Friday, April 10, 2015

Introduction To Containment Berms For Industries

By Joanna Walsh


Should fuel or spills containment be required for any industry, a challenge could arise in what management can go for. There are various options available and it is up to the management to choose what works best. The time to put up a solution, how long it will last and the costs incurred are other factors to consider. Concrete spill containment berms are probably the first that come to mind.

Good berms for fluid containment provide a facility with versatile solutions for containing spillage. Spills from drums, franc tanks, vehicles and totes as well as numerous other vessels and containers are covered. A management would otherwise be presented with challenges as far as containment options go. Numerous sizes of containment solutions can be accessed. There are also numerous types to choose from. All the management has to do is have one put up depending specifications and requirements.

In the most common situations, berms are constructed using earthen or concrete materials. These are mostly designed for containment of fuel. These materials provide facilities with nice solutions. However, concrete berms do not provide easy access to storage tanks or areas. They can set the industry back a lot of money. They are also difficult to remove should the facility need this done.

Your firm may need a solution that meets a secondary or impending situation such as an SPCC. You would need a flexible kind of berm in such a situation. Your consideration for such a fixture could be based on how cheap it is. You will get easy and speedy access to a liquid containment section of individual facility. You can also move the fixture easily should you need to.

This flexible fixture is relatively easy to put up. It is available in heights of 1.5, 2, 4 and 6 inches. All that is required is for them to be sealed onto the facility using the proper sealant. Next, they require connection to the corners and the top sections using vinyl cement. This kind of fixture can be put up anywhere. It takes relatively little time for an engineering firm to give management a working first draft design.

A flexible spill berm contains a form core. This means it remains flexible. This flexibility allows forklifts, delivery trucks and carts to roll over them easily. As a result, there shall be no need for the big bump and ramps.

Should the need arise within the industry; a heavy duty version can be sourced. This version can also be used within a heavy traffic section of the facility. It comes with a special draining plug that facilitates draining of fuel or spilling within the containment area. Another add-on is a facility to sample the collected snow-melt or rainwater before these can be drained from the containment area.

The industry could require passive secondary liquid containment. For this, polyurethane berms are available. They are easily erected in preparation for a routine liquid delivery. They can be quite easily and quickly erected should an accidental or emergency spillage take place. These kinds of berms are ultra flexible which enables fluids to be channeled to any place. They also make firm seals instantly upon smooth surfaces. This way, fluid spilling is diverted away from sensitive environments like storm drains.




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