Any workplace is susceptible to spills; what matters is how you prepare for accidents that happen.
If your workplace carries harmful substances, you need to safeguard your business, its workers and the environment from the possibility of leaks and spills. Each Australian business that carries these harmful substances is legally required to carry the right spill kits, placed in the right spaces to help mitigate risk. But if you aren’t aware of spill kit types, how do you choose the right one?
Read on to find out all the basics of spill kits.
The Types of Spill Kits
In Australia, these are the most common types of spill kits, but there are some others that include laboratories where blood and bodily fluid may be split, as well as spill kits designed for quick transportation in trucks and forklifts.
Type One: General Purpose Spill Kit
This is the most common type of spill kit and is found in places such as docks, factories and sometimes workshops. This kit has equipment in it to deal with solvents, fuel, coolants, solvents and other common workplace liquids. It’s made to absorb non-aggressive liquids safely and is colour coded with a grey lid for quick identification.
Type Two: Oil Spill Kit
These kits are designed to be used with hydrocarbons like oils, gasoline and diesel, and. These kits contain water-resistant absorbents to absorb fuels and oils in both wet and dry conditions. So they can be used on sea rigs, in boats as well as on dry land in the event of a spill.
Type Three: Hazchem Spill Kit
This spill kit contains absorbents to safely remove hydrocarbons like fuels and solvents as well as acids, caustics and chemicals used in agriculture. Because it can be used for many chemicals, it’s a great option where multiple chemical spills of different types may occur.
Chemical spill kit providers colour code this in yellow for easy access.
All Spill Kits Contain These Items:
Pads & Rolls: These are multipurpose absorbents to quickly absorb spills and can also be used to wipe down the floor and machinery if required
Booms and Socks: These are made to be linked across a wide form to contain large spills.
Pillows: These are great to slow down a leak as they have a high absorbent capacity.
Loose Absorbent: these are great to spread over a large area but are also cost-effective for small spills.
Disposal Bags: Used to clean contaminated absorbents before disposal.
Personal Protection Equipment: This is to keep workers safe in the event of using the spill kit and usually includes gloves, a mask, goggles or a body suit.
How Do I Know Which Kit I Need?
The way to understand which type of kit you need is by undertaking a thorough risk assessment in your workplace. This will help identify the type of hazards in your workplace and give you the necessary information about which spill kits you require, as well as the quantity. Often a spill kit must be large enough to handle a full spill of your largest quantity of chemicals.
If you’re not sure how many spill kits you need, or of which type and where they need to be placed, help is at hand. You can contact the experts at Spill Station, Australia. Not only will they help you conduct a risk assessment in your workplace, but they can also provide spill kits and help you understand spill kit maintenance and much more.