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Spill control is one of those tricky areas of health and safety which at first glance seems quite straightforward. Yet the truth is that spill control often includes a much broader range of health and safety considerations, many of which can be overlooked as a result of people's initial assumptions that it's fairly straightforward. By thinking about these broader implications and potential hazards it is possible to purchase spill control products and spill kits which will help to ensure that in the case of any spillage you are able to deal with it correctly, safely, quickly and effectively. Failing to consider certain potential spillages, combinations, locations or circumstances can result in a much increased chance of a serious accident, prolonged disruption or serious danger to workers or to equipment. The initial assessments of a workplace will usually be relatively straightforward, with obvious spillages usually accounted for fairly well. If, for example, you are looking to purchase a spill control solution for a workshop which maintains machinery, there may well be significant use of oil. It is highly probable that on a daily basis oil is spilt, perhaps only in minor quantities, but this can easily be dealt with. However, already there are two major assumptions which could lead to issues later on. The first assumption is that the quantities of spilt oil will always be minor. It may be that oil is used in only small quantities, but the oil is likely to be stored in much larger quantities. Catering only for the small, anticipated day-to-day oil spillages will only leave you powerless should an accident occur which results in a much more serious oil spillage. There are legal requirements governing how oil is stored in the workplace, and special measures are required to ensure that any larger quantities of oil stored on site are stored in a way which ensures that any spillage, small or large, is dealt with immediately. This is important for many reasons, but one is that oil should not be allowed to seep into the ground where it could reach the water table, resulting in a drainage of oil into local water supplies. Even relatively minor oil spills can cause a great deal of significant damage. Larger spillages could have long term implications. The second assumption or error of judgement made in assuming that minor oil spillages in the workplace can be dealt with by oil only absorbents is that all oils are alike. Oil only absorbents are designed to absorb oil extremely well, but at the same time they are designed to repel water. This is essential in cases where oil is spilt in wet conditions. If the environment is a water based spillage at sea or in a river, clearly an absorbent that absorbs all liquids would be saturated with water in seconds. Oil only absorbents repel water, ensuring that the maximum capacity of oil can be absorbed and retained effectively in a short space of time. But the fact is that not all oils are the same, and in many workplaces oil based lubricants are used. These appear to be entirely oil, but in fact are a mixture of oil and water. This means that a spillage of an oil lubricant may require a completely different form of spill control solution, since oil only absorbents may be inappropriate. But if an assessment of a workplace deems the only potential spillage to be oil, or oil and water, then even this is false. Unless the workplace is entirely operated by machinery with no humans ever near the area, there is a high chance of a spillage involving a bodily fluid. Perhaps through a work related accident blood loss occurs, or through illness any one of several possible liquids or liquid based substances may be spilt. Bodily fluids present entirely different challenges in terms of spill control since there are very severe health risks to be aware of. In such cases either specialised spill control products or general spill control products will be required, in combination with items such as protective gloves, and possibly warning signs if the area is used by other personnel. Bodily fluids almost certainly represent a risk in any workplace which will need to be taken into consideration when assessing the spill control requirements. It is similarly easy to overlook items such as fridges or freezers, which contains a very great deal of water. Anyone who has experienced a power cut will have experienced the astonishment at just how much water is contained within even a moderate sized freezer. By assessing the spill control requirements of a workplace in more detail and being aware of these peripheral risks that can so easily be overlooked you can ensure that your workplace is fully ready to deal with any spillage, and won't be caught out because of one of the many spill control assumptions.
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Spill Control | www.intersafety.co.uk | Spill Kits
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