Bunds require testing at regular intervals to ensure continued protection of the tanks, drums and other vessels in the bund.  In general, the EPA and local authorities require testing every three years (or every five years for the Intensive Agricultural Sector).

Bund testing (aka Bund Integrity Testing) is usually carried out by means of a water retention test.  This involves filling the bund to a known level and measuring the drop in level over time period.

CIRIA 163 is a bund test protocol specifically intended for bunds and is a six hour test.  As the test can be carried out in one working day this reduces the cost and environmental risks compared to BS8007 which is a 7 to 10 day test.   Environmental Efficiency performs most bund integrity tests using CIRIA 163 and this is accepted by the EPA.

Where the bund cannot be filled with water to capacity, the EPA allows a visual inspection by a Chartered Engineer and Environmental Efficiency can  undertake this. In some cases where a visual inspection is required, Environmental Efficiency can also carry out a water retention test to a low level (typically 200 mm) to test the floor and the wall/floor joint.

All Environmental Efficiency staff used for bund testing will have Safe Passes and Manual Handling Certificates and where necessary, Confined Space Entry Certs.