New Zealand

DEFENCE Headquarters NZDF

Private Bag 39997,
T +64 (0)4 496 0999
F +64 (0)4 496 0869
FORCE
Te Ope Kii tua. 0 Aotearu.:.a
Wellington Mail Centre
Lower Hutt 5045
E hqnzdf@nzdf.mil.nz
www .nzdf.mil .nz
Wellington , New Zealand

OIA-2019-3685

If December 2019

George Block
Reporter
george.block@stuff.co.nz

Dear Mr Block

I refer to your email of 22 November 2019 , requesting , under the Official Information Act 1982
(OIA) , information relating to chemical spills.

A single centralised record for all of the information requested does not exist. The following
responses to each part of your request provide readily retrievable information from existing
databases. It should therefore be noted that this information may not cross-reference.

A summary of all hazardous chemical spills in all branches of the military from the start of
2015 to date, including the nature of the incident, when/where it happened and its
environmental impact;

The following table provides details of all chemical spills recorded in New Zealand Defence Force
(NZDF) safety reporting systems . These reporting systems do not capture environmental impact,
but the spills are categorised as follows:
Safe area- a hangar, workshop, storage facility or other area that can safely
accommodate a spill with no risk of environmental contamination;
Harbour- a spill that has entered a harbour;
Storm water- a spill that has entered a storm water drain catchment;
Grassl earth -a spill that has occurred on grass or earth;
Public road- a spill that has occurred on a public road;
Unknown -the location of the spill was not specified however it has been assumed to be
in a safe area.

Table One- summary of chemical spills recorded in NZDF

safety reporting systems April2016- November 2019

Safe area Harbour Storm water Grass/earth Public road Unknown Total
Fuel 63 5 4 5 1 9 87
Oil 24 5 2 1 5 37
Hydraulic 17 2 1 20
Detergent 4 1 1 6
Coolant 1 2 3
Ammonia 2 2
Battery acid 1 1
Herbicide 1 1
Paint 1 1
Chlorine 1 1
Mercury 1 1
113 13 8 6 2 18 160

AFORCE FOR
NEW ZEALAND
 2

Note, the centralised capture of safety event data began 1 April 2016 , with the establishment of a
centralised NZDF Directorate of Safety. Accordingly the data provided above in response to your
first question does not reflect spills which occurred prior to this date.

The next table provides a breakdown of the same spills by year and location.

Table Two - chemical spills by year and location

All investigation reports into all hazardous chemical spills at Devonport Naval Base from
2010 to date.

Since 2010, 149 investigation reports have been recorded by Navy Occupational Safety and
Health in relation to chemical spills at Devonport Naval Base (DNB) . Given the number of
reports in scope, as it stands this part of your request is declined in accordance with section 18(f)
of the OIA, as the information requested cannot be made available without substantial collation
or research . A list of investigation reports , as recorded , is enclosed . If there are specific reports
you are interested in , this may assist in refining this part of your request.

You have the right, under section 28(3) of the OIA , to ask an Ombudsman to review this
response to your request.

Yours sincerely

~~
A.J. WOODS
Air Commodore
Chief of Staff HQNZDF

Enclosure:
1. DNB chemical spill investigations since 2010
 Date Incident
Jan-10 Diesel on jetty and film in water
Jan-10 Wharf south outer, spill
Jan-10 Port boat davit- small oil spill into harbour basin
Jan-10 Boiler wharf- oil spi ll into harbour basin, port boat davit
Jan-10 Wharf- waste oil system spills
Feb-10 Crane track spill
Feb-10 High pressure leak sewage treatment plant, chemical contact
Mar-10 Oily engine parts left on wharf
Mar-10 Small leak from pipe test workshop
Mar-10 Residual spill from truck
Mar-10 Toilet cleaner release into sea
Apr-10 Spill 2m from truck
Apr-10 Dry-dock spill 1 sq m from truck
May-10 Potassium Hydroxide, burnt fingers
May-10 Oil into storm water from impregnated parts
May-10 Fuel pump left runn ing, spill starboard
Jun-10 Fuel tanks spill, 2L onto wharf while cleaning
Jul-10 Spill from road tanker to trailer, small amount flowed onto wharf
Jul-10 Oil spill from truck de-fuel, 5L
Jul-10 Gardiquat 1450 splashed in eye
Aug-10 Oil spill from washing valve
Aug-10 Spill during boat test
Aug-10 Oil spill, over filling ballast tank
Sep-10 Flight deck fire test, discharged AFF, washed off deck 800m slick in sea
Oct-10 Gas leak at fleet swimming pool
Oct-10 Spill of hydraulic fluid into sea
Oct-10 Poured water-based paint down drain
Oct-10 Spill, cleaning product flushed in toilet
Oct-10 Spill
Nov-10 Small boat fuelling- spill in bund 5L (filter failure)
Nov-10 Small oil spill 2L from cable truck filling point
Dec-10 Boat davit- hydraulic spill to sea 2L
Mar-11 Leaking oil drum on wharf, no bund
Mar-11 Vessel deck spill- twice- 5 and 6 March
Apr-11 Vessel deck spill
Jun-11 Oil spill, over flowed the tanker. 2-3 litres F76 reached harbour
Jul-11 Fuel spill into drains and sea, 2L
Jul-11 After sewage treatment plant evacuation unit produced small amount of foam onto deck
Nov-11 Vessel multiple sewerage burps
Feb-12 Fuel spill tank surge during fuelling
Feb-12 Vessel sewage treatment plant spill
Feb-12 Oil spill onto waist
Feb-12 Sewage treatment plant sp ill
Feb-12 Oil spill onto waist
Mar-12 Sewage treatment plant spill on upper deck
Mar-12 Oil spill on deck
Jun-12 Oil spill from sucker truck alongside Dry Dock.
Jun-12 Fuel in bilge
Jun-12 Cleaning agent burn to skin
Jul-12 Spill from RHIB fuelling lines near pontoon
Jul-12 Small fuel spill after RHIB refuel
Sep-12 Cooking oil in skip, leaked to sea
Oct-12 Cleaning with caustic soda, beer line burst, spi lled
Oct-12 Oven cleaner in eyes
Oct-12 Sewage treatment plant spill to sea, 250sqm
Oct-12 Fuel spill onto waist and into eyes
Dec-12 Defueling and spray of liquid from pipework on the tank deck seen
Dec-12 Small fuel spill, contained on deck
Jan-13 Release of chlorine in plant room
Feb-13 Spilled 100L boiler fluid
Apr-13 Minor spill into sea alongside wharf
May-13 Minor spill into fuelling tanker bay
Oct-13 Oil spill into the basin from wharf drain
Jan-14 Spill approx. 2L in water and 2-3 on wharf
Mar-14 Building rain water entering waste tank
May-14 Vegetable oil leaking from a waste skip
Jun-14 20L AVCAT (fuel for naval helicopter) spilled during refuelling, 5L onto wharf
Jul-14 Small fuel spill, blocked hose
Jul-14 Truck leaked hydraulic oil in the Dry Dock line
Jul-14 Small fuel spill onto starboard waste
Aug-14 Large discharge of Dry Dock rust coloured water to sea
Oct-14 Minor fuel spill
Nov-14 300L discharge from equalisation tank, hatch door left open post an inspection
Nov-14 Spill during bunkering operation and overflow observed
Nov-14 Splashed sulphuric acid reagent onto face and neck
Feb-15 500L spill from waste water tank
Aug-15 Takapu fuel leak, 5L diesel into harbour basin
Sep-15 Hydraulic oil spill 20L
Oct-15 Repeat oil spill inside compound, same drum leaked to road
Oct-15 Oil spill at side of road
Nov-15 Contractor overflow spilled 40L oil water
Mar-16 Minor diesel spill while refuelling
Mar-16 During docking an oil spill occurred . No oil spilt in sea
Apr-16 Oil spill
Apr-16 Oil spill
Apr-16 Spill contained and cleaned up
May-16 Diesel spillage
Jun-16 Sewage treatment plant spill onto flight deck
Jun-16 AVCAT fuel spill on the quarter deck
Jun-16 Small spill from refuelling
Jul-16 Minor oil spill from motor vehicle
Aug-16 Outer- small oil spill from fuelling bellows
Sep-16 Approx 20L fuel spilled onto deck as retrieving probe from vessel housing
Sep-16 Oil Spill identified in carpark
Jan-17 Cleaning product in the eyes
Mar-17 Chilled water coolant spillage under pressure, containing corrosion inhibitor
Mar-17 Oil spill into harbour basin
Mar-17 Canola oil spill
Mar-17 Discharging offuel tanks from vessel to other containers done inside electrical workshop
Apr-17 Fuel leaks from over pressure in expansion bellows
Apr-17 Eye injury while cleaning accommodation toilet bowl
Apr-17 Dry Dock portside hydraulic oil spill
Apr-17 Corrosive cleaning chemical on hand
May-17 Spill ed hot oil, sm all amount spl ash ed on leg
Jun-17 Hose split on spray unit resulted in chemical spill
Jul-17 Fuel spill on flight deck during helicopter rotors running refuel
Aug-17 Diesel spill from vessel {5L) into harbour basin, fuel dispersed
Aug-17 A valve on the 10KG Halon cylinder popped off, Halon lost to atmosphere
Aug-17 While removing diesel sludge spill 20 litres onto sealed and unsealed areas
Aug-17 Halon gas leak
Sep-17 Halon gas leak
Oct-17 Cleaning product in eye
Oct-17 Fuel spillage near marina
Oct-17 Fuel leaking out of the bilge bung
Oct-17 Halon slow leak
Oct-17 Halon leaking through bursting disc, 35KG lost
Nov-17 Fuel Leakage from 20L fuel container stowed on cargo deck
Nov-17 AFFF released from port foam monitor onto deck
Nov-17 10KG Halon discharge
Nov-17 Nitrogen bottle dropped, causing small leak
Jan-18 Crane hydraulic oil spill occurred on wharf
Jan-18 A water fuel/oil mix was accidently discharged from the RHIB bilge pump
Jan-18 Fuel spill from aircraft shutdown on deck
Feb-18 Oil spill from vehicle at wharf
Apr-18 A returned fuel hose from vessel spilled small amount of fuel out onto warehouse floor
Apr-18 Fuel bellow spill
Apr-18 Halon leak
May-18 Small oil spill from deck into water
May-18 Fuel spill on deck, discharge into sea
Jun-18 Hand sanitizer into face/eye region
Jun-18 Oily residue seen on water running into the Dry Dock drain
Jun-18 Petrol spilled in back of van
Jun-18 Incorrect oil embarkation causing an oil spill
Jul-18 1L diesel fuel spill overboard
Jul-18 AVCAT spill reported
Jul-18 Halon leak in store
Jul-18 Spilled hydraulic fluid which leaked out of a starboard scupper
Aug-18 Container bunding pallet spilled onto tarmac near drain in alleyway
Oct-18 Overfilled diesel fuel tank on ride on mower
Oct-18 Whilst changing water sensor on helicopter fuelling system covered in fuel spray
Oct-18 Fuel discharge in generator room resulting in diesel fuel being sprayed
Nov-18 Acetylene leak
May-19 Hydraulic oil spill
May-19 Oil spill contained on board vessel
Aug-19 paint spill at building contained and cleaned accordingly
Sep-19 Remnant oil spill heading towards carpark stormwater drain
Sep-19 Small spill of hydraulic fluid at main gate, a hose burst on hired plant
Oct-19 Small spill while refuelling
Oct-19 Truck anti-freeze spill