According to the standard, if flammable liquids are used or stored in your workplace, bunds must be chemically and fire-resistant with the substance being stored.

Mario Pierobon is a safety management consultant and content producer. He writes extensively about aviation safety and has in-depth knowledge of the European aviation safety regulations on both fixed and rotary wing operations. His rotary wing expertise is concerned primarily with specialised operations and the operations requiring specific approval, such as HEMS, hoist operations and performance-based navigation.

According to Oisin McGrath, CEO of DroneSAR, this has coalesced in a significant increase in operational output at a relatively low cost, particular during Covid-19 restrictions. “Search and rescues (SAR) and missing persons have remained quite high due to the opportunity for people to travel within certain distances from their houses. UAVs provide a simple and cost-effective method to search smaller areas without having to request police air support helicopters. Having livestream capability to a central HQ or the ability to securely crowdsource the search video allows command and control personnel to become involved in searches without being there in person.”

The Queensland Police Service (QPS), Australia, also uses UAVs to assist in operational situations. These include mapping traffic crash scenes, gathering evidence at crime scenes, recordings for media purposes, assisting at the management of sieges, and gaining situational awareness during disaster events such as floods and bushfires. “Our UAV operations are conducted in compliance with the relevant Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) legislation and regulations. These laws and regulations apply equally across all states and territories in Australia,” said a QPS spokesperson.

Concretebunding

According to the WHS Regulations, provision must be made in workplaces to ensure a spill containment system is utilised where there is a risk from a spill or leak of a hazardous chemical.

Therefore, when choosing bunds for this type of spillage containment compound, you should focus on permanent bunding solutions instead of temporary bunds such as portable or collapsible bunds – which are designed for remote worksites or temporary storage facilities.

NOTE: Portable bunding units, e.g. bunded pallets, or flexible bunding units are not suitable for permanent storage as there are no uniform performance criteria for chemical resistance or fire resistance and they can be easily moved to an unsuitable location. They may be suitable for the short-term holding of damaged packages, or where goods are in transit or in manufacturing and handling areas.

FloorBunding

In this blog, we look at the hazards associated with chemical spills and explain why the dangerous goods classification of the chemical that you are storing is the first step in determining what bunds you’ll need.

As well as the risks involved with damage to property and the environment, there are serious health hazards involved with chemical spills and leaks. Chemicals may be accidently inhaled, ingested, splashed into eyes or absorbed through the skin when a spillage occurs, which puts the people in your organisation at risk of acute health effects.

In Europe, with the recent implementation of the new EASA drone regulations, the training and certification process has become more straightforward, McGrath observed. “Most drone operators will fall into the categories of qualification that allow drone pilots to operate a little closer to people, fly further distances, operate higher weight drones and in some cases fly in previously restricted areas.”

In Canada, the Federal Government has created a system that applies to all UAV pilots depending on the size of UAV that is flying. Adlard continued: “While there are some steps being made to consider the differences between emergency services using UAVs as opposed to the hobbyists, all pilots are essentially bound by the same regulations. One of the challenges that the Government is looking at currently is the ability for an emergency services pilot flying a UAV to fly beyond visual line of sight.”

UAVs have a wide variety of law enforcement application, including mapping crime scenes, providing aerial images, and 3D mapping of crash scenes. Master Deputy Matthew Devaney of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, US, stated, “Mapping crash scenes in this manner can help streamline crash scene investigations, ultimately clearing roadways safely and in a timely manner. They also have been used for traffic congesting, such as observing traffic patterns at large scale events – i.e., traffic flows at Covid-19 testing sites, around schools, or during traffic-related crashes, and they help with real-time traffic management and flow.” Devaney continued: “UAVs have further been used for event management at large-scale events, such as at large sporting events or other large gatherings, and can be used during disaster relief, such as tornados, flooding, and large-scale power outages.”

Substances that, by chemical action, will cause severe damage when in contact with living tissue, or in the case of leakage, will materially damage, or even destroy, other goods or the means of transport; they may also cause other hazards. Such substances are listed as Class 8 corrosive substances in the ADG Code or meet the classification criteria specified in that Code for corrosive substances.

The Australian Standard (AS 1940-2017) details the requirements for storage and handling of flammable and combustible liquids.

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The Emergency Services Unit (ESU) of the Ottawa Police Service (OPS), Canada, primarily uses UAVs for search and rescue. “If the SAR team is deployed to look for a missing person in a rural or wooded area, the UAV can cover a much greater search grid with greater speed and efficiency than traditional ground teams can accomplish. The SAR UAVs are equipped with both 30x zoom digital HD cameras and thermal imaging cameras,” said Mike Adlard, UAV pilot and program administrator at ESU OPS. “We use a third 30X Zoom camera that is also equipped with a laser range finder that is able to direct an infrared beam to the ground that tells us the GPS coordinate of the item we are looking at from the sky. This enables us to communicate to ground search teams the exact co-ordinate and they are subsequently able to rapidly navigate to the location to locate the person. Our search teams have embedded paramedics as well so that we are able to immediately administer emergency first aid as required.”

NOTE: If steel bund systems (such as a heavy duty steel bund) are custom made with corrosive resistant sump liners, they can be used to store corrosive substances.

Chemicalbundingrequirements

As secondary containment and bunding is a legal required as stated in WHS Regulation, it’s important to make the provision for a bunding solution that is safe and compliant.

Adlard observes that often in a rural environment it is difficult to be able to see the UAV in the sky with visual line of sight and cover a large area. “Many UAVs are capable of flying significant distances away but the current regulations prohibit this. This is problematic in an emergency situation,” he said. “Our hope is that the Canadian Federal Government is able to recognize the differences in what emergency services are compelled to do and what the enthusiast should not do. A recognized difference between these two may allow for more flexibility in emergency flights accompanied by increased training.”

Chemicalbundingrequirements Australia

The SRPD is continually looking for improved equipment and ways to address its operational needs. “We have plans to expand the use and better integrate UAVs into police responses and to serve our community,” said Heiser. “We definitely have not used them to their full potential. This is mainly because we have chosen to take a phased approach to integrate the UAV as a tool. Our program is relatively new and as it grows and expands, we will continue to add UAVs into how we respond to assist and serve our community.”

Your choice of bund will be determined by the class of dangerous goods that you are using and storing in your organisation, as well as the individual requirements of your operation.

Regarding the containment and management of chemical spills in the workplace, Australian businesses are bound by law to comply with WHS Regulations.

(a) The materials of construction shall be substantially immune to attack by any corrosive substance that they may be required to contain.  (b) They shall be sufficiently impervious to retain and to enable the recovery of any spillage.

EPAbundingguidelines

The national aviation authorities in Europe have their own airspace management rules and these will decide how UAV operators can fly in controlled airspace. This may come with altitude restrictions and/or no-fly zones near bigger airports. McGrath said: “Generally, police forces will require to launch UAVs at short notice and in any area. Agreements would have to be in place between these agencies and the local aviation authorities or air traffic control units. Some authorities will require more specific training to be completed in order for this to occur. Many UAV training schools will be able to assist with this liaison.”

Most organisations will have to use a variety of bunding products to provide a complete secondary containment solution for their workplace.

Spill bunds may be manufactured from steel (metal bunds) or polyethylene (plastic bunds), with each bunding material suiting a specific class of dangerous goods.

McGrath observes that it is nevertheless very important that during the UAV training the police units are made very clear of the limitations to these machines. “UAVs are another ‘tool’ for the police officer to use and certainly will not solve all their problems or missions. UAVs need to be implemented into an organizational structure very carefully in order for them to be effective,” he stated. “Proper training, accident reporting, lessons learned, risk management, etc. are but a few pieces that need to be in place before any UAV takes off. Taking a team approach for the entire organisation will result in a much more robust UAV operating system and a much safer and higher operational output.”

According to Adlard, UAVs have undeniably demonstrated their advantages. “As we continue to grow our program, we continue to determine additional potential uses. In this vein, we have by far not reached the potential. Moreover, the technology continues to advance, giving us further advantage,” he says.

The Santa Rosa Police Department (SRPD), US, uses UAVs for several tasks, but primarily to augment officers on the ground in the provision of community services. “We use them anytime an ‘overwatch’ or ‘eye in the sky’ may assist the officers on the ground in completing a task. These tasks include typical SAR activities, missing persons, crowd management, tactical responses and evidence collection to name a few,” said Micheal Heiser, SRPD Sergeant. “An example of successful UAV deployment includes locating an elderly missing person in physical distress that officers on the ground had been unable to locate. The drone saw a much larger field of view than officers at ground level and found the subject in a field. The UAV pilot was able to direct ground units in and render aid to the individual.”

Living life by the 4 C’s of marketing – communication, coffee, compliance… and more coffee – Leisa Andersen is Storemasta’s Content Marketing Manager. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her enjoying all the good things in life, including shopping, travel and gluten free donuts.

The experience of police who are being trained to use UAVs is very positive. “Our staff enjoy piloting the UAVs. The potential of these aircraft continues to expand each year with the development of new technology,” says Devaney.

According to the Australian Standard (AS 3780-2008) for the storage and handling of corrosive substances, corrosives are:

The standard states the requirements for bunds and containment compounds when managing the risks of corrosive substances spills and leaks:

Bundingwall

McGrath also recognized that as technology advances, the cost of UAVs has steadily decreased. “Moreover, the cost of additional equipment such as thermal image cameras have also decreased. What was once a military-grade technology has become commercialized, and with this the price will decrease. Nowadays, for a relatively low budget, police forces can implement drone systems,” he said. “Coupled with this, smaller UAVs are becoming ‘disposable’, not meaning that we throw them away after each use, but that if they do land in water or fall from the sky, it is not at a huge loss. Obviously, for more advanced tasks such as long surveillance etc. helicopters will still be required as the mission can easily change very quickly! Flexibility in operations is key.”

While there are some steps being made to consider the differences between emergency services using UAVs as opposed to the hobbyists, all pilots are essentially bound by the same regulations

If your organisation works with or stores flammable liquids or combustible substances, you must manage the risks involved with chemical spills. You are required by law to devise a secondary containment plan, and apply the appropriate bunding products to your secondary containment areas.

Plasticspill bunding

In the US, law enforcement adheres to the same 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as commercial pilots and air operators. “We follow 14 CFR Part 107 regulations. All of our pilots are Part 107 licensed pilots. The FAA is working to catch up to the growing UAV market, but we are able to function well within the current regulations,” said Heiser.

For public order, ESU OPS is currently determining the feasibility of utilizing a UAV for information purposes. “The challenge with this is the balance between flying a large piece of equipment over a large crowd and considering the public safety aspect and the advantage of an aerial view of a large gathering,” said Adlard. “The primary focus in these situations is always public safety, so we have yet to incorporate the use of a UAV in these circumstances.”

To summarise information from the Australian Standard, if you are storing flammable liquids, they must be kept in steel bunds to prevent a fire hazard.

To manage the hazards associated with chemical spills, bunding is required as part of your secondary containment strategy. Put simply, a spill bund is an embankment or wall that form part, or all, of the perimeter of your spill containment area. Examples of bunding systems commonly used in workplaces can include steel bunds, floor bunds, drum bunds, intermediate bulk container bunds, bunded storage and bunded shelving — to name just some of the many solutions on the market.

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology has increasingly allowed police teams that were once ground-based to become airborne. UAVs have witnessed a variety of applications by police forces, most recently in relation to the management of the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, regulations related to UAV operations are being streamlined and the cost of UAV equipment is coming down. All these factors are encouraging the adoption of UAVs by police forces.

Bunding is designed to not only contain spills, but to prevent further workplace hazards from occurring. When dealing with flammable or combustible substances, the chemical spill can quickly travel — increasing the potential for hazard by coming into contact with possible ignition sources such as flames and hot surfaces as well as electrical, mechanical or chemical ignition sources. Common workplace equipment such as electric motors, soldering irons equipment and even stoves can be an ignition source for flammable chemical substances.

When OPS and the ESU began using UAVs, Adlard recalled, the aircrafts and required payloads were not available on the common market and were, as such, extremely expensive. He added: “In recent years, larger companies have recognized the need and capacity of the professional UAV and come out with UAVs that include longer flight times, superior cameras, safety margins, and efficient deploy ability. That said, they are not cheap, but prices have come down significantly.”

UAVs have a wide variety of law enforcement application, including mapping crime scenes, providing aerial images, and 3D mapping of crash scenes

If you are storing corrosive substances, you will need to make sure that the bund will not succumb to a chemical attack caused by the corrosive chemical. Therefore, polyethylene bunds are suitable for the safe storage of corrosive substances, as well as other non-flammable substances.

The EPA recommends that bunding and secondary containment measures are determined on a site-by-site basis. This ensures that they are meeting the needs of the organisation and that the bunding solutions are compliant with WHS regulations.