Choosing a Spill Kit may seem like a daunting task. With so many choices available, how do you know which spill kit will be the best one for your need
1. What liquids will you be absorbing?
Choosing a spill kit with absorbents designed to absorb both water and oil-based liquids when responding to an oil spill on water can be a costly mistake. Likewise, having a spill kit available with limited compatibility when responding to a highly corrosive liquid may result in an undesirable chemical reaction. By knowing what liquids are used in your facility, you can select the correct variety of kit to meet your needs.
2. What is the volume of your worst-case scenario spill?
Determine the largest amount of liquid that could be spilled from a single container or holding tank. If your liquids are stored in drums, this would likely be the contents of an entire drum, normally either 115 or 210 litres. If you store liquid in totes, consider the volume of your largest tote – usually anywhere from 760 to 1900 litres.
Remember, that it may not always be practical to absorb the entire contents of a spill, especially if it is a large one. Spill kits can be used in conjunction with non-absorbent dikes and drain covers, like our SpillBlocker Dike and DrainBlocker Drain Covers which help channel or contain liquids, so that they can be recovered with vacuums or pumps. After a bulk of the liquid has been removed, absorbents can then be used to remove the remainder of the spill.
3. What type of container works best for your location?
Some companies choose to locate spill kits in every area prone to spills, such as loading docks, drum storage areas, dispensing stations and waste fluid collection stations. Others choose to have one or two kits that can be transported to the area where a liquid is spilled. We have kits for all options.
Our small spill kits have handles that make them easy to carry to the site of a spill. Dollies and wheeled containers are available to make larger kits portable. Some kits can even be transported with a forklift. When choosing these options, it is important to know the physical limitations of your spill response team, as well as the terrain they must cover to get to a spill. A spill kit on casters, weighing 40 kilograms will be great for a spill inside a warehouse, but may not be the best option for people to carry a long distance over rough soil.
On the other hand, if locating spill kits in each spill prone area, you may want to consider our wall-mounted kits for smaller spills or a spill response centre for larger spills.
When selecting kits for tight areas, like the cab of a truck, a stowaway or bagged kit is probably the best choice.
4. Do you need any Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)?
The variety of liquids that have the potential to create a spill is vast. Spill responders also come in all shapes and sizes. Because of these two factors, we do not supply PPE with our kits, because a spill kit that contains the wrong gloves or the wrong size suit isn’t going to do you a lot of good in an already stressful situation. We do, however, allow room in our kits for PPE to be added. This helps ensure that workers will be properly protected, and the right equipment will be readily available.
5. Do you already have a cabinet or container for your kit?
There is no regulation that tells you what a spill kit must include, or what the container must look like. If you already have a storage cabinet in an area where you’d like to put a spill kit, or if you have old spill kit containers that just need to be restocked, nearly all of our spill kits have refills available. Simply choose a refill based on your absorbency needs and stock it in the container or cabinet already at your facility.
Still need help?
New Pig’s Service Advisors are available from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday to help you select a spill kit or other products to meet your needs. Give us a call at 0800 919 900 or e-mail us at pigpen@newpig.com.
COMMENTS