SPCC training is required for oil-handling personnel at facilities covered by EPA's Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure rule. That includes employees who fill, transfer, store, inspect or maintain oil tanks and equipment. Supervisors and the person accountable for discharge prevention also need a solid understanding of the facility's SPCC plan.

EPA's SPCC rule, 40 CFR Part 112, requires the training. Section 112.7(f) says oil-handling personnel must be trained in operating and maintaining equipment to prevent discharges, discharge procedure protocols, applicable pollution control laws and rules, general facility operations and the contents of the facility's SPCC plan.

A facility generally needs an SPCC plan if it stores more than 1,320 gallons of oil in aboveground containers, or more than 42,000 gallons in completely buried tanks, and could reasonably discharge oil to navigable waters or shorelines. Only containers of 55 gallons or more count toward the aboveground total.

SPCC rules require discharge prevention briefings for oil-handling personnel at least once a year. These briefings review known discharges or failures, malfunctioning equipment and any recently developed precautions. New employees should be trained before they handle oil, and refresher training makes sense whenever the plan or equipment changes.

If you discover an oil spill at work, follow your facility's SPCC discharge procedures. Stop the source if you can do so safely, contain the oil with spill kits or booms, and notify the designated person immediately. Spills that reach water may need to be reported to the National Response Center.