
Bunding “wall” “dike” “barrier” to contain any fluid. A variety of terminology is used…
The term can also refer to dikes, but it is frequently used to describe liquid containment facilities that prevent leaks and spillage from tanks and pipes, though sometimes any barrier is referred to as bunding. Frequently, the liquids in tanks and pipes are toxic, but bunding is used to prevent the liquid from causing damage (either by force or its chemistry) If a large tank has a catastrophic failure, the liquid alone can cause extensive damage.
Bunding is a legal requirement in many countries particularly around tanks, storage vessels and other plant that contain liquids which may be dangerous or hazardous to the environment.
As well as being used to prevent pollution of the receiving environment, bunds are also often used for fire protection, product recovery and process isolation.
Many of the bunds Safeguard Commercial Flooring have been asked to create are also used to create a speed hump to slow down vehicles within areas that are considered to pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
Lining of or the creation of a secure bunded areas in workshops, liquid storage areas and across warehouse doors not only keeps these areas clean, but makes them last much longer due to the chemical resistance of the products we use.
Relevant standards and acts
Where applicable, the construction of bunds must comply with the requirements of:
- Australian Standard AS 1940B1993: The Storage and Handling of Flammable and Combustible Liquids
- Australian Standard AS 4452B1997: The Storage and Handling of Toxic Substances
- the Dangerous Goods Act 1975.
Since the bund is the main part of a spill containment system, the whole system (or bunded area) is colloquially referred to within industry as the “bund”.
The bund is designed to contain spillages and leaks from liquids used, stored or processed above-ground, and to facilitate clean-up operations.
A bund consists of:
- an impervious bund wall or embankment surrounding the facility or tanks
- an impervious floor within the bunded area
- any joints in the floor or the wall, or between the floor and the wall
- any associated facilities designed to remove liquids safely from the bunded area without polluting the environment.