An Expert Spills the Beans (And Cleans Them Up Afterwards)

It’s not only the obviously harmful chemicals, toxic substances, oils and so on which may cause problems when they spill. Even spilt milk has the potential to kill fish if it enters a watercourse in large enough quantities. So it’s no use crying over it. You have to be prepared with an on-site emergency plan to contain, control and clean up a spill as quickly and effectively as possible.

In ERIKS’ experience, around 94% of industrial end-users have at least one liquid on their site in a sufficient quantity to cause problems if it spills. And when it does, the owner of the material – or of the facility it’s housed in – is responsible and accountable for the clean-up and risk mitigation. 

The best way to reduce the risk and the consequences is to ensure that liquids are stored appropriately, in bunded containers/areas, or using bunded pallets to help contain spills at source. However, accidents will still happen. Having an emergency spill control procedure in place will ensure that all those involved in dealing with a spill, will know exactly what to do.. 

Walk the walk

The first step is several steps; a walk around your site by a spill control expert and someone who knows the site well. 

A fresh pair of eyes will see the site differently; spotting drains you may not have thought about, storage areas you’ve overlooked, and areas where spills could happen. Once you know where the potential problems lie, you can then put the equipment and procedures in place to deal with them.

Plan for problems

Having a written emergency plan will not only mean you’re ready to act whenever necessary. It will also help you to ensure all necessary procedures have been considered and prepared for, and that employees know the part they have to play.

The plan should be simple, straightforward, flexible, and designed to achieve compliance with any relevant legislative requirements. Essentially, it should cover:

• Containing and controlling incidents to minimise the effects and limit the danger to people, the environment and property; and identifying who is responsible for doing so
• The measures required to protect people and the environment
• The actions to be taken to control conditions at spill events and to limit their consequences; including a description of the available safety equipment and resources
• Arrangements for staff training in the duties that will be expected of them
• Arrangements for informing local authorities and emergency services

Know your liquids

All spills are not the same, so all spills can’t be dealt with in the same way. 

Not even all hazardous liquids can be dealt with using a “one size fits all” approach. They will have different properties which demand different techniques and equipment, such as a sorbent from one of three categories: oil-only, chemical, and universal. 

Only when you know exactly what type of liquid you’re dealing with can you work out the correct and most effective way to deal with it.

Dressed to spill 

Different spills of different liquids require different appropriate clothing for an adequate level of protection. So it’s vital that the PPE made available at the point of use should reflect the hazard or hazards that are present.

Personal protective equipment (PPE) should shield or isolate individuals from the chemical, physical and biological hazards they might encounter during a spill or leakage. So it needs to protect the respiratory system, skin, eyes, face, hands, feet, head and body. 

Again, there’s no “one size fits all” solution that can protect against all possible hazards, so PPE should be chosen carefully and used in conjunction with other protective methods. A good place to start your selection is with the 350+ pages of the ERIKS PPE catalogue, which includes summaries of legislation and regulations, to help you make the appropriate and safe choices. 

Contain and clean 

When a spill does occur, your priority should be to prevent it escaping into the environment – whether through the atmosphere, the sewer system or directly into soils or surface water. 

It’s only a minority of spills which have the potential to cause environmental damage, but those that do should be notified to the appropriate authorities immediately. You should also block a spreading spill with absorbents, to prevent the problem growing.

There are several different control  and cleaning materials available, but one of the most effective is Melt Blown Polypropylene (MBPP) which absorbs quickly and comes in a range of options for different types of spills (chemical, oil only, and universal) and in a choice of formats (pads, rolls, pillows and socks). 

You should have a spill kit containing the appropriate materials, conveniently situated for each potential spill source. It’s also essential to have a kit auditing and management procedure in place, which will ensure that the kit is always fully-stocked. (Environment Agency spot-checks will always check whether spill kits are appropriate and complete.)

When the spill has been contained and cleaned-up, the clean-up waste needs to be properly disposed of. This means placing the waste in an appropriately labelled waste bag, then contacting the relevant authority to arrange collection and disposal as hazardous waste. 

Lastly, as mentioned above, restock your spill kit as soon as possible. Lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, but spills sometime do.