The Situation: Lorry oil spill at industrial unit
An industrial unit in Camberley, operated by Cennox, faced an urgent environmental and safety challenge after a lorry leaked a significant amount of oil directly outside their facility. Given the nature of the site, the oil posed several immediate risks:
- Slip hazards: The leaked oil created a dangerous surface for staff and visitors.
- Contamination spread: Without intervention, the oil risked being tracked into the warehouse or entering local drainage systems.
- Permanent staining: The porous nature of the external ground meant the longer the oil remained, the more likely it was to cause permanent structural staining.
Prior to Ideal Response arriving, the client had proactively placed sand over the spill to contain the spread. While this helped mitigate the immediate flow, it left a large volume of oil-saturated sand that required professional disposal and deep-cleaning of the substrate beneath.
The Challenge: Access and time sensitivity
The primary obstacle for this project was the need for a rapid turnaround. The unit is a high-traffic area, and operations needed to continue with minimal disruption. Furthermore, access to essential onsite power and water was limited to specific time windows, requiring our team to work with precision and efficiency.
The Ideal Response Solution
Upon arrival, our senior technicians conducted a thorough risk assessment (RAMS) to address the slip hazards and potential for further spread. Fully equipped in specialist PPE, the team executed a multi-stage remediation process:
- Saturated material removal: We began by manually removing all oil-saturated sand and surface-level contaminants, ensuring they were safely contained for legal disposal.
- Specialist enzyme treatment: To break down the hydrocarbons within the surface, we applied an industrial-grade enzyme solution. This is a crucial step in oil spill cleaning as it neutralises the oil rather than just moving it around.
- DOFF cleaning system: We utilised the DOFF steam cleaning system. Unlike standard pressure washing, the DOFF system uses high temperatures and low pressure, which is highly effective at lifting oil from deep within the pores of the stone/concrete without damaging the surface.
- Full sanitation: The entire affected area was sanitised to ensure no residue remained that could cause future slip hazards or environmental issues.
The Result: A clean, safe & operational site
The project was completed within the same day, adhering to the client’s strict time constraints. By combining the DOFF system with advanced enzyme technology, we were able to remove the vast majority of the staining, restoring the aesthetics of the unit and, more importantly, ensuring it was safe for Cennox staff to resume full operations.
The client expressed high satisfaction with the speed of response and the visual quality of the restoration.
