Oil Drum Bunds: A Complete Guide to Safety & Compliance
Oil drum bunds are a form of secondary containment, defined under the HSE’s COMAH guidelines as the ‘second line of defence’ to control, prevent and mitigate major hazard events. Using a bund or other form of secondary containment method is important for meeting environmental regulations and ensures you comply with your environmental, safety and legal responsibilities.
As experts in hazardous materials storage, DENIOS provides a wide range of compliant solutions for the safe storage of oil. Our guide covers everything you need to know about safe and compliant storage.
What is an Oil Drum Bund?
Oil drum bunds provide a containment system that surrounds the drum, either built into the design of the drum or as an external structure. The purpose of this bunded system is to provide secondary containment if the oil drum is overfilled, damaged or corroded. Bunds must hold at least 110% of the maximum capacity of the drum or 25% of the total volume of all combined containers, whichever is the larger amount.
Drum bunds are just one containment method. Other options are regularly utilised to achieve compliance. These include drip trays, used to contain small leaks, and spill pallets, which have hollow sumps that capture leaks, drips and spills.
Using a drum bund is a must to prevent the leakage of pollutants into the environment. Petroleum, lubricating oils, hydraulic oils, waste oil and industrial plant oils are examples of the oils that are typically stored in these drums. These oils are utilised across a range of industries for varying applications, including automotive, manufacturing, engineering and storage purposes.
Why are Oil Drum Bunds Important?
Oil drum bunds are important to ensure you comply with the UK’s stringent regulations surrounding the storage of hazardous substances. The legislation you need to comply with includes The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001, The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and The Water Resources Act 1991. You have a legal responsibility to protect the UK’s water systems.
Beyond the legal implications, oil drum bunds help to protect your site by reducing the risk of contamination. If an oil drum fails, the bund prevents the need for costly and time-consuming clean-up and remediation works. Secondary containment also prevents the loss of expensive oil.
Types of oil drum bunds
A range of different oil drum bunds is available to suit different types of oils and applications:
Steel Oil Drum Bunds
Galvanised steel is a common material choice for drum bunds. This material is cost-effective and fire-resistant, making it a suitable, durable solution for a wide range of oils.
Polyethylene Oil Drum Bunds
Polyethylene, also known as Polyethene plastic bunds, is a lightweight solution used for the storage of a wide range of oils. Plastic is weather-resistant and easy to clean, with high resistance to corrosion, which makes it a long-lasting choice.
Stainless Steel Drum Bunds
Stainless steel is one of the most expensive options for oil drum bunds. These extremely robust bunds are ideal for food-grade and pharmaceutical-grade oils, as they are hygienic and are also well-suited to aggressive chemicals such as extremely acidic or alkaline substances.
How to Choose the Right Oil Drum Bund
The right oil drum bund needs to meet your legal requirements for secondary containment to be fully compliant. Beyond this, you can consider the following to choose the right bund:
The number of drums being stored
The size of the drums
Whether you need to store them indoors or outdoors
The types of oils you need to store
Your requirements for handling the drums
Forklift suitability and access
Best Practices for Oil Drum Bund Storage
It’s important to follow best practices with oil drum storage to preserve health and safety and meet your legal responsibilities. The best practices you should follow for the storage of your bunded oil drums include:
Ensuring your bund material is a suitable option for the oil contained within and is non-reactive
Ensuring your oil bunds are placed more than 10 m away from watercourses and 50 m from boreholes or wells
Leaving a 500 mm gap between stacked drums for regular inspection
Checking the bund regularly for signs of cracking or degradation
Shielding your drum bunds with a protective cover when appropriate in outdoor environments
Keeping an emergency spill kit near the location of your oil drum bund storage
Placing clear labels and signage on the outside of your bunds to identify the oil contained within and associated risks
Ensuring you adhere to the 110%/25% of the total volume requirement
Conducting thorough risk assessments for the storage and use of oil
Safe Drum Dispensing and Decanting
Dispensing from oil drums has a risk of spillage or leaks. Drum bunds must not have a gravity outlet or drain that allows spilt oil to easily exit the contained system. Drum pumps are the safest way to extract oil from a bunded drum, usually via a dispensing station. It’s essential that proper PPE is worn when working with oil, whether your drum is bunded or not.
Why Choose Oil Drum Pumps from DENIOS?
DENIOS offers a wide range of different oil drum pumps in our range, from automatic to manual solutions, designed to operate on bunded oil drums to enhance safety and compliance on-site. As experts with more than 40 years of experience in providing hazardous material handling solutions, we can provide you with a suitable solution for your individual specifications.
Shop our range of oil drum pumps online today, or contact our team directly to get support in choosing the right oil pump for your requirements.
FAQs
Yes, many oil drum bunds are suitable for use outdoors. Confirm if your chosen bund is suitable for outdoor storage before you use it.
Yes, certain structural bunds are designed for the storage of multiple drums. In these cases, 25% of the total volume of the drums should be available in the bund for spillage or leaks
A spill pallet is placed under an oil drum and is designed to capture spillages and leaks from below. Bunds often cover more of the drum, providing a way to prevent leakage and spigot flow more effectively.
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The specialist information on this page has been compiled carefully and to the best of our knowledge and belief. Nevertheless, DENIOS Ltd cannot assume any warranty or liability of any kind, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, for the topicality, completeness and correctness either towards the reader or towards third parties. The use of the information and content for your own or third party purposes is therefore at your own risk. In any case, please observe the locally and currently applicable legislation.