What are some of the many human careless habits that cause oil spills? Although there are many reasons for oil spills, most spillage sprouts from human activities, such as inappropriate oil discharge, faulty equipment, etc. In this article, I will focus on how some careless human habits lead to spillage and how we can stop them.
What is an oil spill?
An oil spill is any arbitrary discharge of liquid oil (crude or refined) that results in the land, air, and water pollution, which invariably hurts the entire ecosystem.
human Careless habits that cause oil spill
The first bad habit I want to mention is non-adherence to safety precautions. As a deep thinker, you will agree with me that non-adherence to instruction is an avoidable habit because you are not ignorant of the possible consequences of your actions. If you are a crew member, why will you ignore fire safety precautions when carrying out ship-to-ship cargo transfer operations? For instance, a smoker that can’t control his urge to smoke while on duty will in no distant time.
Another bad habit that causes oil spill is negligence. Negligence is another avoidable human error. It is a partial or total disregard for established environmental safety standards. How have you been discharging your oil wastes? Have you been conforming to the standards approved by your local authorities?
Furthermore, it is an act of negligence on the part of a crew member to fix the discharge hoses wrongly. If you fail to connect your hose right, there is bound to be spillage, which invariably an environmental pollution.
Most oil spills do occur as a result of human errors. However, some happen because some exploration and production companies want to cut costs in order to make more profits. Undoubtedly, several major oil spills, including the Valdez Oil Spill in March 1989 and BP oil Spill of 2010, all have elements of human errors in them.
How to avoid human related oil spill
We can correct all human habits that cause oil spills in several ways, one of which is to adhere to safety precautions. Therefore, always equip your crew members with all the needed information and orientation.
Also, make sure you follow all established standards whenever handling petroleum products. For instance, you will pollute the environment if you fail to follow at least the basic procedures when carrying out crude oil washing (COW).
Additionally, avoid negligence. For instance, if you detect any leak in a hose, replace it without hesitation. Another form of negligence may be your failure to properly drain transshipment/discharge hoses before disconnecting them. So, ensure you don’t have any left-over fluid in your hose before detachment.
Also, always employ qualified professionals whenever the need arises.