Guide To Oil Storage Regulations
Changes To Scottish Oil Storage Regulations
A Guide To OFS T200
A Guide To OFS T100
BS799 Part 5 British Standard For Single Skin Tanks
BS799 Part 5 & OFS T200
The Oil Storage Regulations apply to oil stored in tanks, intermediate bulk containers, oil drums and mobile bowsers. They are designed to ensure that you store oil safely and minimise the risk of pollution incidents.
In England, if you store oil in containers with a capacity of more than 200 litres, the Oil Storage Regulations may apply to you.
In Scotland, if you store oil of any kind at your premises (regardless of volume), the regulations will affect you.
For domestic oil storage, ie on premises used wholly or mainly as a private dwelling, the regulations only apply to containers with a storage capacity of more than 3500 litres in England, or 2500 litres in Scotland. Building Regulations apply for new or altered domestic tanks.
Even if the regulations do not apply to you, you are committing an offence if you cause pollution, either deliberately or accidentally. If oil from your site, or under your care, causes pollution, you may be prosecuted and the courts may fine you.
Transitional provisions in Scotland
In Scotland, the Oil Storage Regulations came into force in three stages.
All new oil containers must now comply with the regulations. New containers are containers purchased since April 2006.
From 1 April 2008, tanks that existed before April 2006 and that are at ‘significant risk’ must comply with the regulations. Tanks are at significant risk if they are less than:
- 10 metres away from any surface water or wetlands
- 50 metres away from any well or borehole.
The regulations applied to all other oil containers from 1 April 2010.
The Control of Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations require tank owners to provide a secondary containment facility, such as a bund or drip tray, to prevent oil getting into the water environment. The regulations apply in England and affect you if you store oil in containers greater than 200 litres, above ground at an industrial, commercial or institutional site, or if you store more than 3500 litres of oil at a domestic property.
The Water Environment (Oil Storage) (Scotland) Regulations 2006 apply in Scotland. The Scottish regulations are different from the England regulations and you should check them for oil storage in Scotland.
The Environment Agency is responsible for enforcing these regulations in England. We can give you advice and guidance to help you get your storage facilities up to scratch. However, if you don’t act, the Environment Agency may take legal action for non-compliance and could serve a notice to make you bring the facilities up to standard. Failure to comply with this notice would be a criminal offence and may result in prosecution.
The regulations cover oil storage at many types of site. If you are responsible for oil storage at a factory, shop, office, hotel, pub, restuarant,school, church, village hall, public sector building, community centre or hospital in England, the regulations are likely to apply.
The regulations do not apply:
- at premises used for refining or distributing oil;
- for oil stored in a building or entirely underground;
- to the agricultural use of oil on farms – the storage of agricultural fuel oil comes under the Control of Pollution (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) Regulations, 1991;
- to waste mineral oil;
- at premises used mainly as a single private dwelling where less than 3500 litres of oil is stored. However, Building Regulations do apply for new and replacement domestic tanks.
More advice
Use the links on the right to find out about the standards required for storing oil as well as guidance on domestic oil storage. See also the EA & SEPA’s Pollution Prevention Guidance PPG2 and also DEFRA Guidenotes on ‘Oil Storage’ that provide practical advice to help you comply with the regulations.
