Safety First: Precautions To Take When Handling Diesel Bunded Tanks

If you’re looking at installing or handling your own diesel tank (especially a bunded one) you’re going to need to be careful. This is often only a job for a skilled professional, but it can be done yourself if you really know what you’re doing. But remember – safety is always the number one priority. If you haven’t done anything like this before, then think again – and don’t start working on something if you aren’t completely sure what you’re doing. If you have any doubts, call in a team of professionals and let them do the hard work. Otherwise, here are a few tips to get you started:

Make sure you know what you’re doing

If you haven’t done this sort of work before, you might want to call in someone who has. diesel bunded tanks need to be fitted safely and in compliance with all local laws and regulations. Carry out extensive research on your own type of tank and make sure you’ve studied the area carefully.

Make sure you’re working in a safe area

Many bunded tanks are often situated in tricky positions, like next to large water sources or in other hard-to-reach locations. If that’s the case for your tank, you might want to consider either getting it moved or making the area slightly more safe before you begin working. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.

Make sure you’ve got enough light to work

Keeping the area lit is paramount, but you’d be surprised how many people try and handle their tanks in dark areas. Don’t make that mistake, but make sure your light source is safe. You obviously don’t want to rely on an open flame or anything flammable, which leads us to our next point…

Make sure there’s nothing flammable in the area

A fuel storage tank is obviously highly flammable, so you need to make sure there are no ways for any issues to occur. This means you shouldn’t be smoking anywhere near it, or using anything else that might cause an issue.

Make sure you’ve got the right equipment

You can’t start work on your tank unless you’ve got the right equipment to do the job. Whether we’re talking cleaning products, the right hardware tools, or other equipment – make sure you’ve got everything ready and checked beforehand.

Make sure you’ve got the right protective gear

Along with the right tools for the actual job, you’ll also need the right protective gear. Things like steel-capped boots, heavy gloves and protective goggles are all important – so get them sorted. You can hire this sort of stuff if you don’t want to spend a lot on them or don’t think you’ll need the gear again.

Make sure you aren’t working alone

As this sort of work can be dangerous, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a lot of support at all times. This means supervision and someone who knows what they’re doing as well. Don’t go off to work on your tank alone and make sure everyone knows where you are.

Make sure you’ve got experience with the right tools

If you’re doing any welding, you’ll need to be experienced enough to carry out the job safely. Remember, this is a fuel tank so using a blowtorch is extremely dangerous. You’ll need to make sure the tank is completely empty of all fuel before doing any of this sort of work, and a professional cleanup might be required before you can do this sort of work.

Make sure the area is well ventilated

Bunded tanks can give off a lot of fumes and can also be in areas that aren’t very well ventilated. If you’re going to work on your tank, you’ll need to be able to breathe safely and easily. This could require additional ventilation for the area. Again, you’ll either need to be able to install extra ventilation pipes and solutions yourself, or rely on a professional who can. So don’t cut any corners here.

Make sure the installation complies with building regs

If the tank is installed in a particular type of building, it will need to meet local building regulations for how safely it’s installed. Oftentimes, this sort of work requires someone who’s worked towards these regulations in the past – so you might need help from an expert. Bunded tanks need to be fitted safely and will need to pass health and safety checks in some situations.

The safety and integrity of your tank is especially important if it’s situated near residential areas or other places where there are a lot of people.

Make sure you maintain the tank regularly

Once your tank is installed and fitted safely, the job doesn’t stop there. It will need to be installed and fitted safely and securely, but it’ll also need to be maintained properly and regularly. Make sure you carry out regular checks on your tank to see if it’s still working efficiently and safely. You’ll also want to check for any external issues and make sure the integrity of the tank is still good.

You can find out more about safely storing diesel at this site.

Take extra care after extreme weather

If your tank has recently come under the force of extreme weather conditions like heavy wind or rain, you might want to be extra careful and carry out some additional checks. Things like freezing and thawing can cause cracks or other issues with your tank, so you need to take particular care in the winter.

Get your work inspected

After you’ve done any of these jobs yourself, you’ll want to get a second opinion from someone to make sure everything is intact and ready to go. Get your work checked regularly by an industry professional.

If in doubt, ask for professional help

If you don’t have a complete understanding of exactly what you’re doing for any part of your job – then don’t do it. Don’t take any risks and call out a relevant professional to carry out anything your unsure of. A skilled expert might be more expensive, but this is often a price worth paying for the extra peace of mind they can bring. Self bunded fuel tanks are often a necessary addition to some buildings and facilities, but they need to be looked after with care.