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Be prepared should spillages happen

Methods for safe absorption

Author: Dee Jones/08 December 2023/Categories: HEALTH & SAFETY, Creating safe working conditions

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No matter how much we try to avoid spillages within the workplace or in public areas, unfortunately they can still happen! Common spills involve substances such as diesel, oil, solvents and cleaning chemicals. While small, in-house spills might be easy to clean up quickly, some fluids can be toxic when ingested or exposed to skin and can be very hazardous to the environment.

Of course, the best scenarios are those where no spills ever occur in the first place but if you do have a spill, it’s always better to be well prepared for them and the provision of suitable spill kits will be an enormous help in cleaning up and solving potential health and slip hazards.

All spill kits must be designed to protect employees and the public from the hazards of a spill while at the same time addressing four main areas:

1. Spill control. This could be as simple as putting the bung back in a drum.
2. Containment. Stop the spill from spreading. In the used oil spill scenario, contain the spill using a sorbent sock.
3. Clean-up. In the simplest terms, the clean-up involves removing the spilled substance.
4. Disposal. All spilled substances and the materials used to clean them should be placed in appropriate containers, labelled, dated and then evaluated for proper disposal.

oil sock
haz waste kit
oil sheets

What’s in a spill kit?  
A spill kit is a well-organised set of equipment that has been specifically designed to deal with cleaning up dangerous substances. It enables you to efficiently clean the spill in the safest way possible. Spill kits come in many different forms and can be suitable for different types of spills. For ideas on what should be in a spill kit, consult your health and safety manager at your workplace or speak to a competent supplier.

storage
storage

Typical spill kits contain the following:
Personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, boots, overalls, aprons, face shields, masks, goggles, hard hats and even hazmat suits.
Control equipment: duct tape, hammers, wrenches, cutting tools, putty and patching materials, wedges, dowels, plugs, inflatable bags, clamps, ropes, chains and leak detectors.
Containment materials: sand, clay, ash, sawdust, absorbent granules, absorbent pillows and socks.
Clean-up materials: shovels, brooms, mops, pads, scrub brushes, soap, disinfectants, buckets, socks, etc.
Disposal materials: chemical resistant bags, buckets, drums and waste labels.

Other considerations:

  • First aid kit
  • Radio
  • Caution signs and barricade tape
  • Guidebooks
  • Environmental monitoring equipment such as air quality monitors, meters and wind detectors

If you choose to assemble your own kit, pack it so that the most important items will be available first. That means PPE needs to be on top, followed by control equipment, containment materials, disposal materials and so on. It’s best practice to inspect spill kits regularly to be sure all the components are clean, working and ready to go.

Spillage control equipment is available as bespoke kits which can be made to suit specific tasks in the workplace for commercial, industrial, retail and leisure applications.

 

 

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