Spill Management Certification in Canada

TECHNICAL EMERGENCY SPILL RESPONSE COURSE

This is a technical course for people who know basic spill response and want to know more about spill response from the environmental consultants point of view. This course is an online 21 hour course for health and safety professionals, risk management, consultants and spill responders looking to learn more technical aspects of spill response. This course is $5,000 plus tax. Depending on your province/territory there are government grants that can cover up to 100% of the cost of this course. It is online and instructor led. Applicants must apply for acceptance and then ProEnviro can assist with the grant application

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Applicable Student

Requires knowledge on how to oversee a spill.

Potentially exposed to and manages contaminant situations with operational fluids such as fuels, radiator fluids, motor oil, etc. (excluding specialized contaminants such as radioactive, biomedical, etc.) Preferably has completed some Ground Disturbance, Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG) and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS/GHS) orientation and/or training.

Apply for the Government Grant for Technical Course

Registration

Pay in full now - $5,000 plus tax

Pay in two installments - $2,500 plus tax

Instructor: Katrina Patel, B.Sc., P.Biol., R.P.Bio., Q.P. Sask.

Katrina’s background includes almost two decades as an environmental consultant. She has managed thousands of spills worth millions of dollars. She has extensive experience in hydrocarbon fuel spills, operational fluids and a variety of transported contaminants that have been released in all types of environments. Since the onset of her career, she has been passionate about training clients to be prepared and knowledgeable in these situations as to reduce the effects of spills both ecologically and economically.

About the Course

The desired outcome of this course is that students learn how to evaluate spill response from a table top overview. You will be doing exercises to help evaluate overall spill response, clarify roles and responsibility and identify mitigation and preparedness needs. Students will be able to evaluate potential exposure pathways and allocate resources more expeditiously understanding what can cause a spill to migrate and how to reduce its effects. In the course we review and prepare templates that can help students move forward more confidently in spill response and preparedness.

You will be working in an online environment. Students are required to keep each other’s work confidential as per the terms and conditions of the course.

Disclaimer: ProEnviro and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliates cannot offer any assurances that taking this course will replace the requirement of having an experienced professional when managing contaminants of any kind. This class is for educational purposes and is meant to compliment real life experience and mentorship from approved professionals typically required by government for spill response. It is highly recommended that students and companies include these types of professionals during all aspects of spill response and preparedness.

Prerequisite:

Complete ProEnviro’s Basic Spill Response with minimum passing grade of 80% or Equivalent work experience.

How the Course Works

7 weeks. Starts online the 16 th January 2024 at 9am MST
Classes run weekly Tuesday and Thursday for 1.5 hours each day. Students interact with the instructor for a total of 21 trainer instructional hours.
The classroom facilitation is led with an instructor and delivered live via Google Meet each week. Katrina Patel, B.Sc., P.Biol., R.P.Bio., Q.P.Sask. will be the lead instructor for this course (see biography below). Other resources include a portable custom spill kit meant with plugging compound.
Templates and resources are available on the course platform 24/7
We teach spill response overview and common basic processes used to help evaluate resource engagement and utilization.
Upon completion of the course, you will earn a Technical Spill Response Certificate.

COURSE SYLLABUS

Week One:

Introduction to Spill Response: Case Studies & Lessons Learned – Review case studies for typical spill situations and best management practices. Gain an understanding from instructor experience, past projects and a deep dive into lessons learned.

Safety Considerations & Reconnaissance – Learn about collecting details to assess safe working conditions. Options to request location data, volume and implement potential recovery actions. Review sources for information on property owners, groundwater wells, protected areas, etc.

Week Two:

Permissions and Approvals – This session is about stakeholder / collaborator approvals and permissions. Understand why spills need to focus on the contaminant of concern when collecting data and preparing assessment scope. Review your plan and confirm your criteria.

Permissions and Approvals – Spill response may require permits for road closures, soil relocation, and crossing agreements. Overview of best practice in line locates, heavy equipment choice and restrictions, protecting infrastructure and reducing migration.

Week Three:

Project Management: Before you Attend Site – Prior planning to have contacts and resources in place. Knowing and engaging regulators such as environmental, highway and jurisdictional officers to update and expedite approvals and exemptions in emergencies. Tips and hints on disposal, equipment and supply preparations.

Project Management: Time is Money – Here we will develop a checklist of services and equipment needed in a spreadsheet. Review of safety protocols specific to the site. Track record of your costs and reduction opportunities.

Week Four:

Containment – Land vs Water Based Spills – Review of different techniques typically used in spill response. Discuss various sampling media and ensuring you have the right resources for both assessment and containment.

Sampling Procedures – Basic Labelling and Cross Contamination Prevention Measures –Samples needed for assessment, interim and confirmatory in soil, sediment, water and air. Go over the differences in sampling equipment, laboratory containers and protocols. Suggested nomenclature and best management practices to prevent contamination.

Week Five:

Remedial Options – Insitu/Exsitu – Depending on time, budget and location, different remedial options can be implemented. In this class we look at the advantages and disadvantages of insitu (leaving contamination in place) and exsitu (removing or relocation contamination) remediation.

Remedial Options – Regulatory – Remediation guidelines, standards and criteria are dependant on exposure pathways. We continue to evaluate remedial options including reviewing the objectives and evaluating if some ‘triggers’ can be removed to help reach our end goals quicker (and with less money).

Week Six:

Reclamation – Pre-Existing Condition – Contamination has been removed and now the site needs to be restored to pre-existing conditions. In this class we discuss processes and protocols to reclamation including backfilling, seeding, erosion control and other typical restorative practices.

Ongoing Monitoring – Some sites require visits in spring or fall to evaluate changing conditions such as vegetative growth or water fluctuations. Discuss some of these uncommon events and what to look for to help facilitate objectives being met quicker.

Week Seven:

Reporting – Initial and Interim Providing information to stakeholders is important for trust and awareness of schedule. What information is required to who, when and how. Discuss tables, diagrams and general reporting practises

Reporting – Final – In this session we will cover the final details in reporting required for regulatory closure. We will discuss closure options such as certificates and the benefits and downfalls of applying for them.

Other Course Details

Hours:

Trainer Instructional Hours: 21
Class runs twice weekly Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to 10:30am MST for 7 weeks

Dates of Training:

Begin: May 7, 2024 to June 25, 2024

Course Title:

Technical Spill Response Course

Delivery Method:

Online

Credential:

Technical Spill Response Certificate awarded at the end of course

Provider Name:

ProEnviro

Provider Type:

Private Trainer

Mailing Address:

PO BOX 83113 Webber Greens
Edmonton, Alberta T5T 6S1
Canada

Phone number:

780-232-5964

website:

https://proenviro.ca/

Cost:

$5,000 plus GST
You can apply for a grant to cover up to 100% of the course tuition. Using the course syllabus you can apply to the Canada Job Grant. See your provincial training grant to see if you qualify or ask for details prior to signing up: katrina@proenviro.ca

INSTRUCTOR

Katrina Patel

BIOGRAPHY

Katrina Patel is a Professional Biologist with nineteen years of industry experience. She is well versed in environmental regulations for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Northwest Territories and the bordering United States. Her background includes emergency spill response, site assessments, remediation of soil, water & air using bacterial amendments, natural bio filters, oxidizers and alternative technologies. Past project experience includes permitting of hazardous treatment facilities, third party file review and implementation of emerging technologies.

Over the years, Katrina has helped people, companies and their insurers respond to a variety of spills in a diverse array of environments. She has used both standard and innovative processes and procedures to protect ecologically sensitive areas while keeping costs to a minimum during environmental incidents. As a coordinator for RBW Waste Management she learned about and educated clients on different spill response supply products such as absorbents, covers, plugging compounds and drive-on pads. With her background in microbial science, she developed and implemented remedial procedures using bacteria to digest contamination in soil and water instead of burying it in landfills or placing it down abandoned wells for future generations to deal with.

In 2010 she incorporated KPI, her own environmental consulting firm, where she was commissioned to develop and test recycled tire as hydrocarbon absorbent material. She used the recycled tire to remediate water and soil for Oil & Gas companies, industrial effluent, and water collection at soil treatment facilities. KPI was hired to permit, develop and operate soil recycling treatment facilities throughout Western Canada. Katrina is also an Incident Commander for insurance companies to lead a team responding to catastrophic spills and clean up sites while under the careful examination of spillers, regulators, property owners and insurance companies.

Katrina is the founder of the Alberta Spill Response Association (ASRA) and Project WIN. ASRA is a not-for-profit group collaborating industry subject matter experts to review and endorse spill training programs such as ProEnviro’s Spill Response Courses. Project Working Interactively towards Non-abuse (WIN) Foundation is also a not-for-profit organization developing an educational video game that will incentivize gamers with real tangible prizes donated by corporations seeking to meet their Environmental Social & Governance mandates. It’s where learning meets gaming and corporations fuel the adventure to go green.

Her designations include:

P.Biol – Professional Biologist, Alberta Society of Professional Biologists

R.P.Bio – Professional Biologist, British Columbia College of Applied Biology

Q.P.Sask. – Qualified Person Certificate Saskatchewan

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