It's a question that often comes up, and there can be some confusion around secondary containment (bunding) for different classes and varying volumes of liquids.

Compliance is important, so make sure your site measures up to local regulations.  Using portable bunding can provide a simple, inexpensive solution in many cases, the rule of thumb being that bund capacity should be at least 110% of the largest container, or 25% of the total stored on the bund - whichever is greater.

So how does this work?  Let's take a look at a couple of scenarios:

Situation One:

Liam has four 205L drums onsite and wants to store them on one bund onsite.

110% of 205L is 225.5 litres, and 25% of 820L (4 x 205L) is 205 litres.  This means Liam needs a bund with a capacity of at least 225.5 litres.

Both the SpillBoss Four Drum and Four Drum Low Profile Bunds are suitable as they exceed sump capacity requirements (both can hold at least 232 litres).  Our range of SpillBoss IBC bunds are also acceptable as they will contain over 1,100 litres.

Situation Two:

James has two 1,000L pods (IBC's) and has been advised that he needs to store them in accordance with EPA regulations.  He wants to use a four drum bund as it is a lot cheaper and is wondering if this meets requirements.

A four drum bund has a capacity of only 249 litres, so it is non-compliant here.  Both the single and dual IBC bunds are compliant, however, as they have capacities of over 1,100L;

• The single IBC bund needs to be able to hold at least 1,100 litres, and will hold 1,180 litres; 110% of 1000L is 1,100L, and 25% is 250L
• The dual IBC bund also needs to be able to hold at least 1,100 litres, and will hold 1,165 litres; 110% of the largest container is 1,100L, and 25% of 2,000L (the total stored) is 500L

James ends up purchasing 2 x single IBC bunds over against the dual IBC bund as he can store the IBC's in separate locations where he needs them most.

We trust this assists in clearing up any ambiguity surrounding these regulations!  If you have any questions regarding your own requirements onsite, please give us a call and we are more than happy to chat.

About Us:  Since 1997, Argyle Commercial has been a leading supplier of spill response equipment, storage solutions for hazardous liquids and engineered silt curtain solutions.  We help customers comply with environmental and OH&S regulations, while making work environments safer and more risk free.