Hazardous waste insurance is must for high-risk trucking companies. Hazardous waste spillage is an extremely high-risk factor that most transportation companies would have faced at some point or the other, especially, ones that carry chemicals and other similar products as well. A hazardous spillage can also include spills of gasoline, diesel, aviation gasoline, acids, poisons, resins and several other substances that almost every trucking company transports. A spillage is very dangerous for everyone around. In such a case, several things come into focus, like –
- Response Factor – This is most essential to ensure that the spillage doesn’t cause anybody harm, especially, the people that are passing through the region. A quick and educated response will also help the authorities in understanding the situation better and solving it.
- Environment Factor – The harm that such spillages can cause the environment is a given factor, however, there are certain ways in which it can be curbed, like, the easiest way is to educate the driver on what to do in such a situation and later spearheading clean-ups.
- Financial Factor – This cannot be negated; despite the other harms that a hazardous spillage can cause, it also causes significant losses not only to the company who owns the material but also to the transportation or trucking company involved in moving and storage.
How to minimize risk-cost during spillage?
To minimize the risk-cost of your trucking or transportation company, the easiest way is to get a Hazardous Spillage Insurance which will help in various ways. The most important is during a clean-up. As per the law, the transportation company is responsible for the clean-up of any spillage of hazardous substances, for examples, if a truck overturned into the river and hazardous substances got introduced into the water, then, the company will have to pay for the costs involved in fixing the water supply. Getting a hazardous spillage insurance ensures that you do not have to pay thousands of dollars for clean-up operations.
Getting a trucking insurance that offers coverage of hazardous spillage also offers benefits, like –
- Cover for Damage to Trucks – A spillage can cause significant damage to the trucks as well and the repairs (or even replacement, in rare cases) can be very expensive. Insurance is the best way to avoid such a contingency.
- Cover for Medical Expenses – In many spillage incidences, the drivers and workers can get fatally injured depending on their exposure to the spill. However, insurance can help cover for their medical expenses and even rehabilitation costs, if required.
What to do when a hazardous spillage occurs?
Even though hazardous spillages are not a daily occurrence but they are prone to happen more often than you think; and, it is in the best interest of everyone if the driver and workers are trained in reporting such an emergency. Some major things they should know include the following –
- Evacuate the area up-to as much a distance as possible. If the spillage has occurred in the storage place, like a warehouse, then evacuate at the earliest and close all doors. If it has occurred on the road, then try to keep people as far from it as possible.
- Immediately call 911 and inform them about the following –
- The identity of the chemical or hazardous substance spilled
- Approximate quantity of the spillage
- The exact location where the spillage has occurred
- If you know the chemical rating then let them know
- Any injuries or people exposed to the spillage
- Inform the company’s coordinator or the supervisor-in-contact about the spillage. If it has occurred en-route then the drivers should be aware of whom to contact immediately.
Educating your employees, truck drivers and workers is a priority step in ensuring quick response to spills and also reducing your cost of risk. This is also an integral part of your responsibility towards the public and the environment, in general.
