Crucial Information To Share Reporting an Oil Spill

Reporting an oil spill is always necessary, regardless of how small or large the leakage. It only takes a short period of time before a hazardous substance has terrible effects on the wildlife, ecosystems, and people. When contacting a government response spill center, the representatives will ask you questions in an effort to gather as much information about the spill as possible. Crucial details you must have ready when reporting a spill are listed below:

• Your first and last name
• Location of the spill
• Name or description of the party who caused the accident (such as truck number, name of vessel, etc)
• Date and time of incident
• Type of material spilled
• Cause of spill
• Quantity of hazardous material released
• Number of injuries or fatalities (if present)
• Other agencies that were notified or that you plan to contact
• Other details that assist emergency personnel in handling the spill scene
• Whether there has been an evacuation of the area
• Weather conditions at the oil spill location
• Threats or dangers posed by the release

Oil spills present numerous risks to animals both in water and on land. Wildlife that may absorb or ingest the oil and suffer from it include sea lions, seals, sea otters, river otters, whales, porpoises, manatees, beavers, ducks, walruses, polar bears, and much more.

Anyone who witnesses an oil spill or accidentally commits one themselves must contact the appropriate authorities and professional clean up company so they can attend to the matter immediately.

As the oil spill cleanup crew at Nielsen Environmental agrees with, oil spills are devastating incidents that should always be taken seriously. In the event of an oil spill, witnesses must respond with due diligence and a sense of urgency.