Tank truck to marine vessel - Oil transfer
Appendix B: Fuel Transfer Safety Checklist

B.C. Coastal Marina Facility and Operating Standards Contingency Plan Guidelines

Although this planning guideline is intended for fixed-site facilities, it may be useful in developing a plan for mobile operations.

Introduction

These Contingency Plan Guidelines have been prepared by the Canadian Petroleum Products Institute (CPPI) and provide a framework from which to prepare a site-specific contingency plan.

A contingency plan is likely the most valuable tool to be employed in response to an accidental discharge. Prior knowledge of just how one will react to a given circumstance is essential to achieve an efficient and effective response to an accidental discharge. A good contingency plan provides that knowledge.

Your Own Plan

During an emergency there is no time to plan strategy, locate equipment, identify contacts etc. These must be pre-determined and contained in the contingency plan.

The plan must be updated annually in order to:

• Reflect changes at the facility
• Ensure that the local conditions (contact phone numbers, clean-up contractors, equipment stockpiles) have not changed.

The value of any contingency plan is limited by its practical application at a facility. Even the best contingency plan will be of no value during an emergency if employees are not familiar with it. The three key factors, with regard to contingency plans, are as follows:

• The contents must be accurate and specific
• All facility personnel must be fully conversant with the contents
• The plan must be located close by, for immediate reference.

Responsibility

The operator/owner of each facility must ensure that a contingency plan is developed and maintained. The petroleum suppliers may also provide assistance. The operator/owner is also responsible for testing the procedures specified in the plan. Actual testing of the plan via a spill scenario is the only way to identify possible defects in the plan. To discover that planned response actions are impractical or impossible during an actual event could be disastrous.

In the aftermath of a discharge, regulatory authorities will focus not only on the cause of the spill but also on the response of the responsible party. A functional contingency plan will facilitate a good response and this will help establish that the responsible party has acted in the correct manner.

If the responsible party is deemed to have acted correctly/responsibly, then the likelihood of prosecution is lessened.

Hotline

Although each contingency plan must be developed on a site specific basis, all those prepared for B.C. Coastal Marinas must include the Provincial and Federal 24-hour Spill Reporting Hotline numbers which are:

• Provincial: 1-800-663-3456
• Federal: 604-666-6100

The local Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) phone number should also be included.

Significant time and effort is required to develop a sound contingency plan, however, the benefit it affords during an emergency may save you thousands of dollars in clean-up and remediation work and prevent untold environmental and property damage.

Supplement to Plan

A good supplement to a contingency plan are the Emergency Procedures/Emergency Contact posters available from most major oil companies. A number of posters prominently displayed throughout the facility is beneficial.

Guidelines For Site-Specific Contigency Plans Plan

Activation/Notification Procedures

In General, this section should include a brief sequential activation procedure, operational 24 hours per day, outlining the chain of command. The first page (preferably one page only) should cover:

• All required internal and external notification
• List up-to-date personnel and phone numbers where they can be reached (cellular, beeper, walkie-talkie etc.)

This procedure must identify:

• What is to be reported and with what urgency
• Who will do the reporting
• To whom will it be reported
• In what sequence will it be reported

Notification/Contact Resource List

This resource list must include the following:

Internal

• 24 hour office/home numbers of local management
• 24 hour number for site/contact
• Brief statement on how participants will keep each other informed
• How communications networks are to be used in a specific occurrence

External

• Federal Government
• Provincial Government>
• All other parties who could/may be affected by the occurrence (neighbors, personnel, nearby facilities etc.).
• Local government agency assistant contacts
• Police
• Fire Department
• Ambulance/Medical
• Municipalities (city works, engineering)
• Waste Management (environmental experts)
• Pre-arranged industry assistance contacts
• Pre-arranged local clean-up contractors
• Other firms supplying specialized response equipment/materials noted in the plan

Site Location Map

A site map will be prepared indicating high risk areas. The site map will identify the following:

• Expected points of sudden discharge for the maximum product expected to be released
• Key control points of sensitive areas (culverts, catch basins, streams, neighboring facilities etc.)
• Evacuation point where all facility personnel will report
• Safety and response equipment locations (first aid, fire fighting gear etc.)
• Safe sequential shutdown device(s)and location(s)
• Overall main utility shutdown locations

Pre-Determined Protection/Containment/Clean-Up Procedures

With regard to the aforementioned high risk areas, specific procedures must be in place to protect:

1. People
2. Environment
3. Property

This is accomplished by preparing the following:

• Immediate notification sequence (neighbors etc.)
• Appropriate evacuation system(s) for personnel and neighbors
• Controls to minimize risk (ignition sources etc.)
• Safe shutdown sequence to minimize impact
• Safe containment techniques for location (pre-arrange manpower, equipment and training)
• Where and When To Get Help contact list
• Safe clean-up strategy (pre-arrange manpower, equipment and training)
• Reporting requirements

These well planned procedures will determine specific response strategies that will:

• Identify product(s) being responded to.
• Provide product(s) characteristics, hazards and safe handling procedures to be used in an actual event.
• Provide policy and location for required personnel protective equipment which is an absolute must for responders.
• Respond to potential health and environmental hazards (internal or external to the site)

Identify the following:

• Equipment (internal and external)
• Manpower (personnel and outside assistance)
• Training (in house and other)
• Communications networks (where? how to obtain? by whom?)

Resources

Include and inventory of all specific, pre-arranged and verified, available resources required for the total site plan. This should include specific contacts for:

• All containment/clean-up equipment on and off-site
• Availability/speed of equipment to the site
• Manpower
• Contractors
• Specific Expertise
• Communications
• Safety Equipment
• Pre-arranged contracts for all resources previously listed

All on-site equipment will be well maintained and must be checked, as appropriate, on a regular basis. Defective or missing equipment will be replaced immediately.

A preventative maintenance schedule for all equipment will be developed, published and adhered to.

Schedules for and records of all preventative maintenance, inspections and replacements will be recorded in the contingency plan.

Disposal

The overall plan will include information on disposal options.

• Location of approved disposal sites
• Method of transport to the site
• Means of storage prior to disposal
• Required approvals

Reporting

Depending on the severity of a release and degree of concern, government agencies may require post-reporting in addition to initial notification (see “General” section page 1). The following minimum post-response information must be completed by the designated representative:

• Nature of release
• Date and time of release
• Cause of release
• Weather conditions at the time of release and during the response phase
• Product(s) involved
• Quantities involved
• Impact on areas and/or properties
• Identification of all parties involved in the response
• Identification of all parties exposed to the product and/or its vapors (including by-products of combustion)
• Health treatments or tests done on any individuals
• Containment and methods used
• Clean-up techniques
• Volume recovery
• Site remediation plan and completion thereof
• Short/long term impacts
• Status of the response
• Action log including corresponding times
• Measures to prevent a re-occurrence

Minimum Activities Supporting the Plan

Training

Training requirements will be reviewed by the site-designated representative on an ongoing basis. All employees will receive a minimum of training including the following:

• Their duties/responsibilities in the plan
• Complete knowledge of the plan
• Role(s) to be taken in high risk area response
• Use of personal protective equipment
• Each of the following procedures
• Evacuation
• Fire and explosion
• Spill response
• Communications and alert system
• Safe shutdown

The designated representative at the location will be responsible for the following:

• Providing immediate training of all response personnel
• Ensuring that all new employees are assigned to a site response role and trained accordingly prior to an actual event.
• Providing an annual training review as necessary
• Maintaining a record of each site response individual and his/her level of training and date of last training review.

Exercises/Testing and Investigation Follow-Up

The site/ship will conduct a simulation exercise which tests the plan, or high risk areas within the plan, at least once a year.

Prior to the exercise, a written evaluation of the plan will be made including perceived shortfalls.

Shortfalls will be corrected and modifications made to the plan no later than 30 days after the exercise.

A written update will identify corrections made to the plan, the date the corrections were made and then the new information will be filled into the existing plan.