Reporting of Spills

University of Toronto

Environmental Protection Procedure

SPILLS INTO THE ENVIRONMENT - REPORTING TO THE ONTARIO MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY

1. INTRODUCTION

• Duty to Notify
• When to Notify - When Duty is Effective
• Role of the Ministry of Environment
• How to Notify the Ministry
• Departmental Responsibilities in the Event of a Spill

2. DUTY TO NOTIFY

There are no minimum reportable quantities. When a spill occurs, the EPA defines the duty to report as: "...immediately when the person knows or ought to know that the pollutant is spilled AND is causing or is likely to cause an adverse effect" [EPA, Section 92(2)] Specific legal definitions under the Act are:

 
• Pollutant: means a contaminant other than heat, sound, vibration or radiation and includes any substance [solid, liquid and/or gas] from which a pollutant is derived.
   

  Spill: means a discharge into the natural environment from or out of a structure, vehicle or other container and that is abnormal in quality or quantity in light of all circumstances of the discharge.
   

  Adverse Effect:the definition of adverse effect is quite broad and means one or more of:

   
  1. impairment of the quality of the natural environment for any use that can be made of it,
  2. injury or damage to property or to plant or animal life,
  3. harm or material discomfort to any person,
  4. an adverse effect on the health of any person,
  5. impairment of the safety of any person,
  6. rendering any property or plant or animal life unfit for human use,
  7. loss of enjoyment of normal use of property, or
  8. interference with the normal conduct of business.
• Natural Environment:means the air, land and water or any combination or part thereof.

3. WHEN TO NOTIFY - WHEN DUTY IS EFFECTIVE:

The Ministry of Environment considers that where there is the possibility of outside contamination, the incident is reportable.

Discharges of hazardous agents to the outside environment are not part of the normal University operation. The normal operation of a fumehood does not produce an adverse effect, and discharges of chemicals into drains is prohibited by University policy.

Therefore a spill of a chemical/pollutant is reportable to the Ministry of the Environment for:

 
1. Spills occurring outside of a building, or
2. Spill occurring inside a building that leak outside.

Reporting Exemptions

a) Fuel leaks from vehicles

Class III spills [spills of liquid from the fuel or other systems of vehicles] of less than 100 litres are exempt from reporting to the Ministry if the spill does not enter the sewer system and notification requirements under the Highway Traffic Act have been complied.

b) Small fires

Class V - spills of pollutants from fires, where the pollutants are products of combustion of materials normally found in residential properties of 10 or less households are completely exempt from the Part X (spills) of the Act

Research and/or teaching area containing chemicals, radioactive materials or biological agents as laboratories or storage facilities that become involved in a fire with smoke escaping into the hallways, windows or out of doorways to the outside would likely be a reportable event to the Ministry.

In such instances, it is most likely that the Fire Department will be called and that they will report the incident to the Ministry of Environment.

Areas such as residences, lecture rooms, office areas would likely fall under the above exemption. 

4. ROLE OF THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

5. HOW TO NOTIFY THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT

6. DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN THE EVENT OF A SPILL

In some cases, the Fire Department may notify the Ministry of the Environment when chemicals are involved in a fire. It is important that in this event, the Co-ordinator, Hazardous Waste Management be notified immediately.

Departments should have preestablished emergency procedures for cleanup and reporting of chemical spills and have the appropriate protective clothing and spill cleanup kits readily available.

In the event of a spill, the Department should do the following:

 
1. Assess the situation. Individuals should not put themselves or others at risk when performing a spill cleanup.
2. Stop the spill, contain it, and initiate steps to ameliorate any effect on the environment.
3. Call the University's Environmental Protection Services (Hazardous Materials) at 978-7000 for spills meeting any of the following criteria:
    
   • large spills (e.g. several litres),
   • spills involving highly toxic materials,
   • spills involving quantities of flammable materials which cannot be safely handled,
   • spills occurring outside a building,
   • spills inside a building in which material (gaseous, solid or liquid) is leaking or may leak outside,
   • fires involving chemicals,
   • any other spill which the individual does not feel capable of handling safely.
   After hours call the Campus Police at 978-2222 (St. George Campus). For the Erindale Campus call 828-5200, and for the Scarborough Campus call 287-7333. The Campus Police will notify the appropriate individuals according to the established emergency procedures.
4. Isolate the area until either the spill has been cleaned up locally, or until the emergency personnel arrive.
5. File an incident report with the Office of Environmental Health and Safety. 215 Huron Street Room 702 TEL: (416) 978-4467 FAX: (416) 971-1361