4 Reasons Why You Need A Spill Kit On Site
If your business regularly utilizes and/or transports any kind of liquid from oils and fuels to aggressive chemicals as part of your regular activities, then you are going to need a spill kit. While the industrial use of most liquids requires spill kits by law in Australia to prevent personal injury and damage to the environment, there are many benefits for your business as well.
This might be avoiding unnecessary property damage, minimizing downtime when there is a spill and improving employee morale by letting everyone know that all of the bases are covered no matter what. That is why you need a spill kit. Below you will find a more detailed outline of just why.
1. Creating a Safe Work Environment to Avoid Injuries
A safe work environment is one where everyone is prepared for as many different scenarios as possible and that is why you need a spill kit. If your business regularly handles any type of liquids, be they water-based liquids, hydrocarbon fuels, or corrosive acids, then there is always going to be a chance of an accident that leads to a spill.
Part of creating a safe work environment means ensuring that your workers are:
- a) physically safe and
- b) mentally and emotionally safe.
Physical safety is the more obvious of the two, especially when prolonged exposure to toxic liquids, fumes and byproducts from reactions with the surrounding environment can cause minor or serious health problems and thus requires fast, safe and effective spill clean-up options.
However, employees who know that their wellbeing is being looked after and who know that there is an established plan for an emergency can also go about their duties with less stress. This creates a mentally and emotionally safe work environment where high standards are set and maintained. This has a direct impact on worker productivity and can even prevent stress-related mistakes in the long run.
2. Developing a Safe and Smooth Workflow
A fluid spill can spell disaster for a company’s workflow when sections of the workspace have to be closed off while cleaning takes place. Oil spills can increase the chances of falls and prevent forklifts and other transport equipment from safely moving through the area and toxic or corrosive fluids will require thorough cleaning so that any health risks are removed once the workspace is reopened again.
All of this takes time which leads to staff waiting around, a loss in productivity and a hit to a company’s performance. Inadequate cleaning methods take much longer and can expose employees to unsafe work conditions, especially when there is no plan in place and searching for and ordering the right spill kit wastes time when one should already be there on site.
A safe and smooth workflow means being able to recover from accidents such as fluid spills quickly and efficiently to avoid interruptions so that your business can carry on as usual.
3. Cleaning Up Workplace Spills
Perhaps the most obvious reason why you need a spill kit on site is to clean up workplace spills as they occur without needing to wait for specialists to arrive and do the job for you. This is even more important if your business or organization handles toxic fluids, as corrosive substances can damage property and injure employees. Furthermore, all types of toxic fluids can have lasting effects on the environment if not controlled. The longer that a clean up takes, the more chances a spill has of affecting a larger area and making its way into local ecosystems and water supplies.
4. Following the Strict Environmental Laws of Australia
Australia is known for having strict environmental laws compared to many other countries and if an Australian business is conducting any activity that involves the risk of a spill, then they must follow strict regulations as a requirement of their business. Failure to do so can result in substantial fines, even if environmental damage or personal injury does not occur as a result of a spill.
The Protection of the Environment Operations Act of 1997 outlines the key guidelines that businesses must follow, however, each state has their own legislation and authorities. Additionally, Work Health and Safety regulations, particularly Section 357, states:
- The person must ensure that the spill containment system provides for the clean-up and disposal of a hazardous chemical that spills or leaks and any resulting effluent.
It is important when your business needs to regularly handle or transport fluids that could result in a spill that you consult your state’s legislation regarding the clean-up and containment regulations of liquid spills so that you comply with the law.
Summary
Having a spill kit on site when your business is involved in using or transporting liquids is not only mandatory by Australian law, it also means that your business can quickly and effectively respond should an accident take place. Establishing the right procedures and effectively training staff not only means faster recovery after a liquid spill, it means minimised damage to property, a safer environment and happier, more relaxed staff who can work more effectively.
The next step is choosing the right spill kit based on your business’s operations. You can find our full information guide here or you can reach out to a member of our team to have any questions answered by the professionals.