Choosing the right spill control products

Spill control and containment products are used in every industry. With so many alternatives available, we at Safety Supplies Canada would like to provide some suggestions to make sure you're buying the right kit that will maximize your readiness for any mess that comes your way and will meet your needs in any environment.

Step 1: The Evaluation

Doing a thorough walkaround from the front door to the back dock guarantees you don't overlook any possible hazards.

Important factors to consider: 

1. Finding trouble spots: An in depth assessment aids in creating a spill plan that covers every eventuality. The first step in making sure you have the proper equipment is to map out the many places where a spill or leak could happen.
2. Identifying all liquid types: Every liquid kept in your facility, from your sprays and cans of lubricants that keep the equipment running, to the raw materials utilised in production, needs a spill plan. Sorbents for oil-based goods and caustic/hazardous materials are available at our online store, www.safetysupplies.com. Understanding which is present in your workplace is essential to ensuring the safety of your cleanup procedure.
3. Accessibility: The surrounding space should be taken into consideration when laying out the many locations where a spill or leak could occur. Could one or two bigger wheeled kits be kept and moved about simply in an open warehouse? Or are there several potentially dangerous rooms with restricted access? If the latter, it could be necessary to have several smaller kits placed near each work location. SSC offers a range of styles that are extremely visible, portable, and prepared for any circumstance.

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Need more information before shopping? Keep reading!

Spill kits should be placed in areas where they are likely to be used, much like fire extinguishers, eyewash stations, and first aid kits. They ought to be clearly identified and easily accessible.

Step 2: Choose the size 

In general, a spill kit should be able to absorb enough liquid to cover the biggest spill that could occur.

To help you determine the size you might require, consider the following questions.

1. Which spill or leak is more likely to happen? This may or may not change depending on where in the institution you are.
2. In the worst situation, what is the biggest spill that might occur?
3. Will there be a single spill kit or several kits spread out over the building to handle spills?
4. How accessible is it, and is there enough room to store them?

Various formats available:

Portable: Portable spill kits are often available in five-gallon pails, clear zipper bags or tiny nylon bags for minor spill prevention and cleaning. Five to twenty-five gallons of confined fluid are contained.

Overpack: Overpack spill kits come in 20-gallon to 95-gallon containers and are UN-rated drum spill kits. In their largest sizes, these may absorb up to 100 gallons of liquid. Drums are intended to remain motionless and placed in a familiar, accessible location for employees' convenience.

Wheeled: These larger spill kits come with wheels and a range of containers that can hold up to 258 gallons of spill liquid. Wheeled kits are quite useful in an emergency because spills rarely happen right next to where a kit is placed.

The majority of spill kits are suitable for both indoor and outdoor storage. However, it's crucial to select a kit that is weatherproof and protects the absorbents from UV deterioration when kept outside. View our selections here.

Step 3: Types of Liquid

As previously stated, your facility may require a variety of kits if you have identified multiple liquid types.

Oil-Only sorbents may be needed in certain situations, even if universal pads, socks, and pillows can absorb the majority of toxins.

Here is a brief summary of the most often used absorbents.

Universal Absorbents– Highly versatile absorbents that are typically gray in color and are used in almost all industries. Universal sorbents will absorb all liquids, including water and oil-based liquids.

Oil-Only Absorbents – The most common color for oil-only absorbents is white. They are widely used for oils and hydrocarbons, but are hydrophobic. Because they are hydrophobic, they do not absorb water and are ideal in outdoor applications for absorbing oil off of water.

Step 4: The contents in the Spill Kit 

Typical contents include:

Sorbent Pads - For effective absorption, pads are placed directly in contact with the spill

Absorbent Socks– Used first and are placed along the outer perimeter of the spill to prevent the spread of the spill liquid

Pillows – High absorbent pillows are used to soak up large amounts of fluid

Safety Gear – Often includes nitrile gloves, goggles. Some instances include Tyvek coveralls, face mask, and protective boots

Disposal Bag -Collect and hold absorbed liquids for proper disposal

With so many alternatives at your fingertips, it might be difficult to choose the ideal equipment that will fit your needs and surroundings. We hope the information above was helpful and provided some context.

Have more questions?

If you have any concerns about your spill response strategy, kits, or accessories, our staff of qualified experts is here to help! Call us at 1-855-960-7369 or email us at orderdesk@safetysuppliescanada.com