Virtually all industrial facilities use fluids that can be hazardous when spilled. Spills can cause anything from slips and falls to environmental pollution. While spill prevention is always ideal and necessary, one cannot discount the fact that accidents can still occur. This is why it is still wise to have equipment like spill kits ready to deal with a spill when one does happen.
Spill kits are the obvious choice for quickly dealing with spills before these could cause any damage. A spill kit typically contains different types of absorbents that can handle a variety of substances. These can also carry other equipment like rubber gloves, protective clothing and barricade tapes.
Choosing a spill kit however is not as easy as it may seem. There are some factors to consider before purchasing a spill kit ideal for your facility’s needs.
Factors to consider when choosing your spill kits
Probably the most obvious factor to consider is the size of your facility. It may seem logical to purchase one large kit for a large area but in reality, having several smaller ones actually allows you to respond to spills faster and better. Several smaller kits situated near potential spill areas ensures a quicker response time compared to a few large kits positioned farther from these spill-prone areas.
Another factor is the amount of fluid used in your facility. For example, a large garment factory will, in all likelihood, use less industrial fluids than a smaller petroleum storage depot. This means that while the depot is indeed a smaller operation, they will need more spill kits than a bigger garment factory because of the higher possibility of spills.
Yet another factor to bear in mind is the type of fluids being used. Oil for lubricating machinery is probably the most common industrial fluid used in these industries. Acids, coolants, solvents, refrigerants and even water are also commonly used by these companies. The utilization of more than one type of fluid is pretty commonplace in business.
With each type of fluid, a particular type of absorbent and spill kit should be used. If a business has more than one kind of fluid to worry about, different kinds of spill kits should be purchased for spill response needs.
Spill kit types you can choose from
There are three types of spill kits to consider, based on the type of fluid they can absorb:
1.Universal Spill Kits – these kits contain universal MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) absorbents and are ideal for facilities that use different types of fluids. Not ideal for use with more aggressive fluids such as acids.
2.Oil Only Spill Kits – these kits are used for absorbing oil and other petroleum-based fluids while rejecting water at the same time. Oil only absorbents also allow you to reclaim the absorbed oil for recycling.
3.Hazmat Kits – these kits are used for more aggressive fluids such as acids and other caustic chemicals. Hazmat absorbents are not too effective against other types of industrial fluids.
Based on these different spill-kit varieties and what these are good at absorbing, you can now choose the kinds of spill kits that you need.
Why is it essential to have these spill kits?
You may probably be wondering: why purchase a spill kit at all? Why not just assemble one from scratch? The truth is, you can assemble a spill kit from scratch. All you need are the proper absorbents and a container to properly house them.
Purchasing a ready-made spill kit however, takes out the guesswork that comes with assembling one. Commercially available spill kits are designed and assembled by experts – people who know exactly what should go into a proper spill kit and what shouldn’t. A commercially available spill kit saves you time, effort and even money; factors that can certainly be beneficial to your facility’s operations.
By Noel Dugenia
