“Many times the difference between failure and success is doing something nearly right... or doing it exactly right.”

Unless local or state agencies have mandated and enforced the requirement that aboveground tank owners document periodic tank inspections, there are many owners whose tanks have never been inspected. Other owners have had inspections performed, but only to the minimum extent possible to satisfy the requirements. These owners may have had no concerns for the quality of the inspections, the thoroughness of the inspection reports, or for the possible dangers to the environment (and the ultimate success of their businesses) by only doing the absolute minimum. This raises the issue of “Just Doing It” or “Doing It Right”.

There are many reasons for doing more than the minimum, including ensuring the structural integrity of tanks, protecting the environment, and protecting the business from possible failure or heavy expenses in the event of a catastrophic failure of an aboveground tank.

First, let’s review the requirements for aboveground storage tank inspections. Although local or state agencies may have additional regulations, the source document for the petroleum industry is the American Petroleum Institute’s API Standard 653, “Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction.” This document “provides requirements for maintaining the integrity of welded or riveted, non-refrigerated, atmospheric pressure, aboveground storage tanks after they have been placed in service. It covers the maintenance, inspection, repair, alteration, relocation, and reconstruction of such tanks.” The following guidelines are from API 653 Section 4.