Local service stations are about to receive a free resource that will help them to protect the environment and public safety in this community.
The Underground Petroleum Storage System (UPSS) Flipchart from Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) is a handy guide with practical information designed to help service station operators and staff to prevent and manage leaks, spills and other hazards, often with simple actions that fit easily into their daily routine.
EPA Executive Director - Practice & Assurance, Chris Webb says the UPSS Flipchart is going out to 1,400 service stations across Victoria this week so look out for a letter addressed to ’The Manager’.
“The Flipchart gives the service station operator or staff member easily understood technical information and quick access to emergency contacts, all in a handy format that hangs on the wall,” Mr Webb said.
The UPSS Flipchart includes:
- Safety check lists
- Emergency contacts
- Technical and maintenance information
- Procedures for dealing with spills and leaks
- Easy to read guidance on their legal requirements
“There’s even a section on what to do with waste tyres, old car batteries and used sump oil – things you can’t just throw in the bin,” Mr Webb said.
While the Flipchart is being mailed out to service stations across the state, it is also available for download – just visit the EPA website and search for ‘UPSS flipchart’.
“It’s amazing how many types of businesses use UPSSs: think of airports, hospitals, marinas, transport companies, car dealerships, golf courses, ski fields and fuel depots. The downloadable Flipchart is easily accessible for all of them,” Mr Webb said.
The UPSS Flipchart is based on a design that’s in use across NSW, and follows a successful cooperative project in which EPA provided the operators of 1,400 petrol stations with a voluntary self-assessment check list to determine how well they were complying with Victorian legislation and guidelines.
“It was a great start to the project; there was substantial support from the industry, EPA received responses from 90% of the operating service stations in Victoria and over 200 sites committed to make improvements to their management of underground fuel tanks,” Mr Webb said.
“Their cooperation helped achieve a lot more than could have been done with conventional inspections, and it’s clear that many of them saw their involvement as a way of safeguarding their business and land as an valuable asset by protecting it from leaks and contamination,” he said.
“The UPSS Flipchart gives them a simple but effective tool for maintaining their improved protection of the local environment and public safety.”