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A: Yes.

On one hand, if you don’t have the second one, you definitely need the first one. But on the other hand, if you do have the second one, you should still have the first one anyway.
 
So, are you nodding in agreement or scratching your head and muttering, “What the…?” Take a breath — here’s the answer to the riddle: If you don’t have secondary containment, you need spill containment. If you do have secondary containment, you still need spill containment. 
 

Spill Containment

The act of stopping a spill is spill containment. When there’s a spill, your first priority, after addressing safety issues, is to stop it from spreading. The sooner you contain a spill, the smaller the area that is affected, which means it will take less time to clean up the spill.
 
The thing to remember is that spill containment is part of spill response. Spill response plans often contain different types of spill containment to address different types of spills, including absorbent socks or booms, non-absorbent dikes or even drainage sumps designed to collect spilled liquids. 
For example, spill containment for a five-gallon oil spill in a warehouse with no floor drains might call for a few socks and absorbent mats, but spill containment for a 30,000-gallon (or 113562.35 Lit) fuel spill heading toward a nearby river is going to take a full arsenal of booms, absorbents and sumps.

Secondary Containment

Drums, totes and tanks are examples of primary containers. These containers usually keep their liquid contents in check without incident. Sometimes primary containers fail, which is why it’s a good idea to have secondary containment.
 
There’s nothing that says exactly what secondary containment must look like, but it should do several things: If the primary container fails, the secondary containment structure or device must be able to hold the entire volume that could spill until it can be cleaned up.
 
That means that secondary containment can be anything from spill pallets or decks to a sloped room that allows the liquid to accumulate at one end until it can be cleaned up. It could be dikes, berms or concrete walls that create a moat around the primary container. In some cases it can even be absorbents. It’s up to you to evaluate your situation and choose the best solutions for your needs.

Why should I have both?

Even super-sturdy secondary containment systems can fail and cause a spill. Because of this, you should be prepared for spills with appropriate spill containment — even if every container at your facility has secondary containment. That’s why, when people ask us if they need spill containment or secondary containment, our answer is always, “Yes!”