What is a Tier 1 Spill

A Tier I spill is one of the three categorized levels of oil spills. Tier 1 spills are the least serious, causing localized damage usually within or near the company's facilities. In most cases, this type of spill occurs as a result of the company's activities.

Tier 1 spills are typically cleaned up and resolved within a few days, or sometimes in a matter of hours. The International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association ( IPIECA) has defined the three tiers of spills according to various characteristics.

BREAKING DOWN Tier 1 Spill

Tier 1 spills are generally the responsibility of the petroleum company to clean up. Therefore, a company should have a specialized spill management team. The training for this team focuses on response management skills, safety, site-specific cleanup techniques, and tactical operations specific to the type of site they are operating within. However, according to Interspill, sometimes spills which have Tier 1 classification are so minor as to merely require the use of “a modest stock of absorbent materials which are used to mop up occasional spills that occur.”

Tier 1 spills can happen with some frequency, which is why an internal team is necessary to rectify any spill immediately. Once external help is required, the spill generally becomes classified as a Tier 2 spill event. However, if a company is operating in a remote location, their spill management team should be equipped with Tier 2 skills and capabilities, since the cost and wait time of bringing in external help may be prohibitive at the moment that a spill occurs.

All companies operating within the petroleum industry have prevention and preparedness measures in place for oil spills. Nevertheless, even extraordinary prevention measures can sometimes fail, due to weather, geologic activity, or failure on the part of personnel. Therefore, companies make a point to prepare for a quick response in the event of an oil spill. Failure to respond efficiently could turn a manageable Tier 1 spill into a Tier 2, or even Tier 3 event.

Springing Into Action for a Tier 1 Spills

In many situations, particularly in marine terminals, being part of a Tier 1 spill response team is not a full-time role. Instead, a full-time employee with another position will also receive training in Tier 1 spill response. If a spill occurs, that person, along with other trained team members, temporarily leave their usual post and assists with the spill cleanup. Once the spill is remedied, they return to their usual posts.