Whenever a potentially dangerous chemical leaks or spills causing a hazardous situation in the workplace or outside a specialist spill kit should be used to contain, control and clean away the danger. The different types of chemicals where a spill kit may be used in the cleaning up process are, Oils, Petroleum, fuels, solvents, sewage, and other hazardous chemicals. There are many different workplaces where a spill kit is an essential addition to the inventory, these include warehouses, garages, hospitals, shipping depots, docks and marinas as well as transport companies.
There are three specific types of spill kit that are used for different situations, these are, Marine, Workshop and General-Purpose. The Marine kit is particularly designed to cope with oil and grease spills and can repel water, this makes it particularly useful when there is an ocean oil spill. The Workshop spill kit is more than capable of neutralising hazardous chemicals and is mainly used in manufacturing industries. The General-purpose spill kit does what its name suggests, deals with non-hazardous substances and effectively absorbs coolants, antifreeze and water solvents.
The overall purpose of a spill kit is to contain, clean up and control a potentially hazardous spillage, as quickly and efficiently as possible. All spill kits should contain, disposable gloves, and bags, absorbent pads, and socks and safety goggles. The kits should be kept in a highly visible and easy to reach location and all staff should receive training on how to use them safely.
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