With the recent man-made disaster in the news, in which a gas station in Westmont Illinois leaked gasoline into the sewers causing multiple explosions in and around the Willowbrook and Burr Ridge areas, the importance of properly maintaining a fuel facility is often forgotten and overlooked. Read the full news article here:
Failure to maintain a facility properly can present a huge liability to the owner/operator of the UST facility. In some cases fuel leaks from USTs can leak into the groundwater and or sewer and cause significant damage and harm to people and the environment. Play video below –
ABC Operator Certification in Chicago Illinois
The agency that regulates and enforces laws concerning underground storage tanks in Illinois is the Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM). In Illinois you have two basic options, (1) maintain the station yourself by becoming ABC Operator Certified, or (2) Hire an outside company that preforms the ABC operator service.
Preforming the ABC Operator Service Yourself- Getting Certified
The basic premise of the certification is for owner/operators of USTs to have the proper knowledge of operating underground storage tanks and their components.
The ABC Operator Certification in Illinois covers the following topic in its course:
Introduction to a generic UST facility including the major fuel system components and emergency equipment
The roles and responsibilities of the Class A, B and C Operators
Site-specific emergency procedures development
Emergency contact procedures
Safety awareness for employees and customers
Overfill prevention
Monitoring of the UST facility
Fire safety and introduction to fire extinguishers
Alarm Panel recognition and response procedures
Fuel Spill containment and cleanup
Hiring a Company to provide ABC Operator Service
When searching for a company to preform ABC operator service a couple of key questions to ask:
Is the company insured?
How long have they been providing the service?
How accessible are they when you reach out to them via phone or email?
If they find any problems can they preform the repair or upgrade work themselves?
The decision to preform the ABC Operator service “in-house” or hire an outside company is one that must not be taken lightly. OSFM regulations are changing and require monthly systems check and records be taken, thus increasing the amount and time required to properly maintain a facility.
Effective January 1, 2018 all facilities with underground storage tanks regardless of contents must preform the following:
Eight Monthly Inspections
For Quarterly Inspections
One Annual Inspections
For more information regarding ABC UST Operator Service & ABC Certification Chicago Illinois contact Petroleum Technologies Equipmentat 708-243-1108 or email at tjdpte@aol.com
