Tougher Environmental Regulations – And Regulators – Hit The Road

Tougher Environmental Regulations – And Regulators – Hit The Road
Buoyed by tougher rules and armed with more enforcement money, environmental regulators are hitting the road – literally. But there are cost-effective ways of protecting hazardous materials and waste while they are being transported.
– by Isaac Rudik

Buoyed by tougher rules and armed with more enforcement money from the Ontario Parliament, environmental regulators are hitting the road – literally. The ministry says it is getting stricter about damage caused by trucks, buses and other forms of transport if they pollute the environment, even accidentally.

While the vast majority of companies do their best to meet environmental standards at the plant, many forget that their liability remains while it is being transported to a customer, along with the transporting company. Indeed, the MoE is now co-operating with provincial and local police to enforce a trucker’s requirement to deal with spills and other contamination while on the road.

What this means is that a spill hundreds of miles from a plant that occurs while a product or industrial waste is en route to its destination could result in the manufacturer facing fines and other sanctions.

Spills and Chills

As one example, a few months ago a truck carrying 15,000 litres of liquid argon gas overturned while negotiating a turn on a road in Ontario’s cottage country. Residents in homes, cottages and farms within 1.5 kilometres of the spill were evacuated as a precaution.

First on the scene was the OPP, which immediately notified investigators at both the environment and transportation ministries because the accident fell under the Federal and Provincial Regulations for Transportation of Dangerous Goods as well as the North American Emergency Response Guidebook for First Responders. As a result, the trucking company and the manufacturer were fined heavily for negligence when it was discovered that neither the vehicle nor the containers were equipped with adequate spill containment systems.

Moreover, additional fines were levied when it was discovered the truck driver was not equipped with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment such as a proper mask, coveralls and footgear to don in the event of an accident.

Fortunately, no one was injured seriously in the accident and residents were allowed to return to their homes within a relatively short period of time. But the incident serves as a chilling example of what can happen if adequate environmental protection steps are not taken and a spill occurs.

Adequate Precautions

There are simple, cost-effective ways of protecting hazardous materials and waste while they are being transported.

For example, SpillBerm Plus™ controls accidental spills and run-offs in a number of ways:
• It is made of a flexible polyurethane material.
• It’s non-absorbent and chemical resistant.
• The material cleans easily with just soap and water.
• Multiple units can be quickly and easily connected.
• Taller units of SpillBerm help contain or divert larger volume spills.

Other products such as ProBuy’s™ particulate respirator and disposable masks will help protect a driver in the event of an accidental spill or leak.



Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc., Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.

Email Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.com , or phone him at 905-761-5354.