What is a Spill Kit and what contents should it include?
Spill kit contents include absorbents and clean up equipment
A spill kit is an all-in-one container that stores gear and equipment used for cleaning up hazardous material spills. Typical contents inside a spill kit are PPE, sorbents, and other clean-up supplies.
The EPA‘s Spill Prevention Countermeasure and Control Planning guidelines state that companies that deal with hazardous materials must have the appropriate spill kits ready as a precautionary measure. If a corrosive chemical were to spill, kits such as these will allow workers to better control and contain it.
But just what exactly should your workplace spill kit contain? Read on to find out.
The Different Types of Spill Kits
Spill kits are generally broken down into one of three different categories: general purpose, oil, and hazmat. It’s important for company owners to carefully identify their particular needs before choosing a spill kit.
While a general-purpose kit may suffice for some companies, others may require a hazmat kit. Look below for a quick comparison of the three different types of spill kits.
General Purpose Spill Kits
As the name suggests, this type of spill kit is designed for both water-based liquids as well as hydrocarbons.
General-purpose spill kits are made with gray absorbents, making them effective for cleaning up water and oils.
Oil Only Spill Kits
An oil spill kit contains white absorbents and is designed to clean up hydrocarbons such as oil and gasoline.
The absorbents found in this kit are hydrophobic. That means they repel and float on water for more effective cleanup contact with the hydrocarbons.
Hazmat Spill Kits
The third type of spill kit is a hazmat kit, which is designed for spills involving highly corrosive acids and solvents.
Hazmat spill kits contain yellow-colored absorbents for dealing with hazardous chemicals.
Contents of a Spill Kit
A spill kit will contain specialty absorbents and cleaning gear
The exact contents of a spill kit will vary depending on the particular model you choose; however, there are several key items found in most kits. Some of the most common contents found in spill kits include:
- Safety goggles,
- Gloves,
- Disposable bags,
- Absorbent pads, and
- Absorbent socks.
How to Select the Right Spill Kit Contents
Before purchasing a new spill containment kit, check its contents to ensure it’s an acceptable match for your company’s needs. For example, kits are available to handle everything from chemical spills to blood and body fluids. After identifying the chemicals used in your workplace, you can then choose the right type of spill kit.
Along with the contents, you should also consider the size of a spill kit. A bucket-sized spill kit is perfectly fine for smaller work areas, but larger work areas will require a larger spill kit. A step up from the bucket-sized spill kit is the drum model. Going up even further is the mobile cart spill kit. The mobile cart spill kit contains wheels for easier transportation.
Have questions about which spill kit contents are right for your business? Contact Travis Zdrazil at travis@absorbentsonline.com or (800) 869-9633.
This is a revision to a blog post with an original publication date of September 5, 2013