Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC Plan)

Course Description:

Today we’re going to talk about the prevention and control of oil spills and measures to prevent oil from polluting navigable waters and shorelines. Facilities like yours are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, to develop a Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan, or SPCC Plan. We’ll review the SPCC Plan and some best practices for preventing and controlling spills so that you can carry out your responsibilities related to the federal oil pollution prevention rules. After this session, your on-site trainer will go over more site-specific information about your facility policies for discharge prevention; spill response; facility operations; and your SPCC Plan.

Why “Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Plan (SPCC Plan)” Matters:

• Complying with the applicable laws and regulations for oil spill response keeps the company and its workers safe from both spill-related emergencies and legal persecution.
• Following the procedures in the facility’s SPCC Plan ensures that you will know how to prevent spills and how to properly respond if they occur.
• It is your duty to implement procedures designed to prevent spills.
• You should implement the control measures installed to prevent an oil spill from reaching navigable waters.
• Playing your role in responding to an oil spill and taking countermeasures for stopping a spill from reaching the environment reduces the risk of serious ecological damage that spills are capable of.

Key Points:

• Preventing oil spills is part of your job.
• The SPCC Plan is the heart of our spill prevention and control program and contains the procedures you need to follow to prevent spills and to respond to spills that occur.
• It’s also part of your job to immediately respond to spills; remember the SWIMS procedure.
• Pay attention to facility security measures.
• Report all spills.
• Be safe—know your primary and secondary evacuation routes.
• Be familiar with shutdown and other emergency response duties in case of a spill.