General Overview

In discussing this topic, I have had to think long and consult many books and journals and have
finally decided to approach it in its broadest sense and then narrow it down to the area that is
most relevant to us - on and off the job.

When we mention the word environment, we immediately look around us. Is it clean? e.t.c. I on
the other hand think of the statement, 'our entire existence- how and where we live' because of
the impact these have on lives within and outside us, our whole being .

So, we will look at the environment, its functionality, and its importance, characteristics and how
it affects our lives. In doing this, my objective is that we will appreciate our environmental
resources and understand the complex interrelationship of the systems and see how best to
manage environmental issues, by simply appreciating how we the 'small picture contribute to the
'big picture'. 'Daa woo, Dae woo'. Think globally and act locally.

The course is also designed to help you appreciate the importance of environment and other
related issues such as sustainable development to your activities at work, and prepare you for
the integration of the Environmental Management System and ISO 14000 programmes which will
soon start in your company.

You will identify your environmental interfaces, your roles and responsibilities as well as the legal
and administrate framework surrounding environmental management issues.

Open your mind, ask questions and enjoy the session. I sincerely wish you a nice session and hope
to see you some other times.

Thank you.

'Biyi Adeosun
Consultant
Paradigm Environmental System Consultants
Introduction to Environment

Environment and Industrialization – The Relationship

Following the Second World War, the world experienced what is generally tagged “Industrial
Revolution “. Energy became the most sought after commodity. The benchmark for determining
the level of development of a country was how much energy the country could consume as
reflected in how many industries it could boast of. This trend became especially notorious in the
60s / 70s with the discovery of Crude Oil.
Unknowned to man, in a bid to drive development by consuming energy, he was on a collision
course with the environment. To achieve a balance between development through
industrialization and environmental sustenance, it has become imperative for industries to take a
closer look inwards at what they do and how it impacts on the environment.

What is Environment?
Simply put, Environment is the circumstance, condition and influence under which a system
exists. However, the word is widely used. Yes sometimes confused and we think of cleanliness.
Cleanliness has to do with habitat. Habitat is a locality, in which a community of plant or animal
lives and grows.
The surroundings in which an organisation operates including air, water, land, natural resources,
flora, fauna, humans and their interrelations.
This is the milieu in which we live. The body or mass of everything that is around us, be it
physical, social, economic or cultural. It all revolves around RESOURCE! It can be simply classified
as:
 Resources (Physical, Functional or Biological))
 Users of Resources (Social)
 Use of resources (Economic)
It can be further broken down into
A. Physical consisting of:
- Air
- Water
- Soil
- Ground water
- Temperature Often referred to as natural
- Nuisances - Odour environment
- Radiation
B. Biological consisting of:
- Flora (Plants)
- Fauna (Animals)
C. Social/Cultural
- Population
- Culture
- Anthropology
- Religion
- Education Often referred to as human environment
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D Economic
- Economic
- Lifestyle

Environment as a System
All components of the environment work together towards the common goal of maintaining a
dynamic equilibrium. All things in the environment are in perfect undisturbed state of
equilibrium. Our health and ultimate survival depends on how far this equilibrium is maintained.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Several Industrial accidents have occurred over the years that have focused our attention on the
environment. Suddenly we came to the realization that if such accidents are frequent and
recurrent, the fragile equilibrium on which our very existence depends will be threatened. What
are these accidents?
 Amoco Cadiz
 Soveso
 Bhopal
 Chenobyl
 Exxon Valdez
MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN NIGERIA AND THEIR IMPACTS
Human Activity
 Over population overcrowding, disease, poverty, poor nutrition
 Poor water supply water borne disease
 Poor waste disposal diseases
 Industrialisation air and water pollution

Industrial Activity Impact

 Air pollution global warning and acidification
 Water pollution fisheries depletion, groundwater
 Land pollution surface/groundwater pollution
 Waste management contamination, methane explosion
 Drought depletion of land and plant
 Flooding and Erosion land degradation
 Coastal erosion landslide
 Deforestation loss of erosion

Global Environmental Issues

Effects of natural and human’s activities on the environment are usually felt globally. The global
environmental issues include
 Climate change
 Ozone layer depletion
 Deforestation
 Biodiversity loss
 Use (misuse) of non-renewable resources

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In the past, the environmental cost of doing business was borne by the environment. Then, the
commercial environment was leaky to environmental cost. However, in view of the prevalent
global environmental issues, natural/social environment is reflecting the environmental cost of
doing business back to business.

Environmental Aspects, Impact and Effects

What is an Environmental Aspect?
It is any activity, product or service of an organization that has the potential to interact with the
environment thus causing a noticeable or measurable change to it.

Types of Environmental Aspects.

Environmental Aspects are Direct or Indirect
Direct Environmental Aspects: These are activities, products or services resulting from facilities
under direct control of an organization.
Indirect Environmental Aspects: Activities, products or services resulting from facilities under the
influence, but not direct control, of an organization.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS E & P ORGANIZATIONS

Oil Exploration and Production activities life cycle includes:
 Geophysical
 Seismic
 Exploration
 Development
 Production
 Decommissioning

Aspects can be considered as a consequence of:

• Normal operating conditions
• Abnormal operating conditions
• Incidents, accidents and potential emergencies
• Past, current and planned activities

For oil and gas operations they include the following:

• Air emissions- Flaring. Venting and Hydrocarbon Gas leakage
• Discharges to water-Aqueous Effluent/Oily Water Discharge
• Solid and other wastes-Drilling mud and Chemicals/Hazardous Wastes
• Land and groundwater contamination – Oil Spillage
• Use of natural resources-Land Use and Degradation
• Water management
• Noise and vibration
• Effects on ecosystems
• Social impacts

Evaluation of Environmental Aspects

The determination of significant environmental aspects is a three step process whereby we;
1. Identify the aspect.
2. Assess the data available on the environmental impact of the aspect.
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 3. Evaluate the significance of the impact from the aspect.
The boundaries between the three-step process may become blurred for some aspects,
particularly between steps 2 and 3. This is not important. What is important is the ability to
demonstrate a clear rationale and logic in determining the significance of an aspect.

Identification of Environmental Aspects

We can identify an aspect through many sources of documentation including:
• Environmental Impact Assessment;
• Internal and external audit reports;
• External communications, such as complaints or inquiries;
• Internal incident reports and corrective action reports;
• Environmental baseline reports;
• Environmental Evaluation Report;
• Environmental studies associated with Field Development Plans;
Environmental Impacts
Everything we do impact on the environment. From the highly energy intensive industrial
activities like dredging and drilling to the individual and natural impact. The extent of impact or
prolong impact that leads to effect is dependent on the level of energy exerted.

Any change to the environment, positive or negative, wholly or partially, resulting from an
organization’s activities, products or services. The impact of E & P activities on the environment
can be:
 Temporary or permanent
 Acute or Chronic
 Short term or Long term
 Positive or Negative
 Beneficial or Adverse

Significant Aspects
A significant Environmental Aspect is an environmental aspect that has or can have a significant
environmental impact.
When does it become significant?
 When it poses a risk to the environment
 There is a law concerning it
 Communities are worried about it
 Affects reputation
 There’s a better technology to do it
 There is insufficient information on it

Aspects vs. Impacts for E & P organizations

Aspects Impacts
Geological survey
Seismic - loss of biodiversity
Exploration
Well drilling - air pollution
Chemicals - water/ groundwater pollution
Production
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 Pipe laying - land pollution
Flaring - thermal pollution
Transportation
Refining - socio-economic/health
Decommissioning

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATIONS

In a bid to curb environmental damage, responsible governments around the globe have enacted
laws to restrict or restrain, as applicable, industrial activities from impacting negatively on the
environment.
In Nigeria, there have been various attempts by the federal government to enact legislations for
the protection of the environment. There have been increasing regulations and legislation on the
environment. This upsurge was accentuated by the worsening of the environment brought about
by the oil boom of the 70s and rapid industrial development which accompanied it.

List of Environmental Regulatory Agencies

1. Federal Ministry of Environment
2. The Department of Petroleum Resources
3. State Environmental Protection Agencies
4. Local Government Environmental Protection Agencies
5. International Conventions

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF REGULATORY AGENCIES

Federal Ministry of Environment
 Specification and enforcement of environmental standards
 Regulation of industrial effluent discharges
 Review and approval of EIAs submitted

Department of Petroleum Resources

 Licensing authority with regards to E & P operations
 Responsible for the enforcement of environmental legislation for E & P operations
In pursuance of success in executing their roles and responsibilities, DPR has enacted specific
standards and guidelines for the petroleum industry. These requirements are documented in DPRs
Environmental Guidelines and Standards for the Petroleum Industry (EGASPIN)

DPRs Specific Standards

Production
-No discharge to Environment without permission
-Set Limits for all Effluent Discharges
-Set Limit for Noise, Heat, Radiation and Smoke for Flare gas.
-Noise- 80Db
-Heat-6.31kw/m2
- Smoke- 60% light transmission
- Monitoring Oily waste
- Gaseous emissions
- Monitoring of PH, THC & Metal concentration
-Monitoring of all recipient environment when waste is discharged.

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Considerations for Regulatory Compliance
The benefits from complying are the driving force for regulatory compliance. They include:
- Assets integrity
- Risk and liabilities reduction
- Cost reduction
- Improved environmental condition
Other regulatory compliance drivers, mainly internal are:
- Company Policy
- Company Reputation
- Good Performance
- Industry Benchmark

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT TOOLS

To successfully manage the likely environmental impacts that could arise from our various
aspects, it is necessary that we apply certain principles and procedures, which we shall hitherto
refer to as environmental management tools. Interestingly, some of these tools are also included
as requirements by the relevant regulatory agencies for successful operation of the E & P and
other industrial concerns.

Basically, for the purpose of this training, three of these tools will be discussed.

Environmental Impact Assessment (E.I.A.)

This is the assessment of likely environmental effect of a proposed project, activity or action on
the natural or human environment. The systemic approach of identifying, describing,
management of hazards and effects of operations on the natural and social environment. This
makes E.I.A. anticipatory and participatory decision-making tools.

Why Environmental impact Assessment?

 To identify positive and adverse impact
 To determine acceptable level of environmental change
 To support public disclosure and engagement process
 To meet environmental standards and to minimize adverse effect
 To define environmental management objectives

Types of Environmental Assessments

 Environmental Impact assessment
 Environmental Baseline Studies
 Sea Bed Survey
 Environmental Evaluation studies/Environmental Audit

Other than for the purpose of complying with regulatory requirements, EPNL has additional
reasons for conducting an EIA
 World Bank Guideline on EIA
 International Union for conservation of nature standards
 EPNL corporate policy on protecting people and the environment.

Projects / Activities requiring EIA

 All seismic operations
 Oil and Gas field developments
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  Development of well drilling
 Construction of oil production tankfarm/terminal.
 Laying of oil and gas delivery line, flowline/pipeline
 Construction of waste treatment plant
 Incineration process/ Engineered Sanitary Landfill

EIA Process
Before commencing an EIA project, these information will be required, as they will become
inputs into the final EIA report.
1. Existing Environmental Conditions
2. Project description
3. Project alternatives
4. Significant Environmental Effects
5. Mitigation Measures [including monitoring]

EIA Process – Steps

The following steps are necessary for a thorough and professional Environmental Impact
Assessment study
1. Consideration for project Alternatives
2. Design of selected proposal
3. Scoping of topics to be covered
4. Fieldwork, Sampling and Analysis
5. E.I.A. Reporting
6. Report Review for Adequacy and Accuracy
7. Decision making
8. Monitoring and Control
9. Mitigation
Please note that at every step of the EIA process, consultation is essential. Following the
submission of the preliminary EIA report to the relevant authorities for review, a public forum
involving all stakeholders in the intended project must be held. The purpose of the public forum
is to access extent of acceptability for the intended project and ensures buy – in by all
stakeholders.
What are the Benefits of an E.I.A?
Organizations that conduct an E.I.A. will among other benefits, gain the following:
1. Reduce current and future risks and liabilities.
2. Ensure awareness and acceptance of process by all stakeholders
3. Regulatory compliance
4. Avoid delays and uncertainty
5. Enhance credibility through the engagement of stakeholders
6. Involve third party and promote public trust
7. Optimize project design and planning

Environmental Auditing
Environmental Audit is a procedure applied in determining the extent to which a facility meets its
environmental objectives.

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Environmental Audit is an integral part of an Environmental Management System whereby
management determines whether the organization’s environmental control systems are adequate
to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. An environmental audit is equivalent to any
other audit a firm may conduct e.g. Financial Audit

With the use of an EA, an organisation can compare it’s past performance with it’s current and
potential future ability to meet specific environmental objectives.

Audit stages:
There are three stages involved in a successful environmental audit
 Pre audit
 Audit
 Post audit

Essential Elements of an Effective Audit Program

1. Top management support and commitment
2. Auditing Function independent of the audited activities
3. Simple and manageable audit process
4. Appropriately trained audit staff
5. A standardized approach
6. Specific audit objectives, scope, resources, frequency e.t.c.
7. Sensitivity to confidentiality.

Why Audit
There are myriads of sound business reasons for conducting environmental audit of a facility or
program. This include:
Management Tool: To appraise environmental compliance
Risk Management Tool: To improve risk management system by reducing environmental
liabilities
Bottom Line Tool: To reduce / eliminate non-compliance conditions and fines
Training Tool: To increase overall level of environmental awareness

Environmental Management System

An Environmental Management System is define as an organization’s structure of responsibilities
and policies, Practices, procedures, processes and resources for the protection of environmental
management issues.

An EMS is a way of working which enables the organisation to control the environmental effects of
operations and improve its environmental performance

The EMS is structured around the “continual improvement” cycle of Plan, Do, Check and Review.

PLAN - Decide what needs to be done

DO - Put in place an action program for achieving it
CHECK - Confirm that implementation is achieving the plan
IMPROVE- Re-examine progress and change the plan if needed

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Essential Elements of an EMS
1. Demonstrable Management Leadership
2. Policy and Strategic Objectives
3. Organisation and Responsibilities
4. Hazards and Effects Management Process
5. Standards, Procedures and Document Control
6. Implementation, Monitoring and Corrective Action.
7. Training
8. Audit

EMS and ISO 14000

ISO stands for Internationale Standard de Organisation

The ISO sets standard for management system in various business disciplines such as quality and
environment. ISO 14001 establishes the required standard of a management system to ensure
continuous improvement in environmental performance

ISO 14001 is a system to control and reduce environmental impacts. Organizations with an
existing EMS may seek ISO certification from any of these accredited external agencies
 KPMG
 Lloyd

The certification process itself entails the following

- Initial assessment
- Final assessment
- Issue of certificate
- Surveillance contract
It is important to note that ISO certification is not a regulatory requirement, at least not at the
moment. So why bother about ISO, why external certification?
1. It serves as a reassurance to stakeholders that you are dedicated to upholding your
environmental policy
2. It helps in risk reduction

Other benefits include

1. Improvement in environmental performance
2. There is enhanced competence development
3. Excellence in operations
4. Energy consumption reduction
5. Stakeholders relationship improvement
6. Cost savings

Summarily, ISO means------

- Be aware of environmental aspects of your work
- Be in control of your environmental aspects
- Be responsible and act wisely
- Manage your work to reduce impacts
- Improve your performance

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Remember, ISO is a means to an end not an end in itself. Organizations must be seen to produce
real performance improvements in aspects that their stakeholders regard as important.

5 BIG ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

We have discussed environmental aspects and analyzed how these impacts on the environment, in
this session we shall x-ray 5 of those environmental issues that are of particular interest to the E
& P business as their negative environmental impacts are assuming proportionate level.

The 5 big issues in question are: Air pollution / Flaring; Produced water / Aqueous effluent; Oil
spill; Hazardous materials and chemicals and Waste Management

Air Emissions
Air Pollutants are gaseous emissions that can cause undesirable modification of atmospheric
constituent, which may have harmful effects on Flora, Fauna or Materials.
Pollutants from E & P Activities
♦ Hydrocarbons
♦ Methane
♦ Non-methane hydrocarbons
♦ Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)
♦ Nitrogen Oxides
♦ Carbon Oxides (Carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide)
♦ Particulate
Impacts of Air Pollutants
 Carbon dioxide traps radiation rays in the atmosphere, this heat up the Environment resulting
into Global warming. Other gases like Sulphur dioxide which also have this effect are termed
Green house gases.
 Air pollutants can cause negative impacts on Human health. Carbon monoxide reduces the
oxygen carrying capacity of blood, impairs mental function and aggravates cardiovascular
disease. A large number of Volatile Organic Carbon compunds are carcinogenic.
 Sulphur oxides and Nitrogen oxides when oxidized and hydrolyzed results into acid rain.
 Sulphur dioxide is known to reduce atmospheric visibility and damages plants.

Climate Change and Global Warming

 Greenhouse gases trap heat from the sun that is normally reflected back into space from the
Earth's surface, thus acting like glass panels, which let light in and keep heat inside.
 Without greenhouse gases the World would be a lot colder, but recently levels of some
greenhouse gases have begun to increase. The increase of greenhouse gases and global
climate change are partly associated with each other, which could have detrimental effects
such as rising sea levels and extinction of species that cannot cope with the change.
Sources of Air Pollution
• Drilling Emission Sources
• Flaring, well tests, flowbacks
• Pits
• Controlled Combustion Sources
• Pits and Ditches
• Equipment Leaks
• Floating Roof Tanks (Rim seals and other Fittings)
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 • Fugitive Emissions
• Tank cleaning
• Vapor displaced from Oil tanker vessels
Regulatory Requirements on Air Emissions
Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)
 Prescribe Emission Limits that represents the maximum allowable levels of pollutants from
gaseous emission sources.
 Part 3, section 3.8.8.1 of the DPR Guidelines and Standards stipulates that Waiver and permit
be obtained for gas flaring and also the payment of fine for flaring Gas. The section further
mandates that only pretreated and clean gas can be flared.
 Part3, section 4.4.2, stipulates the development of emission inventory, sampling and
laboratory analysis of ambient air around Flare sites and Production facilities for the
following- Particulate, Hydrogen Sulphide, Ozone and Volatile Organic Compounds

Best Practices to Manage Air Pollution

Gas Flaring/Venting Emission
 Gas Recovery Preferable if high value products are obtainable
 Liquefied Petroleum Gas obtained by refrigeration is the most common Gas Recovery Product.

Emissions from Pits and Ditches

 Eliminate pits and ditches and replace with tanks and pipes.
 Cover pits and ditches.

Combustion Sources
 Optimize Equipment Performance
 Reduce excess oxygen
 Install Retrofit Controls
 Particulate collection from flue gas using:
 Electrostatic Precipitator

Produced Water
For as long as oil is produced, water must be produced along with it. The associated water that
comes with produced crude is referred to as “produced water”.
Oil and gas reservoirs may contain significant quantities of water, which is separated from the
well stream fluids following extraction – volumes tend to increase with reservoir life
The separated produced water is typically discharged overboard following treatment or it is re-
injected into the reservoir. Re-injection may reduce environmental impact (depending on where
the water is re-injected.
Since oil production is a daily event, discharged of produced water into natural water bodies
must also be a daily occurrence thus making ‘produced water’ the main source of oily water.

Regulatory Standards for discharge

In a bid to eliminate the negative impact produced water poses to the marine/aquatic ecosystem,
DPR requires that produced water must be treated before disposal

The DPR standards

In the past
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  Oil in water< 10ppm for inland disposal
 Oil in water< 0ppm for offshore disposal
Current
 Oil in water- zero discharge inland
 Oil in water- 10ppm to zero

Potential Effects of Produced water

The effects from produced water are usually localized ( within 200m of discharge ) but can
include:
- Bioaccumulation and ‘tainting’ of fish due to BTEX and PAH compounds
- Persistence and accumulation in sediments and seabed communities
Treatment Techniques
The techniques employed in the treatment of produced water before discharge overboard
includes but not limited to
 Gravity separation
 Gas separation
 Gas flotation
 Hydocyclones
 Advanced treatment technologies

Oil Spill

An oil spill is simply the loss of oil from its primary containment and the subsequent polluting of
the environment by the escaped oil. The primary containment for oil includes pipelines,
flowlines, tanks and separators while the secondary containment include saverpits and bundwall.

Contaminated environment
The release of oil from its containment leads to environmental pollution. The contaminated
environmental media include air, surface water, groundwater and land. The contaminated
resources as a result of the spill will include soil, inland water, farmlands, swamps, mangroves,
fishing grounds, tourist sites, archeological sites and the open seas.

REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS
The release of oil into the environment is regulated by governmental agencies. These
governmental agencies include the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the FME.
The regulatory requirements by the agencies include the followings:
1. Prevention of oil spill through pipeline corrosion prevention and intelligent pigging.
2. Development and documentation of an oil spill response plan and procedures.
3. Statutory reporting of oil spill to the DPR and the Federal Ministry of Environment
within 48 hours of incidents.
4. Activation of oil spill response planning through trainings and drills.
5. Stockpiling of a minimum quantity of oil spill response equipment and materials.
6. Restoration of polluted sites, clean-up and remediation.

The Tiered Spill Response and the National Oil Spill Response Plan
The oil industry in Nigeria has developed an industry wide oil spill response plan depending on the
size of the spill and the proximity (location).

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 Tier 1: Referred to as a minor spill, this is a spill that is less than 100bbls and occurring
within the operator’s premises. The operator using in-house spill responders and
resources contains this spill
Tier 2: Referred to as a medium spill, this is a spill that is greater than 100bbls but less
than 500bbls and occurring within the operator’s premises but flowing beyond the
operator’s field. This spill is contained by using industry-wide spill response initiative.
The other operator’s pool resources, human and material to contain the spill.
Tier 3: This is a major spill with the releases of more than 1,000bbls of oil into the
environment. The spill response requires the activation of the National Oil Spill
Contingency Plan. The operator alerts the relevant regulatory agency and the National
Commander of the NOSDRA invite international companies like Oil Spill Responders
Limited UK who mobilizes for response immediately.

SOURCES AND CAUSES OF OIL SPILL

Sources of Oil Spill
There are several sources of oil spill pollution. Oil can be spilled during exploration and
production activities. The sources of oil spill are namely:

 Equipment failure
– Pipeline rupture,
– Damage to hull,
– Tank failure,
– Blow out
– Tanker accident
– Fire
– Leakages…
 Human errors
– Failure of operators to follow standard operating procedures (SOP) and
violation,
– Wrong attitude
– Carelessness
– Ignorance
 Intentional discharges- This is often carried out for the purpose of
– Pressure relief
– Safety of equipment
– Safety of people
 Operational upset - Start up and shut down procedures

 Sabotage- This is a deliberate action that is human induced with the intention of
– Theft of equipment
– Theft of product
– Compensation claim

Cost of Oil Spill

The cost of an oil spill can be divided into two main headings: Financial cost to the company and
economic loss to the environment
 Financial Cost
- Cost of oil lost
- Cost of equipment loss or damaged
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 - Cost of oil deferred
- Cost of clean-up
- Cost of compensation
- Legal cost
- Medical cost
- Cost of remediation and replacement of damaged resources
Economic cost
- Loss of Revenue to Government
- Loss of income - fishermen, farmer, tourism
- Loss of sensitive biodiversity ecosystem
- Loss of life and productivity
- Impact on socio-economics
- Loss of aesthetic and impact on resource value
FATE AND EFFECT OF OIL SPILL
Key Considerations
The considerations for oil spill are based on the properties of oil as a chemical which includes:
a. Toxicity
b. Biodegrabilility/Persistence
c. Bioaccumulation and tainting
d. Social consideration

Fate of Oil
The fate of oil in the environment is the pathway of pollution. It is a factor of both pollutants,
the environment and other physical factors such as climate and hydrology. When oil is released
into the environment the following process occur
1. Evaporation of light fractions
2. Dissolution
3. Dispersion on seas
4. Spreading on land
5. Emulsification of oil
6. Sedimentation
7. Absorption and adsorption
8. Bio-uptake, biodegradation and bioaccumulation
Impact/Effect of Oil Spill
Environmental Impact
The environmental impact of oil includes:
1. Introduces toxic substance into soil and water environment
2. Smothering of bird and mammals.
3. Long term effect such as bio-accumulation in the food chain may result
4. Water/Groundwater Contamination.
5. Contaminates the plumage of bird.
6. Since two third of oxygen supply to the earth is from plants, the spill of oil
could lead to reduction in oxygen generation
Socio-economic Impact
1. Loss of revenue/income for fishermen, tourism worker e.t.c.
2. Loss of value due to poor aesthetic community.
3. Contamination of water bodies renders water non-usable to meet needs.
4. Oil spill lead to social unrest and agitation by spill affected communities
Health Impact
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 The health impact of oil could be as a result of inhalation, absorption through the
skin, eye irritation and ingestion/swallowing.

OIL SPILL PREVENTION

The management of oil spill can be categorized into four main headings:
Elimination of contamination
 Use of tight shut off valves

 Where practical weld rather than use flanges connections

Prevention of contamination
o Install ESDV
o Install Leak detection system
o Carry out surveillance exercises
Minimisation of contamination
Use liquid seals
Minimise number of pipework connections
Contain at source
Carry out regular drill and trainings

Minimization of impact
 Clean Up spill
 Provide surrogate materials for affected community
 Communicate

Safe Handling of Chemicals

Chemical hazards are characterized by the nature of the causative chemicals, and they can be
grouped as shown below:
1. Toxic Chemicals
These are poisonous or toxin producing substances. They are capable of causing
physiological disorders in humans when taken in low does and sometimes lead to
death when the maximum permissible body dosage is reached or exceed.
2. Flammable chemicals
These are chemical substances that easily catch fire in the presence of naked light
or when their ignition temperature are reached. Some chemicals (e.g ether) are
more flammable than others (e.g benzene) as this depends on the temperature at
which they give rise to ignitable vapour, (flash point).
3. Corrosive Chemicals
A corrosive chemical is a highly reactive substance. It destroys the skin when in
contact with it, causing severe burns. It destroys clothing and other materials it
comes in contact with. It enhances the process of corrosion of metals.

Examples of dangerous chemicals, which should never be mouth pipetted, are

(i) All organic solutions and suspect ions of micro organism
(ii) Conc. acids, strong bases and corrosive chemicals
(iii) Solutions of radio active substances
(iv) All volatile liquids including petroleum products, pyridine Toulene, Benzene
etc.
4. Oxidizing substances
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 When these substances come in contact with other substances, they give rise to a
highly exothermic reaction, which may be violent.
Examples are: - Fuming acid, potassium chlorate, liquid oxygen etc.
5. Explosive/unstable substances
These are substances that are dangerously unstable. They react easily and
explosively with other substances e.g. air or water under unfavorably conditions.
They should be used in small qualities, and handled with utmost care. Examples are
acetylene, acetyl ides, chlorides of aluminum; silicon and titanium, Nitrogen halide,
nitro-compounds, picric acid and pirates, dinitrobenzene and azides esp. silver
aside; hydrogen peroxide and benzoyl peroxide.
6. Irritant substances
These are substances that cause an inflammation of the skin or the lung or the
alimentary canal. Examples include phenols and potassium dichromate, phosphorus
and arsenic compounds, and some fumes.
7. Radioactive substances
Radioactive substances are materials, which emit dangerous particles from their
unstable nuclei. A body that is hit by these particles is said to be irradiated.
Radioactive emissions are responsible for a lot of damage to human tissues such as
the blood cells and reproductive organs; and are capable of causing blood and other
tissue cancer.
8. Carcinogenic Chemicals
These are dangerous substances capable of causing somatic cancer in animal tissues
Examples are aflatoxin, nitrosamine aromatic amines etc

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD OF CHEMICALS

The environmental hazards indicate the degree of potential hazard due to
1. Toxicity,
2. Biodegradability or
3. Bioaccumulation/tainting.

(a) Toxicity
Toxicity is expressed using standard phrases;
i. Extremely toxic.
ii. Highly toxic
iii. Moderately toxic
iv. Slighty toxic
v. Practically non-toxic
vi. Insignificantly toxic

(b) Biodegradability:
The biodegradability rating reflects the results of standardised tests in which the
degradation of the compound is measured over a period of 28 days and can be
classified into 2 categories;
(i) Not readily biodegradable
(ii) Readily biodegradable
For readily biodegradable compounds, which biodegrade aerobically within a few
days, an additional warning ‘May cause oxygen depletion’ is added.
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(c) Bioaccumulation/tainting:
Bioaccumulation of chemicals involves the uptake by organism at a rate exceeding
metabolic breakdown or excretion. It results in concentrations in the organism
exceeding those in the environment and possibly toxic to the organism or its
predators.

Bioaccumulation of chemicals which have an unpleasant flavour, even if only at low

concentrations, may lead to tainting and spoiling of the taste of organism consumed
by humans.

The standard phrases used for rating are;

i. High bioaccumulation potential
ii. Moderate bioaccumulation potential.
iii. May cause tainting.

ENVIRONMENTAL PRECAUTIONS.
These are measures taken to protect the environmental and are classed as follows:
 Prevent and minimise contamination of soil and ground water.
 Avoid gross contamination of soil and ground water.
 Minimise contamination of surface water.

DISPOSAL OPTIONS
Disposal options should take into consideration, the following factors;
 Physical and chemical properties of the chemical.
 Environmental precautions.
 Normal practices
 Suppliers disposal advice when available
 Regulatory requirement

Disposal options are

i. Encapsulation with solidifiers
ii. Dispose of at sea
iii. Flush into drain with excess water
iv. Incinerate
v. Transfer to safe, open, place, burn/evaporate
vi. Down hole injection
vii. Dispose of at (controlled) landfill site
viii. Land treatment
ix. Recycle or reuse prior to disposal, neutralisation may be necessary

DISSEMINATION
MSDS data are to be made available in two ways:
i. A set of hard copy laminated information sheets that cover all those
chemicals that are being used at a given location. Maintenance/update of the hard
copy manual is available from the Site Environmental Officer.
ii. Density: Concentration of matter, measured by the mass per unit volume.

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Waste Management
An unavoidable material resulting from an activity, which has no immediate economic demand
but must be disposed or an unwanted product, which must be managed from "cradle to grave"
Waste is a material that is unwanted at its present location; that is no longer useful for its
original purpose; that has been disposed, discarded, rejected or any combination thereof.

Why manage waste?

Waste in whatever form it may arise represents an imperfect utilization of raw materials, fuel
and water, hence financial loss for somebody, which could cause environmental pollution as a
result of its discharged into the environment.
EPNL as a responsible organization has obligation for the management of waste arising from her
operations.

EPNL is required by regulations to minimize the impact of its operation on the environment by
managing all waste arising from her operations before they are discharged into the environment.
The Federal Ministry of Environment enforces the Polluters Pay principle by awarding fines and
sanctions for violations.

EPNL also has a “duty of care” to ensure

1. Proper Waste management
2. Application of Best Available Technology (BAT)
3. Responsibility extended to final disposal
4. Assess, record, track and report waste

EPNL also have the responsibility of treatment of waste and due-diligence of responsible disposal.

Waste Categories
Waste can generally be categorized on the bases of their
 Physical form: solid, liquid (effluent) or gaseous.
 Nature/chemical properties or
 Source/origin
 Legal definition

On the basis of the properties we have two broad categories namely;

i. Hazardous and
ii. Non-hazardous wastes

Hazardous wastes are materials with potential to damage man or environment, when improperly
handled, stored, transported or disposed. Examples of hazardous waste in E & P industry include:
Medical waste
Radioactive waste
Sewage/sludge
Drill cuttings and spent muds

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 Medical wastes are referred to as special waste because of their pathogenic properties. This
special kind of waste includes syringe, needles, used cotton wools and buds, drugs, human parts
such as incised skin… Examples of hazardous waste in EPNL operations include:
a. Spent Mud
b. Incinerated medical ash
c. Batteries- Lead and Ni/Cd
d. Obsolete chemical
e. Organic acid and bases
f. Organic solvent Oily sludge
g. Drill cutting and muds
h. Paints
i. Sewage/sludge
j. Thinners

Non hazardous waste are generally classified as

Industrial
1. Light bulbs
2. Construction debris
3. Furniture
4. Bottles
5. Packaging materials
6. Plastics
Domestic
1. Garden waste
2. Kitchen waste (food)
3. Metal cans
4. Packaging materials
5. Plastics

Office
1. Glass
2. Kitchen waste (food)
3. Packaging materials
4. Paper
5. Plastic
6. Printer toner

Why Classify Waste

Wastes must be classified because
1. Presenting hazard need to be identified & handled accordingly e.g. medical wastes
2.
Identification allows clear priorities to be set for waste management
3.
Classification is a pre-requisite for segregation

WASTE MANAGEMENT
3.1 Principle of Waste management

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 Inventorization:
1. Cataloguing of all wastes, types, quantities sources…
2. Gives a quick insight on the magnitude of the waste problem at hand.
Characterization:
1. Checking physico-chemical and toxicological properties.
Segregation:
1. Selective separation of wastes.
2. Makes for optimisation of recovery of waste streams.

Minimisation:

The 6R’s of Waste Management

Refuse - reject waste or change lifestyle like product take back scheme e.g. drums and
cement bags
Reduce - generate less waste through more efficient practices - horizontal wells
Re-use - reuse materials in their original form - drilling mud
Recycle - convert waste back into a usable form - lead acid batteries
Recover - extract material or energy from waste for other uses – compost
Render harmless before disposal
Treatment/Disposal:

Render harmless e.g. Physical/Biological treatment before disposal

WASTE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL

Waste Treatment
In order to minimize the environmental impact of waste discharged, waste must be treated
appropriately before disposal. The waste must be treated to regulatory limits e.g. produced
water must be treated to 0.1 mg/liter and sewage treated to 20 mg/l BOD before discharge.
There are various method of waste treatment disposal. They are generally classified as either
 Physical
 Chemical
 Biological
 Thermal treatment

The type of waste, the form and chemical nature of the waste determine the choice of the
treatment method. Some waste can be compacted, some can be shredded, some can be
biodegraded while some are inert while some can be diluted or nuetralised before disposal such
as acids

Waste Disposal
There are various method of waste treatment disposal.
 Surface discharge
 Re-injection
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  Bio-treatment-Landfarming/Landspreading
 Thermal treatment-Incineration
 Solidification, Encapsulation
 Landfilling

Waste Tracking, Monitoring, Reporting and Recording

In EPNL there are standard procedure for the monitoring, reporting and recording of waste. Due-
diligence requires that wastes be monitored to the final point of disposal.
You are required to fill waste consignment note

BENEFITS OF GOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT

It is important to practice good waste management. Managing waste appropriately gives both
short and long term benefits.
These benefits includes:
 It reduces legal liabilities and environmental risk
 It promotes good health
 It protects and preserves the environment
 It reduced cost of the long term
 It is a good win-win as good waste management can be profitable e.g. paper recycling
 It enhances good housekeeping

ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Enjoy this piece

Patrick settled down to have his breakfast, it was a continental breakfast. Included in his meal
were bacon, toast bread, sausage rolls, puck, beverage (Milo) and water. As he inserted his
cutlery into the bacon and was about to cut, a cock crowed outside. He paused with the cutlery
hanging over the bacon. Seconds later, he again attempted to cut the bacon and again there was
the cockcrow. This time he paused a little longer while pondering. Seeing no connection between
his attempt at eating his meal and the cock crow he dismissed the event as a mere coincidence.
So, for the third time he went after his bacon and for the third time the cock crowed. This time,
he not only paused but dropped his cutlery completely, as he soliloquized,’ could their be a
connection?’ Suddenly, the nickel dropped. It finally dawned on him that the cock was probably
complaining about the bacon since it, it was, that met with the hen, which resulted in the egg
that was used to make the bacon.

Upon coming to this realization, Patrick leaned back on his seat and reflected on the event.
Within him he thought, ‘why should the cock complain, afterall, all it did was make a
“contribution” to my meal whereas the pig made a “commitment” since he had to die for me to
have the puck.

More often than not, we are content with just making contributions when what is required from
us is commitment. Commitment does not necessarily mean dying. For the environment, what
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commitment means for you could simply be “change of mindset”, changing the way you do
things, avoiding eating our tomorrow with today. It is on this premise that the concept of
sustainable development was born.

What is Sustainable Development (SD)?

According to the Brundtland Commission, Sustainable Development is-----
“Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future
generations to meet their own needs”,
The Sustainable Development Concept is built and balanced on the tripod of:
 Economic prosperity
 Effective environmental management
 Social responsibility
For organizations to be seen as practicing sustainable development, they must uphold these
principles
 Respect and safeguard people
 Engage and work with stakeholders
 Minimise impact on the environment
 Use resources efficiently
 Maximise profit
 Maximise benefits to the community

Benefit of SD in the business

 Increased satisfaction of the workforce
 Stakeholder approval of our processs
 Better conflict resolutions
 Visible trust and confidence between the all
 Enhanced reputation

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