Leighton O’Brien launches toolkit for risk management

Australian monitoring and testing experts are launching a free toolkit.

Twelve per cent of unmonitored underground fuel systems fail an equipment integrity test (EIT), indicating a potential leak or maintenance issue, data from fuel analytics provider Leighton O’Brien reveals.

Unmonitored fuel systems include those not using continuous loss monitoring methods such as SIR, Wetstock SaaS, and ATG/electronic line leak detection. Monitored systems have fail rates of less than 0.5 per cent per annum.

The analysis shows the vast majority of fuel systems that fail are steel, of which 90% are lines and 10% are single-wall tanks.

Leighton O’Brien CEO Reed Leighton said the data shows single-wall steel lines pose the industry’s biggest integrity risk.

“Double-wall fibreglass tanks and double-wall high density polyethylene (HDPE) lines have a successful containment rate of 99.9% - if the systems are properly installed and independently tested,” says O’Brien.

The Australian company has launched Underground Fuel Systems: Your ultimate risk management toolkit, which contains helpful information on the causes, effects and prevention of fuel leaks and contamination.

“The research also reveals 36 per cent of underground fuel systems contain some degree of fuel contamination at the bottom of the tank including bacteria, particulates, sludge and water,” adds O’Brien.