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How to Protect Your Tank from Fuel Theft

Green Oil Tank Tayside Police have today issued a warning for people to be on their guard after thieves stole 1,000 litres of fuel from the Ballumbie golf club in Dundee. Police are also investigating the theft of fuel from a lorry parked in Dryburgh Industrial Estate. This follows the recent increase in fuel thefts across the country as the price of petrol soared in the last 12 months. According to statistics compiled from 36 of the UK’s 52 local police forces there were around 8,235 cases of reported fuel theft in 2011. Other than keeping your vehicle in a secure garage there isn’t too much you can do to prevent a determined criminal drilling into your cars fuel tank. However, if you are a commercial or industrial business, or if you have a home heating oil tank then there are preventative measures you can take to keep your fuel secure and out of the hands of thieves. If you own a bunded tank then it’s unlikely that even the most organised criminal gangs would be daft enough to drill into it. However, there are other, even more daring methods that can be used to get away with your precious oil. For instance, it is not unheard of for tanks to be picked up by forklift trucks, lifted on to a large enough getaway vehicle and driven away. Or, they may be even more brazen and attempt to lift the tank using the existing lifting eyes that are in situ. There are ways around this though. At Yellowshield we have “Anti-Theft” upgrades available on our steel bunded fuel tanks that can resist the attempts of fuel thieves. Firstly, we offer “anti-lift feet”. Essentially they are RSJ’s that run the full length of the tank making it impossible for it to be moved by a forklift truck. Secondly, we supply removable lifting eyes, so once the tank has been placed in position, the eyes can be removed and stored somewhere secure. If you wish to make your tank as impenetrable as Alcatraz, then we also provide tank alarm accessories that will warn you as soon as someone attempts to tamper with your tank. We may not be able to help protect your vehicle but we are as determined as the criminals when it comes to helping protect your bunded fuel tanks.
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Niger Delta's Black Gold Rush: Counting the Cost of Environmental Neglect

Oil Polluted Lands of the Niger Delta It has emerged this week that an oil spill from an ExxonMobil pipeline in the Akwa Ibom state of Nigeria has spread up to 20 miles from it source, polluting the waters that are integral to the survival of the local fishing industry. This oil spill is the latest in a chequered history of oil production in the region which, according to the United Nations Development Programme, has seen thousands of spills both big and small and a lack of effective spill containment.

For more than nine decades multinational oil companies have been conducting operations in the Niger Delta to extract the large amounts of crude oil that lay beneath the Delta Basin. And while they have achieved much success in extracting the oil, the environmental and social implications have been far reaching and are still ongoing today with oil companies seemingly acting with complete impunity.

Large areas of mangrove forests have been destroyed by oil spills which seep deep into the soil contaminating the surrounding vegetation and underground watercourses. In addition, the depletion of fish stocks has been caused not only by overfishing but also by the pollution of waters from leaking and poorly maintained oil pipelines. Life expectancy has reduced drastically in the region as people become increasingly sick from consuming contaminated water and food.

So what preventative measures is the Nigerian government taking to reduce the number and the impact of these spills? Last year Nigeria’s oil regulator, NOSDRA, recommended that the Nigerian parliament fine Shell over £3 billion after a tanker spilled 40,000 barrels of oil into the Atlantic Ocean. However, Shell refuted the recommendation stating that they hadn’t contravened any Nigerian laws and that the cause of the spill was sabotage.

While it’s true that many of the spills in the Niger Delta have been linked to the criminal acts of militant groups, Shell have also been criticised for the laxity of their spill response procedures in cleaning up the oil. A UN report from last year found that “The control and maintenance of oilfield infrastructure....has been and remains inadequate.” Shell was accused of taking four years to contain and clean the spill while the thousands of villagers affected by the spills in the Ogoninland region are still awaiting a compensation package from Shell.

Last year’s report from the United Nations Environment Programme evidenced that oil companies had failed to effectively contain and clean up oil spills from up to 40 years ago, despite numerous attempts. It’s executive director said that Nigerians has “paid a high price” for the riches afforded by the black gold, but that any attempt to clean up the affected region would cost initially around £614 million and take upwards of 25-30 years.

Source - http://www.yellowshield.co.uk

 

 

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Methods used for chemical spill procedures

Chemical SpillIn the last week there have been two separate chemical spillages in the UK, one at a drugs manufacturing plant in Deeside, Wales, and another at a drycleaners in Ipswich. Fire officials and ambulances were called to both incidents, and each resulted in people being admitted to hospital. The aim of this blog is to analyse the methods that would have been used to; a, Contain the spills and protect the watercourse and b, Clean up the spill and render the area safe.
Be Prepared
Preparedness is the key to dealing with chemical spills. If your business deals with hazardous liquids daily then it is essential that all employees are given adequate training to deal with spills in the correct way. If you have spill kit equipment on site then it is paramount that you have a spill procedure plan that all employees can safely carry out. If the spilled chemical is volatile or flammable then you must immediately turn off all sources of ignition and, if indoors, ventilate the area. Before attempting to tackle the spill you must ensure that you attire yourself in the appropriate PPE equipment. In cases described above the nature of the spill had been quickly identified by the first responders present at the scene. In the case of the drug manufacturing plant they enacted their emergency planning procedures and requested the presence of fire officials and paramedics. If you are unsure what type of chemical has been spilt, you can still begin to contain the spill using standard chemical absorbents, as chemical absorbents are designed to deal with most hazardous spills of an unidentified nature.
Containing the Spill
In the case of an outside spillage, as in Ipswich, the first spill containment measure to undertake would be to place chemical land booms around the perimeter of the spill, cutting off the access to unprotected drains in the surrounding area. Once the spill has been contained it can be absorbed through the deployment of chemical pads, starting at the edge of the spill and circling inwards to reduce the potential for splash and spread of the spilled liquid. In the event of an indoor spillage containment booms may not required as there is no threat to the watercourse from exposed drainage works. Chemical absorbent pads could be used to absorb the spill depending on the size and area that the spill covered. Any pads or land booms used to clean up a chemical spill would have to be disposed off as hazardous waste. The soiled absorbents can be placed into disposable bags and discarded accordingly.
Neutralising the Spill
Once the majority of the chemical has been absorbed you can then consider using a neutralizing agent to return the area to safe working conditions. The acid neutraliser is a powder that can be applied to the remainder of the spill, rendering it safe via a chemical reaction and producing an inert residue that can be disposed of as general waste. The acid neutraliser will contain a colour indicator change to notify you when the reaction has completed and the chemical has been made safe. In some cases fire fighters can dilute certain acids with water or transfer liquids to safe containers for disposal. Once the spill has been cleaned up you can then wash down the area with a mild detergent and water.
More from Yellow Shield's blog... Methods used for chemical spill procedures
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BP to plead guilty to criminal charges and receive record US criminal fine

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill In what will be seen as a landmark case BP is likely to be fined between £1.9bn and £3.2bn for their criminal misconduct relating to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill disaster in April 2010.  The fine will be a new record in the US, dwarfing the £819m that the drug company Pzifer was fined in 2009. It is believed that BP has agreed this amount through a plea deal with the US Department of Justice. The fine will settle the US federal government criminal and Securities and Exchange Commission claims only. BP may still face further fines from the DoJ in relation to civil claims and also claims from the affected Gulf States and other private plaintiffs. In August, the DoJ filed papers to the New Orleans federal court stating that BP’s management of the oil rig evidenced “gross negligence and wilful misconduct”. If this is proven in the 2013 civil trial in New Orleans, then BP could be looking at a payout in excess of £13bn. BP has already begun shedding assets to cover the costs of all claims and has so far set aside around £24bn. As was reported to the BBC back in June 2010, rig worker Tyrone Benton explained to his supervisor that a leak had been discovered weeks before the eventual explosion. Had BP rectified the problem at the time they would have had to cease drilling, resulting in millions of pounds of lost revenue. However, the decision not to repair that fault has not only resulted in the loss of billions of pounds, but also the company’s reputation and has left an indelible scar on the Gulf Coast waters and shoreline. http://www.yellowshield.co.uk/
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Shake out your frost blankets - it's going to be a cold one!

Yellowshield Winter Package Winter is again upon us and thanks to good old Iceland (harbingers of the original banking collapse and the volcanic ash clouds); forecasters are predicting a severe cold snap from the north that will send temperatures plummeting to well below the seasonal average, with the potential for harsh frosts, bitter winds and snow. So, to try and reap a boom in doom and gloom it seemed appropriate for Yellowshield to put together a “Winter Package” that helps people avoid the worst of the cold snap by enabling them to grit their drive and shovel away the dreaded snow. Consisting of one 20kg bag of Rock Salt, a Salt Scoop and a Snow Shovel for just £33 inc. delivery*, this package can keep you mobile over the winter months allowing you to clear driveways, paths or car parks, meaning you won’t have to stockpile non-perishable goods from the supermarket just yet! We also supply a range of de-icing products that can help keep you mobile during the gruelling winter months. If you have a large area that you would like to spread grit over then you might want to consider using a Salt Spreader. We have these in two sizes, 20 and 35 litres respectively and both spread grit effortlessly and evenly. If you are looking to purchase a large volume of Rock Salt, then we can provide the grit bins for you to store them in, again, we have these in two sizes, 170 and 250 litres. We also supply frost blankets for protecting exposed brickwork over the harsh winter months, and seeing as the bookies have slashed the odds on a White Christmas to the shortest ever; it looks as though we’re going to need them! (*Surcharges will be applied to certain parts of the UK).
More from Yellow Shield's blog... Shake out your frost blankets - it's going to be a cold one!
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Best Practice for Oil Spill Pays Off

Port Angeles Harbour On Wednesday of last week, following a routine oil transfer to a fuel barge in Port Angeles Harbour, Washington, 840 gallons of fuel was believed to have spilled into the water. Estimations later on in the week put the spill at between 50 and 100 gallons. The incident, albeit small, could have drastically damaged the marine environment had it not been for the precautions that Washington State undertake every time a transfer of fuel occurs over water.

As Curt Hart from the Washington Department of Ecology explained; “Fortunately in the State of Washington, whenever we have these large fuel transfers over water, we make sure that the oil spill containment boom is placed before the transfer starts.”

This sort of best practice is critical to maintaining a healthy and vibrant ecosystem, especially in areas where the potential for oil spills is high. Containment booms can be used retrospectively in an emergency oil spill situation to try and capture as much of the spilled oil before it can affect marine life, but the practice demonstrated by Washington State underlines the need for all port and harbour authorities to have in place a well drilled and pre-emptive approach to oil spills.

No birds, mammals or fish were harmed during the spill, which is currently being cleaned up by the Department of Ecology in conjunction with the US Coast Guard, the Marine Spill Response Corporation and Global Diving and Salvage.
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Absorb battery acid with Battereezy HT

According to the Health and Safety Executive, sulphuric acid is the most widely used acid within the industrial sector in the UK. All warehouses in the UK and abroad, as well as many Port Authorites and airports, will use some kind of lead battery or electric vehicle containing sulphuric acid.

In the event of a spill, many of these work environments will have an adequate neutraliser for cleaning up any spill of sulphuric acid, but once a hazardous spill has been contained, many will be left with a costly hazardous waste bill for disposing of the contaminated absorbents. So at Yellow Shield we have opted to introdcue a new absorbent granule into our range of products to tackle this issue directly.

Battereezy HT has been specifically fomulated for the sole purpose of neutralising potentially hazardous spills of sulphuric acid. Usually, these types of spills would be dealt with using a chemical neutralisation agent that would have to be disposed of as hazardous waste due to legal requirements. But with Battereezy HT, this costly endeavour is now a thing of the past. Using a strong alkali compound, the abosrbent granules neutralise the sulphuric acid to a safe ph level of 7, meaning that the soiled granules are then safe to be disposed of as general waste.

Many industrial workplaces would benefit from the use of such a low cost and effective neutralising agent, which enables the user to efficiently clean up a sulphuric acid spill with the minimum amount of effort. Utilising a dark colour indicator to illustrate when the effervescent reaction has finished and available in two different sized polyethylene buckets, Battereezy HT is a simple product, offering a simple solution to a potentially costly problem.

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New Superkleen plus absorbs more!

Spilkleen Super Plus

More often than not, absorbent granule products can have many undesirable qualities, namely an off-putting odour and all too messy dust particles that arise from using such a product. So at Yellow Shield, we have been looking to introduce a superior granule that can be utilised mainly indoors for absorbing spills of oil, fuel, cutting fluids and mild chemicals that dispels these problems and we believe we have found it.

New Spilkleen Super Plus is a lightweight granule made from 100% recycled paper, (so already proving an environmentally friendly alternative to other absorbent granule products), that is more importantly odourless and virtually dust free. No longer will you have to endure the choking dust clouds and malodourous trace that emanates from inferior absorbent granules at arms length, you can deploy the Spilkleen Super Plus, safe in the knowledge that these unwanted by-products will not be an issue.

But how much can a paper based granule absorb? Well, up to three times the amount that a clay based granule can and with none of the unsought problems associated with other types of granules. In fact, a 30 litre bag of Spilkleen Super Plus can absorb an incredible 24 Litres of liquid, representing a 250% higher absorbency rate than clay based granules. This is why we feel that Spilkleen Super Plus is the complete indoor absorbent, offering a highly effective product at an extremely competitive price.

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80 Litre Wheelie Bin Spill Kits

This month Yellow Shield are proud to offer a new line of intermediary 80 Litre Wheelie Bin Spill Kits for General Purpose, Oil Only and Chemical use, that are designed for maximum mobility and convenience. And for a limited time only you can SAVE 20% on the General Purpose and Oil Only spill kits.

80 Litre Wheelie Bin General Purpose Spill Kit 80 Litre Wheelie Bin Oil Only Spill Kit 80 Litre Wheelie Bin Chemical Spill Kit
80L Wheelie Bin General Purpose Spill Kit 80L Wheelie Bin Oil Only (hydrophobic) Spill Kit 80L Wheelie Bin Chemical Spill Kit
Was: £72.00
NOW: £57.60
Was: £72.00
NOW: £57.60
£93

 

The new 80 Litre Compact Wheeled Bin Spill Kit is a complete spill kit that provides high absorbency within a compact design offering key benefits that larger spill kits sometimes lack. Whether it’s required for use in an indoor working environment or while on the move, the 80 Litre Wheelie Bin Spill Kits can provide for both.

Measuring only 26 inches in height the 80 Litre Spill Kit is compact enough to allow the user to store safely underneath a warehouse workbench or alongside existing janitorial cupboards without proving to be an obstruction.

Weighing only 12.5kg, the lightweight nature of the 80 Litre spill kit also enables the user to comfortably lift the bin on or off a vehicle for a more effective deployment in a range of environments.

To celebrate the launch of this new product Yellow Shield are offering you the chance to purchase the General Purpose and Oil Only 80 Litre Wheelie  Bin Spill Kits at a discounted rate of £57.60 each until the end of May, which is a 20% saving on the standard price.

To take advantage of this fantastic offer simply click on the images displayed above.

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Proposed Oil Terminal in Southwold raises concerns.

Over the last couple of years oil spills have been featured prominently on TV screens across the globe, thanks in large to the BP Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and the ongoing problems regarding Shell’s control of oil spillage in the Niger Delta. However, it could now be that the possibility of this happening in British waters has increased with Parliaments vote last month to allow for ship to ship transfer of oil in the quaint Anglian coastal town of Southwold.

Understandably the decision has sparked cries of indignation from locals who now believe that even the threat of a spill could have a marked impact upon the local tourist industry.

John Perkins from the Southwold and Reydon Society commented that:

“The prospect we now face is a perpetual risk of an oil threat, large numbers of oil tankers…now come here. They all come to Southwald, they won’t go anywhere else.”

However, Government minister Mike Penning remains adamant that having the process occur within the British waters rather than in international waters will allow for better monitoring of such transfers and, help maintain the “generally excellent safety record” that these operations have in the UK.

Despite Government attempts to allay local fears Stephen Hagan, Convener of Orkney Island Council insists that the proposed site in Southwold is a far riskier enterprise than the transfers that take place at Scapa Flow Port in Orkney. He remarked that:

“we… have all the facilities to deal with an oil spill (in Scapa Flow) whereas… in Southwold…the risks are much, much higher.”

If the proposed oil terminal in Southwold is to be properly monitored and regulated then it should clearly provide a boost for Southwold’s local economy. If however, there is any complacency in the overseeing of these operations then the need for a swift and efficient spill containment response to any future incidents will be of the utmost importance to protect our fragile coastline.

http://www.yellowshield.co.uk/blog/proposed-oil-terminal-in-southwold-raises-...

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