CARILLION CORE TOOLBOX TALK
HEALTH, SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY & QUALITY
Biodegradeable Oil
CORE/HSSQ/TBT/172
BIODEGRADABLE OIL – THE MYTHS
Background
A belief persists in the construction industry that biodegradable oil is not
harmful to the environment. The myth is that as the oil is biodegradable it
breaks down harmlessly and causes no damage. This is completely untrue
however; biodegradable oil causes significant environmental harm,
particularly when spilled into the aquatic environment. It is an offence to
pollute a watercourse and using biodegradable oil, makes not difference to
this.
Relevance to this site / location
Explain the reasons why this TBT is being given. Is it due to a recent event that has occurred locally or somewhere
else within Carillion / industry; or has the subject matter been specifically identified as being directly or potentially
relevant to the site / location? If so explain that relevance.
Toolbox Talk
Biodegradable oil is typically vegetable based synthetically manufactured oil as opposed to the traditional mineral oil.
As the name suggests it does indeed biodegrade.
Biodegradation is a process where something is broken down into natural compounds by bacteria, in the case of
biodegradable oil there is less resistance to bacterial breakdown because it is vegetable based, this does not mean
however, that there is no resistance and the process of breaking down vegetable oil can take time. The length of time
varies depending on a number of factors, these include moisture levels present, temperature and the type of surface it
is spilled onto.
Biodegradable oil is defined as being able to degrade by 40% within 28 days, flip this statement round and it reads that
60% of the spill is still present after a month, furthermore the standard says that there should be less than 40%
remaining after 84 days, which means that in the case of a 20 litre spill, there could be 8 litres remaining in the
environment two and a half months later. (Harold, S 1993)
The main problem with oil is in an aquatic environment; obviously oil is lighter than water and floats on the surface and
this is the main problem. Water contains oxygen, on the surface of a watercourse there is a membrane which allows
the transfer of oxygen into the water and it is this oxygen that fish take up through their gills in order to breathe. Once
the soluble oxygen in the water of used, fish will gulp air from the surface but when there is a layer of thinly spread oil
on the water surface, the fish cannot break through the membrane and gulp, this causes them to asphyxiate and die.
As well as asphyxiation, oil contains certain harmful chemicals, and even biodegradable oil contains additives, which
can cause significant damage to life. It is vital that we all understand this and that this is an offence.
We must therefore ensure that we clean up ALL our spills regardless of what and how much they are. We must report
ALL spills to AIRline.
Do and Don’ts
Don’t

Leave spilled oil to degrade naturally, it will still cause harm
Do




Rev 002
Stop work
Prevent further spillage
Contain and clean up what has been spilled
Report the spill to enable improvements to be made.
10/02/2015
See Toolbox Talk Procedure - CORE/HSSQ/PRO/068
Page 1 of 4
CARILLION CORE TOOLBOX TALK
HEALTH, SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY & QUALITY
Biodegradeable Oil
CORE/HSSQ/TBT/172
Questions to Ask
Note: Where appropriate the questions should be put forward in a way that makes them relevant to the circumstances
of the site / location.
Q – Where do we use biodegradable oil on this site? (if any)
Local answer required
Q – What are the problems with biodegradable oil?
biodegradable oil causes significant environmental harm
Q - Have you got any questions on the topic?
Q - What are you going to do differently as a result of this Toolbox Talk?
If you believe you need more training then please discuss this with your line manager / supervisor.
Rev 002
10/02/2015
See Toolbox Talk Procedure - CORE/HSSQ/PRO/068
Page 2 of 4
CARILLION CORE TOOLBOX TALK
HEALTH, SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY & QUALITY
Biodegradeable Oil
CORE/HSSQ/TBT/172
Contract:
Reference:
Location:
Date:
Length of
Toolbox Talk:
Toolbox Talk
Presenter:
Reason for Talk:
Print Forename
Rev 002
Print Surname
Position
Payroll No.
Company
10/02/2015
See Toolbox Talk Procedure - CORE/HSSQ/PRO/068
Signature
Page 3 of 4
CARILLION CORE TOOLBOX TALK
HEALTH, SAFETY, SUSTAINABILITY & QUALITY
Biodegradeable Oil
CORE/HSSQ/TBT/172
Matters Raised by Attendees:
Action Taken as a Result of Matters Raised:
Date action closed out:
Signature:
Toolbox Talk Presenter’s Comments:
Signature:
Rev 002
Date:
10/02/2015
See Toolbox Talk Procedure - CORE/HSSQ/PRO/068
Page 4 of 4