Clarehill Plastics Limited

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OFTEC Launches A New ERA In Fuel Oil Storage

24th April 2010

OFTEC has launched a new voluntary eco-labelling scheme for oil storage tanks.

The Environmental Risk Assessment (ERA) Scheme builds upon successful eco-labelling initiatives in other industries, and rates new oil tanks according to their environmental features on a scale from 1 to 10. The lower the number, the lower the risk of an environmental pollution incident.

A tank with an ERA Rating of 1 will be fully bunded, and will incorporate the latest anti-pollution safeguards. By contrast, an oil storage tank with an ERA Rating of 10 will represent a much higher risk of a pollution incident arising - especially if it has not been installed according to OFTEC and manufacturer instructions.

Commenting on the initiative, Jeremy Hawksley, OFTEC director-General said: "There has been a welcome and significant reduction in oil related pollution incidents over recent years throughout the United Kingdom. This has been due to regulations and is a result of our manufacturer members and our registered technicians explaining to consumers the importance of environmentally responsible fuel oil storage. The ERA initiative builds upon this successful foundation."

Oil tank manufacturers who choose to participate in the ERA initiative will be voluntarily placing a label on each tank they produce. The highly visible label will advise customers of the relative risk of an environmental incident arising from that tank.

The Environments Agency's Richard Martin said:"As demonstrated by the number of recorded pollution incidents, single skinned oil storage tanks, when installed without any secondary containment represent a significantly greater threat to the environment than those that are bunded. An initiative aimed at ensuring that the environment is more protected and the customer put at less risk of a spill must be welcomed."

Oil Heating and Fuel Storage Industry News in association with OilFiredUp.com