No matter what type of business you have, even if you never thought of it before, you’re likely to have to deal with spills eventually. There are many issues regarding safety of spills of any nature. For some workplaces, a coffee or tea spill is all you’ll be seeing, and these don’t present a serious risk to workers or the environment. However, all spills are trip hazards and are a risk to health and safety and need immediate attention. Knowing which spill kit is best suited for your requirements and developing a spill response plan should be of key importance to a business owner. To make it easier on you, we have a quick guide to picking the right spill kit for you.
Does My Specific Workplace Need a Spill Kit?
In short, all businesses that have a spill risk should have a spill response plan and kit in place. This becomes even more important as it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect the environment, so chemical or dangerous spills that can enter waterways and harm the environment are to be avoided and cleaned correctly.
So, any business that is considered responsible for pollutants entering the stormwater network can be reported and fined heavily by the governing bodies. To avoid this issue as a whole, it’s better to identify the right spill kit from the list below and then put a response in motion. When choosing, you should make sure to buy Australia’s best spill kits for minimal risk. https://www.spillstation.com.au/
Types of Spill Kits
At risk workplaces should always make sure to use the right spill kit for the right problems. Using the wrong spill kit can potentially lead to an even bigger problem than the actual spill. To choose accurately, identify your potential spill risks first.
General Purpose Spill Kits
This spill kit is designed for non-hazardous applications. This spill kit generally works for workplaces that identify potential spill targets that are non-hazardous. This spill hits are often found in businesses such as farms, shopping centres, wineries, schools, food processing plants and milk factories to name a few.
In the case of general purpose spill kits, the substance spilled is not going to harm workers beyond being dangerous to their physical beings and are not likely to be dangerous to the environment.
Fuel And Oil Spill Kits
This type of spill kit is well suited to workplaces that may deal with Hydrocarbon spills such as machinery oil and fuel and are well suited for spills on water or land. This may be any workplace where mechanical work is carried out such as warehouses or workshops, or spaces where industrial size hydraulic applications are used such as mariners, ports, cargo facilities, airports and the like.
Fuel and Oil Spill Kits work the best when oil is spilled on the water as the hydrophobic characteristics of the contents of this kit mean that they don’t absorb water, only the hazardous liquid that has been spilt.
Hazchem Spill Kits
This variety of spill kit is essential for any workplace where the capacity for chemical spills can occur. Chemical spills can seriously affect the health and safety of those in the workplace and present an environmental hazard if not contained quickly.
It is critical that the right type of Hazchem spill kit is used based on the specific chemical spill that occurs, and this is because if the wrong absorbent product is used, it can actually make a chemical spill worse.
When there is a requirement for a chemical spill kit, it is important to know which chemicals need spill protection. Most Hazchem spill kits cater to a wide range of chemical spills, with pH that ranges between 4-10, but choosing well is of vital importance so speaking to both the supplier and supervisors will be wise.
The Verdict
Now that you have a good idea of what spill kits are, what they contain and the type of spill kit your business may suit, it’s now a good time to develop a spill response and train the right people in understanding what’s required in the event of a spill. Your spill kit should additionally display clear and easy instructions in the event an untrained person needs to use them.