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HAZARDS TO RESPONDERS
 Hazards to Responders

The aim is:

To be able to examine the hazards and risks that responders face in an oil spill environment and how
these may be mitigated.

The objectives are:

- To list the hazards to responders from oil and substances.

- To identify the hazards from spill operations including equipment and wildlife.

- To explain Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

- To understand oil spill site safety assessment, recording and briefing.

- To recognise the requirement for medical support for clean-up personnel

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Spill Response

Is Health & Safety

different on an oil
spill compared to
your normal
operations?

What is?
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Hazard Identification
Weather
Electrical Hazard

Experience Locals
of plant operators Lifting Operations

Plant machinery

High pressure hoses

Oil
(slippery, Possibility of losing Dock wall
carcinogenic) equipment into the sand (working at height)

Beach (tidal)
Sinking sand

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Hazard Identification

Obstructions Crane Operations Weather

Vessels
Working Near water

Vehicle Operations
Heavy Equipment
Other Vehicles

Equipment
unloading Personnel Working Dock side
(working at height)

Slips, Trip & Falls

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 The Oil Itself

 Information about the oil’s specific hazards can be found on its SDS
 Flammability
 Explosive vapours
 Toxicity
OIL
 Hydrogen sulphide
 Exclusion of oxygen
 The slippery nature of oil

This will all be dependent upon

the weathering process

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The Working Environment

 An oil spill can occur in

almost any environment
whether it be offshore,
inland or near shore

 Each location will have

its own hazards and it is
the job of the responders
to identify them

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The Working Environment

 Extremes of temperature,
humidity and precipitation
all place considerable
strain on human
performances

 What effects will these

extremes have on a
responder?

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 Manual Handling

 Always a risk on spills

 Minimise through training / supervision
 Always mechanise processes where
possible
 Group lifts
 Rotation of staff

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 Wildlife?

 Often overlooked
 Location dependant
 Build into your H&S brief
 Obtain local knowledge

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Equipment Hazards

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 Control Measures
 D Design a safe process
 E Eliminate the hazard
 S Substitute with a safe practice
 I Isolate the hazard
 R Reduce any exposure to the hazard
 E Educate those at risk to the hazard
 S Safe systems of work
 H Health surveillance
 I Information to those at risk from the hazard
 P Personal Protective Equipment

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 Site Entry

 Is the Site safe to enter

– Gas Monitoring

 Site Safety Survey

– Site Safety & Health Plan
– Site Specific Hazards
– Emergency Procedures

 Site Drawing/Layout
 Oiling Extent and
Substrate type

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 Gas Monitoring

 There are two types of gaseous hazards associated with exposure

to oil spills; acute and chronic
Acute

Hydrocarbons: <10% of Lower Explosive Limit (LEL)

Oxygen: 19.5 – 23.5%
H 2S <10ppm

Chronic

VOCs: <100ppm
Benzene: <1ppm

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Personal Protective Equipment - PPE

 What Factors should we consider when selecting PPE?

 Have all other control measures been considered?
 Is it appropriate for the risks?
 Does it prevent or adequately control the risks involved without increasing the overall
level of risk?
 Is it of an acceptable standard?
 Will the use of PPE shorten working times?

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Adequate PPE?

Is this acceptable?

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Mitigating the Risk

How can we mitigate the risks

on an oil spill?

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 Mitigating the Risk
 Safety briefing
 Highlight hazards
 SDS
 Toolbox talks

 Site control
 Risk assessment
 Consider all the control measures

 Site safety & medical plan

 First aid facilities and trained personnel on-site
 Medi-vac Plan
 Medical Emergency contact numbers

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Zones

COLD ZONE
Security
FAP COLD ZONE Security

Equipment Lay down

WC
CP Waste
Vehicl
area
Food e Area
& Waste EDA
Shelte Stores Stores
r
PDA WARM ZONE
W W

HOT ZONE

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Hazards to Responders

Using the pictures given to you, highlight what you

consider to be the safety issues prepare a safety
brief including what PPE is required.

You have 10min for this task

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 Session Review

 We have looked at the different Health & Safety issues that occur
on a spill compared to normal operations

 What are the key points that you will take away with you?

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