Safety and Licenses

As the old saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Ensuring safety in the workplace is important to us. A safe work environment is not only important for keeping our employees safe, but also the equipment and property they are working on. Our field staff attends safety training and is tested and re-certified every year. CommTank is a proud member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and our project managers stay up to date with the latest codes through online training and certification programs.

To create a safe workplace we mandate the following in-house training programs:

• Workplace safety
• DOT
• 40-Hour OSHA Hazwoper & Confined Space Entry
• OSHA 10/30 Hour Outreach Training Program for the Construction Industry

Training programs aren't the only steps we take. We also provide our supervisors, team leaders, and managers the practical skills that are not usually included in most educational programs. By meeting weekly with our crews, we talk about work safety issues and discuss new approaches to perform the tasks safely and efficiently. Our safety officer spot checks our field staff to ensure all practices are being adhered to.

Confined Space Entry Training

At CommTank, our goal is to define preventative safety measures and maintain them as a continuously evolving process. We aim to mitigate the risk of working with fuel while providing quality service. In the unlikely event rescue is required, our crew performs annual emergency rescue drills and a custom safety plan is developed for every tank entry project.

By employing safe practices, we strive to protect our employees, the environment, and the communities we serve.

Confined Space Rescue

Confined Space Rescue Team (CSRT) is a separate 2 or 3-man team that stands by, on site, in case rescue is needed during confined space work. All members of the team are CPR and First-Aid certified. The CSRT would perform the rescue, initiate first aid, and hand-off to the local emergency service providers upon their arrival onsite.

CommTank provides confined space rescue services for clients whenever they have a contractor on site doing confined space work. Confined space rescue teams are required to be on site by many companies during boiler inspections and repairs. Other examples of confined spaces are fuel, chemical and water storage tanks, vaults, sewer manholes, silos, large hoppers, industrial ovens, wells, pump stations, culverts and septic tanks.

Rescue Equipment

Rope, Harness, Tripods, Winch, Ventilation System, Lock Out/Tag Out, Rescue Basket/Board, Slings & Stabilizers, First Aid Kit, Barrier Tape, Lighting & Headlamps, Negative Air Machine & Blower Hose.

Rescue Procedure

Prior to Entry:

• Designate a rescue team to include an entrant, entry supervisor and monitor.
• Survey the space and the openings.
• Environmental survey is conducted as part of standard Confined Space Entry prior to and during entry
• Confirm rescue capabilities of the local authorities
• Create site-specific rescue plan for both entry and non-entry situations

Day of Entry:

• Finalize site-specific rescue plan for both entry and non-entry situations
• Isolate and block all entry points to tank not in use during service.  Use barrier tape to limit access only to authorized personnel
• Outfit rescue team personnel with harnesses and appropriate PPE
• Set up retrieval system
• Ensure entrant’s harness is connected to retrieval line

If Rescue is needed:

• Non-entry rescue is always the first choice
• Assess consciousness of victim, and time sensitivity of the situation
• Notify local authorities if injuries appear to be beyond the scope of the First Aid Kit
• Execute extraction, reassess condition of victim, apply First Aid as needed
• Report injury to site contact and to CommTank Management

Responsible handling of hazardous materials

Agencies such as your local Fire Department and Department of the Environmental Protection require copies of disposal records from licensed recycling facilities. Because we pull permits for every job there is a record of all material that we remove and dispose of and we retain those records after your project is complete. If a real estate sale, insurance policy application or bank financing inquiry requires this information we can provide copies of permits, hazardous waste manifests and tank disposal records. Not all contractors provide this service so ask about disposal tracking and record handling procedures before choosing a company to do your next job.

CommTank employs staff with the following certifications and licenses:

• Certified Hazardous Materials Manager (CHMM) #15631
• API 653 – American Petroleum Institute AST Inspector #43895
• Steel Tank Institute - Aboveground Tank Inspector #31609
• Office of the State Fire Marshall – Inspector 2009-011
• ICC U1 Certification – UST Installation/Retrofitting #8166331
• ICC U2 Certification – UST Decommissioning #8166331
• ICC U4 Certification - UST Cathodic Protection #8166331
• ICC U5 Certification - AST Installation/Retrofitting #8166331
• State Approved Third Party Inspector (Underground Storage Tanks) #1083
• Veeder Root Certification – Installation of UST Monitoring Systems #B36255
• Massachusetts-Certified Class A-B Underground Storage Tank (UST) Operator #43518871
• Pneumercator Technical Certification
• Estabrook Ezy 3 Locater Plus Certification – Tank Testing
• Magnetic Particle Tester Level I/II
• IEE - Asbestos Inspector Certification #20-2786-102-213648
• City of Boston, Board of Examiners – G-12 License #B18432
• Department of Public Safety - Oil Burner Certificate #031220
• Department of Public Safety - Hoisting Engineer License #100698
• Department of Conservation and Recreation – Well Drillers Registration #892-M
• Department of Environmental Protection – Waste Water Treatment Operator #11565
• Home Improvement Contractor (MGL142A) #170504
• IEE – Environmental Site Assessments; Phase I #01-4260-129-19250
• ISGHA – Accredited Installer
• EPA - Refrigerant Transition and Recovery #028620560