Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) for Electric Utilities

Protecting the environment from oil spill hazards is the responsibility of every field employee working at electrical power generation, transmission and distribution facilities. It’s not only the right thing to do; it is your legal obligation under the rules of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The rules governing your site's Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure plan require each person to do his or her part in preventing, reporting and remediating the discharge of oil into the environment, especially waterways. The plan spells out the measures one should take to prevent spills, control and clean up spills, and the contingency plan for responding to major oil releases. This Video on Demand explains what a plan should contain, where the plan should be kept, the roles each employee plays in preventing, detecting and responding to leaks, and the role of the compliance coordinator.

A thorough explanation of passive containment systems includes explanations of sized secondary containment vessels and impoundments, and information on inspecting these devices for cracks, gaps and holes, and how to drain accumulated rainwater or snowmelt from these systems. The course provides an in-depth discussion of the location, use and disposal of active spill containment, such as booms and absorbents. Viewers learn what their responsibilities are when they discover a discharge of a large volume of oil, as may be caused by a lightning strike, fire or explosion at a sub-station or other facility. The information they must provide when reporting such a spill is discussed, along with defensive measures the reporting person can take to mitigate environmental harm until the full emergency response crew arrives. The use of proper personal protective equipment when addressing oil spills; the need to de-energize equipment when working near it for clean-up purposes; and other hidden electricity hazards associated with oil spill clean up is discussed.

This video stresses the importance of every worker being aware of their responsibility to detect, report and remediate oil leaks, knowing proper procedures for draining oil from equipment, being prepared to and knowing how to respond to small oil leaks, and knowing their role upon discovering a large-scale discharge. Oil contamination can be devastating to the environment and wildlife. Being an environmental steward is part of every person’s job who works in the electrical generation, transmission and distribution industry.

   This course is in the Video On Demand format, to read about Video On Demand features click here.

All field workers at power generation, transmission or distribution facilities

• Introduction
• The SPCC Rule and Plan
• General Facility Operations
• Operation & Maintenance of Spill Prevention Equipment
• Discharge Procedure Protocols
• Summary and Conclusion

• Universal Waste
• Storm Warnings: Storm Water Pollution Prevention
• SPCC By The Numbers for General Industry