OSRL

Technical Field Guides

OSRL has developed a series of technical field guides as a guide for assistance with running various aspects of oil spill response operations. These are intended to act solely as guides and advice given should only be incorporated into company philosophy for oil spill response operations alongside suitable training and exercises to ensure safe and appropriate operations.

 Incident Management Handbook
 

The Incident Management Handbook (IMH) has been produced by OSRL to assist response personnel in the use of the Incident Command System (ICS) internationally. Taking inspira4ion from the US Coast Guard’s Incident Management Handbook (USCG IMH) and similar publications from the other oil spill response organisations (OSROs) within the Global Response Network (GRN), this handbook will enable users to apply ICS principles for any incident, regardless of size, location, or organisations involved. The handbook provides an overview of position roles and responsibilities as well as a high-level view of the entire incident management process, highlighting the necessary requirements and continuing outputs.

 Aerial Surveillance Handbook

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone undertaking aerial surveillance and oil spill quantification. Aerial surveillance can provide:

• Confirmation and location of the oil spill.
• Quantification of the volume of the oil on water.
• The status of the source.
• The degree of weathering of the oil spilt.
• Information on the effectiveness of response strategies

 Containment and Recovery Handbook

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone undertaking containment and recovery operations to combat oil spills at sea. Included are safety considerations for the operations, a brief description of the variables involved in this type of response and advice on how to ensure the most successful outcome.

Offshore containment and recovery can be a useful response strategy to add to the toolkit and will be most successful when:

• The most suitable recovery device for the oil type and weather conditions is selected.
• The boom used is well-maintained and deployed by trained operators.
• Communications are effective amongst all parties.
• Suitable storage is available.

 Dispersant Application Handbook

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea. It covers the set-up, spraying and maintenance are included to assist the operator in the safe, efficient and effective use of this response tool.

Dispersants are chemicals designed to change the black oil that is floating as a layer on the sea surface, into a plume of small droplets that move into the water column to a depth of 5 – 10m. This cloud of oil will quickly be diluted to a low concentration where it will be naturally degraded reducing its impact to the environment by decreasing the:

• Persistence of the oil in the environment.
• Risk of oil impacting shoreline.
• Volume of waste created.

 Dispersant Application Monitoring Field Guide: Tier 1 Visual Observation

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea to provide a qualitative assessment of the efficacy of dispersant operations using visual observations. Included are the 3afety considerations for dispersant use and a description of the variables involved. Additionally guidance is given on the visual observations that indicate whether dispersant is effective at dispersing the surface oil slick.

Monitoring is important to determine:

• That the dispersant was applied at the appropriate dosage in the correct locations.
• Whether the dispersant is effective.
• Decision makers need to be briefed on the observed efficacy of the operation, so that they can make an informedkdecision on response strategy.

 Dispersant Application Monitoring Field Guide: A Guide to the Indicators and Factors Influencing the Effectiveness of Chemical Dispersant Use at Sea

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea to provide a qualitative assessment of the efficacy of dispersant operations using in field monitoring. Included are the safety considerations for dispersant use and a description of the variables involved. Additionally guidance is given on the tools that can be used to indicate whether dispersant is effective at dispersing the surface oil slick.

Monitoring is important to determine:

• That the dispersant was applied at the appropriate dosage in the correct locations.
• Whether the dispersant is effective.
• Decision makers need to be briefed on the observed efficacy of the operation, so that they can make an informed decision on response strategy.

 Vessel Dispersant Application Handbook

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone using dispersants to combat oil spills at sea. Basic coverage of set-up, spraying and maintenance are included to assist the operator in the safe, efficient and effective use of this response tool.

Dispersants are chemicals designed to change the black oil that is floating as a layer on the sea surface into a plume of small droplets that move into the water column to a depth of 5 – 10m.
This cloud of oil will quickly be diluted to a low concentration where it will be naturally degraded reducing its impact to the environment by decreasing the:

• Persistence of the oil in the environment.
• Risk of oil impacting shoreline.
• Volume of waste created.

 Shoreline Operations

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone who is involved in oil spill clean up and management of waste generated in such an incident.

 Waste Management Field Guide

This short field guide is intended to be used by anyone who is involved in oil spill clean up and management of waste generated in such an incident.

The aim of this document is to highlight waste management issues associated with oil spill clean-up operations. Included are the sources of waste, how waste should be collected, storage issues and options for disposal and the safety considerations for recovery of waste.