Some of your responsibilities are the following:
- You must be aware of your tanks condition and if it could be leaking
- Report any leaks to Spills Action Centre (SAC) at 1-800-268-6060 and contact a licensed Petroleum Contractor to render repairs.
- Operate your dispensing of fuel in a safe manner
- Conduct regular inspections of the system and keep track of these inspections
- Keep track of your inventory levels (document what comes into the tank and what leaves the tank and do regular dips to confirm amount you should have in tank)
- Train your employees that use the fuelling equipment of its safe use and handling. This will include what to do and who to call in case of emergencies.
- Underground tanks require additional inspections by licensed Petroleum Contractors to verify system condition.
Information for reference:
Below are some excerpts out of the LFHC that spells out a fuel Distributors requirement with respect to PFO’s.
5.7. Private Fuel Outlets (Including Farms)
5.7.1. General
A person who sells product to a private fuel outlet or farm shall
(a) instruct the owner or operator on the requirements of this Code
with regard to
i) leak detection;
ii) reporting of suspected leaks, spills, or discovery of a
petroleum product that has escaped into the environment
or inside a building; and
iii) safe dispenser operation;
(b) maintain a record of the instruction;
(c) advise the owner or operator of the facility that he or she shall
instruct each person who handles product at the facility on the
requirements of Item (a); and
(d) obtain written acknowledgement from the owner or operator of the
facility that he or she has received the written requirements and that he or she will instruct each person who handles product at the facility on those requirements.
Below is what is required for underground and aboveground tanks.
C.1 UNDERGROUND TANKS
C.1.1.
Where an underground storage tank system is equipped with a manual leak detection system, as required by Clause 2.2.2.1(d), the system shall include
(a) a daily record, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays for a manual system if the facility is closed and no product is removed or added during these days, that specifies
(i) measurement of the contents of each tank;
(ii) measurement of the amount of product withdrawn from and delivered to each tank;
(iii) a reconciliation of Items (i) and (ii) for each tank, if the tanks are not interconnected by siphons or joined together by product piping, or for each product type; and
(iv) measurement of the water content of each tank;
(b) a record made every 6 months confirming the operation of the interstitial space monitoring system, if applicable;
(c) a reconciliation of the measurement of the tank contents immediately prior to a weekend or holiday closing with the measurement of the tank contents prior to reopening; and
(d) the retention of records until the facility is decommissioned.
C.1.2
Where the measurement required by Clause C.1.1 (a)(iv) shows water in excess of 5 cm, the authorization holder owner of the underground storage tank system shall
(a) investigate the cause and take corrective action to prevent further intrusion of water;
(b) immediately cease withdrawing product from the affected tank until the water is removed; and
(c) in the event of the discovery of a leak from the underground storage system, comply with the requirements of Clause 8.2.
C.1.3.
Where the reconciliation required by Clause C.1.1 (a)(iii) shows three consecutive days of losses with each loss greater than 200 L, or a monthly variance of 1% of sales plus 400 L, the authorization holder shall
(a) immediately commence an investigation into the cause of the loss of product; and
(b) if a leak is confirmed, comply with the requirements of Clause 8.2.
C.1.4.
Where there is a change of authorization holder of a facility, the new authorization holder shall be provided, with all of the records required by Clause C.1 and all information disclosed by the investigations undertaken in accordance with Clauses C.1.2 (a) and C.1.3(a).
C.1.5.
The authorization holder of a facility that has underground storage tanks shall,
(a) if the dispenser is metered, comply with Clause C.1.; and
(b) if the dispenser is not metered
(i) at least twice per month not receive or withdraw product for at least 12 hours,
(ii) measure product level at the start and end of the 12 hour period, including water levels;
(iii) investigate any level change to determine if a leak exists, and
(iv) maintain a record of the measurements and investigations for the life of the tank.
C.2 ABOVEGROUND STORAGE TANKS
C.2.1.
Where an aboveground storage tank system is equipped with a manual leak detection system, as required by Clause 3.2.1.11 the system shall include
(a) a weekly recorded measurement of the contents of each tank;
(b) a weekly recorded measurement of the amount of product withdrawn from or delivered to each tank; and
(c) a weekly recorded reconciliation of volumes determined in (a) and (b).
C.2.2.
Where the reconciliation required by Clause C.2.1(c) shows an unexplained loss of product greater than 0.5% of the monthly tank throughput or greater than 3% of the capacity of the storage tank system, whichever is less, the owner or authorization holder shall
(a) immediately commence an investigation into the cause of the loss of product; and
(b) if a leak is confirmed, comply with the requirements of Clause 8.2.