What “compliance” looks like in day-to-day spill control

Regulators and insurers typically expect prevention first, then fast containment, then correct clean-up and disposal. A strong programme usually includes:

• Risk awareness: knowing your spill hazards (oils, fuels, coolants, solvents, acids/alkalis, food oils), volumes, and pathways to drains, watercourses and soil.
• Controls at the point of use: drip trays, secondary containment, drain protection and clearly positioned spill kits.
• Competent response: staff trained to isolate the source, block drains, contain the spread, and clean up safely.
• Evidence: documented inspections, incident logs, corrective actions, and (where relevant) external notifications.

Helpful internal guides: Regulatory Compliance, Spill risk assessments, Spill response plan, Incident logging, Spill Control Resources.

Key UK requirements that commonly affect spill prevention

The exact rules that apply depend on your location, activity and substances, but the following are frequently relevant for UK businesses handling oils and polluting liquids.

Oil storage and secondary containment

If you store oil on site, you may need secure secondary containment (such as bunding or suitable drip trays) designed to prevent leaks reaching the environment. Government guidance commonly references secondary containment capacity requirements (often expressed as 110% of the container capacity for bunded storage).^[1] The legal framework in England is set out in the Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001.^[2]

Environmental permitting

Some activities require an environmental permit (or a registered exemption) and must operate under conditions that prevent pollution. The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 consolidate the environmental permitting regime in England and Wales.^[3]

Good practice guidance

Pollution prevention guidance (such as GPP notes for above-ground oil storage tanks) reflects current good practice to help reduce spill risk and environmental harm.^[4]

A practical compliance checklist for your site

Use this checklist as a straightforward way to identify gaps and prioritise improvements.

• Map spill pathways: identify drains, interceptors, yard gradients, door thresholds, and any route to surface water or soil.
• Match the spill kit to the hazard: oil-only for hydrocarbons, chemical kits for aggressive liquids, and general purpose for mixed workplace liquids.
• Protect drains quickly: position drain covers and drain protection products where they can be deployed in seconds.
• Use containment at source: install drip trays and secondary containment under leak-prone assets and storage areas.
• Write a simple response plan: who does what, where the kit is, how drains are protected, and how waste is handled.
• Record incidents and near misses: log what happened, how it was controlled, what waste was produced, and what will change to prevent recurrence.
• Review and improve: trend incident data, inspect equipment, and document corrective actions.

Relevant internal product and category links: Spill Kits, Oil & Fuel Spill Kits, Spill Control, Drain Protection, Drip and Spill Trays.

How SERPRO supports your compliance goals

The most defensible compliance position is a combination of prevention, readiness and proof. SERPRO supports this by helping you:

• Reduce likelihood: with practical containment and protection products placed where failures occur.
• Reduce impact: with correctly selected spill kits and rapid drain protection that limits spread and environmental entry.
• Strengthen evidence: with repeatable processes for spill risk assessments, incident logging and response planning.

If you are building or updating your approach, start with: Spill risk assessments and then align controls with your plan: Spill response plan.