A spill kit is a set of absorbent items, to be used in case of a spill, leak or other discharge of environmentally hazardous liquids. Spill kits should always be topped up and on hand for the next spill so that a prompt response and clean-up can be performed effectively.
When a chemical spill occurs, there are three first steps to be taken as below. (With major spills, the authorities should also be contacted).
(a) Control the source of the spill,
(b) Contain the spill,
(c) Clean up the spill.
Different types and sizes of portable spill kits are supplied in containers such as water-proof bags, barrels, buckets and wheelie bins to suit the individual situations of workplaces. They are essential for every truck, bus, other heavy vehicle, car park, loading dock, laboratory, maintenance shed, workshop, factory, bus or truck depot, airport hangar, boat storage facility, car sales yard.
There are 3 main types of spill kits:
Is your spill kit topped up and ready for use? There is nothing worse than experiencing a spill and not having the necessary equipment available to respond immediately. It is also a legal requirement to prevent spilled chemicals from entering stormwater systems. Under the Environment Protection Act 1970 and Council’s Local Laws, businesses have a responsibility to prevent the discharge of waste from their property causing stormwater pollution.
For safe storage of chemicals, Area Safe dangerous goods cabinets or bunding should be considered.
How to work out the height (depth) of a bund for a particular capacity: There is a simple formula for calculating the volume capacity and therefore the height that a spill control bund needs to be. “The capacity of a bund must be at least 110% of the volume of the largest container in storage.” This can be worked out using a few simple steps as follows: