Spill Control - Do You Know What You've Missed?

Within almost any industry, spill control is almost always one of the most easily overlooked aspects of health and safety. The reason why spill control is so often ignored or overlooked is because in too many cases people tend to believe that they're fully prepared. It's an area which seems so obvious.

For example, if you work in a garage or workshop which services or maintains machinery such as vehicles, then it stands to reason you'll need spill kits which are specifically targeted at dealing with any oil spillages. Oil only absorbents are one of the primary types of spill control solutions which will be in stock and close to hand at all times.

But sometimes it can be the case that the most obvious solutions are inadequate or inappropriate, just as the most likely spillages are entirely overlooked.

For people working in laboratories who deal with a range of chemicals it will be absolutely vital that spill control solutions are chosen and sourced appropriately. There are many chemical spill kits available, ranging from small spillages which may equate to a single test tube, to large scale chemical spillages of many litres or gallons.

Chemicals vary in nature greatly, from mildly irritating to lethal, from acidic to alkaline, and from scalding hot to dangerously cold. In every case an appropriate chemical spill kit will need to be on hand, and in almost every case, this is just what has been arranged.

But whilst it is easy to see the need for oil only spill kits in garages and workshops, and chemical spill kits in laboratories, it is often the case that these spillages are not isolated, and that every workplace will face very real dangers, threats or at least inconveniences from spillages which may be entirely overlooked.

Assumptions are one of the most dangerous aspects in any business or industry, such as the case of the workshop which assumed that its oil only spill control solution would be ideal for dealing with any spillage of the oil lubricants on site. However, had they looked more closely they would have realised that, as in many cases, the oil lubricant was actually a combination of oil and water, meaning that only half the problem had been noticed.

Oil only absorbents work by actively repelling water, and when a spillage happened, the task of controlling the spillage and dealing with it was hampered by having entirely unsuitable spill control products.

Many businesses try to shortcut their way to safety by throwing in a couple of general purpose absorbents in various places, and whilst these are certainly invaluable for relatively harmless spillages of varying degrees of scale, they aren't a complete solution and should not be relied upon as such.

One might imagine that having an oil only spill control solution, a chemical spill kit and a general purpose spill kit that you would be more or less protected against any possible spillage. But when you look around the workplace, do you see all of the potential spillages, or just the ones that seem most obvious? All it takes is a power cut to reveal one of the most obvious and common spillages likely in most workplaces.

Many staffrooms at work have fridge freezers for staff use, yet a simple power cut could unleash several litres of water across what is undoubtedly a smooth and subsequently slippery floor. Today it would only take a single employee to slip on such a floor for the litigation process to be swiftly put to good use in ensuring compensation and bad press for the business.

Another often overlooked spillage is the human body - a walking combination of many different bodily fluids, and at over 80% water, the human body is more than capable of causing a spillage of various types any time, any place! These can't be dealt with in most cases by using any old wipe. Health hazards dictate that such a spillage must be dealt with appropriately as there are dangers and risks involved with dealing with most bodily fluids.

From a spilled cup of coffee to a powerless freezer, from lubricants which aren't 100% oil to chemicals which may react to certain materials, it is important to make sure that when looking at spill control solutions you don't stop too soon. Never think you already know what all of the spillage risks are, and their exact nature. When sourcing spill control solutions, always start from scratch, and always ask yourself what you've missed. For expert advice, visit the site below.

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Spill Control | www.intersafety.co.uk | Spill Kits

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