oil rig drilling in your yard, but if you store fuel in a tank or fuel trucks and equipment on your site, you are introducing hazards to your workers, the environment and your bottom line. Estate Gates Ornamental Railing ZipTrack™ Cantilever Gate Buy American, Be American™ u u u Chesterfield, MI Port Richey, FL Murfreesboro, TN AAMA 2604 COMPLIANT Another common method of refu- eling is fuel storage tanks. Essentially operating your own card-lock, on-site tanks and dispensing can reduce the typically 45 minutes spent traveling to and fueling at card-locks; however, most tank owners are chiefly con- cerned with keeping the tank from run- ning dry, not minimizing exposure to risk. If your equipment, tank or pumps are old and if you don't follow a strin- gent best practices policy, leaks, spills and accidents will happen. You may not get Greenpeace on your doorstep, but when a spill occurs, government agencies are involved and you are subject to costly clean up, contin ued on pa g e 34 W e are en vironmentally responsib le