Safety 101: Do You Need Spill Kits for Your Small Business?
If you’re a small business, it is completely understandable that your immediate priorities for budget allocations revolve around your daily operational expenses as well as investments for growth opportunities.
During this time, your focus is on getting your business off the ground with a commitment to focus on everything else later. However, if you’re in the industrial industry, putting safety precautions at the back of your priority list, may cause premature problems.
With this, prevention will definitely work better than a cure. Instead of having to focus a lot of your time and money on creating various safety processes, training and the like, you may just first invest in one thing: a spill kit for your business.
Let’s dive into the benefits below!
What are Spill Kits?
If you are a business that handles industrial work, chemicals and oils, spill kits should be at the top of the list of things you should invest in.
Spill kits are ready-made sets of tools and supplies created to deal with different types of spills. When do you use these spill kits? During spill emergencies.
Spill kits come in different sizes to cater to small or big chemical spills. You can always choose different sizes of spill kits depending on how big or small your enterprise is. They usually come with absorbent pads, socks, disposal bags, and personal protective equipment (PPE). These kits are put together for fast use to stop spills from spreading and causing harm.
The Benefits of a Spill Kit For Your Business
Workplace Safety
If you think you don’t need a spill kit yet since you’re just a small business and you really won’t be handling large amounts of liquids yet — it may not be the wisest decision. Even small spills can cause serious damage if not dealt with quickly.
Hazardous spills, especially, can lead to workplace injuries, environmental harm, and fines for breaking local safety rules. When you have spill kits ready, you will have the tools needed to handle spills right away, create a safer work environment and reduce harm to the environment.
Business Compliance
Another reason to invest in spill kits is to make sure your business follows environmental laws.
In Australia, businesses must manage spills properly to prevent contamination of water, soil, and public areas. Not doing so can lead to large fines and harm your business’s reputation. Spill kits provide a quick and efficient way to contain and clean up spills while meeting environmental rules and not breaking any law.
Types of Spill Kits
After we learn about the benefits you can take advantage of with spill kits, let’s take a look at the different types of spill kits available, so you can help choose the right one for your business. Here’s a quick overview of the most common types:
General Purpose Spill Kits
These general purpose spill kits are used for managing non-hazardous liquids such as water, oils, and coolants. They are suitable for a variety of industries and are typically found in workshops, warehouses, and retail stores.
Oil-Only Spill Kits
These oil-only spill kits are specialised for oil and hydrocarbon spills and are ideal for environments where oils need to be separated from water, as they repel water while absorbing oils.
Chemical Spill Kits
Designed to handle hazardous chemicals, these kits are essential for businesses working with solvents, acids, or other corrosive materials. They contain materials resistant to chemical damage.
Factors to Consider When Choosing Your Spill Kit
The size and type of spill kit for your business depends on several things, such as the kind of liquids or chemicals you work with, the size of your workspace, and the potential risk of spills.
Keep these factors in mind when evaluating your spill control requirements:
Volume of Hazardous Materials
If your business frequently handles large quantities of liquids or hazardous materials, larger spill kits with higher absorption capacities will be necessary.
Workplace Layout
Spill kits should be placed in easily accessible locations where spills usually occur. Consider where spills usually happen, such as near loading docks, storage areas, or production lines.
Type of Hazardous Materials
Tailor your spill kit to the specific liquids or chemicals you handle. For example, if your business uses oils and coolants, an oil-only spill kit may be the most appropriate choice.
The bottom line is spill kits are crucial for any small business that handles liquids, chemicals, or oils. They protect your workplace, employees, and the environment from the risks of spills. By choosing the right spill kit and training your team how to use it, you can prevent costly problems from uncontrolled spills.
Ready to Invest in Your Workplace Safety?
Regardless of whether your business is big or small, a spill kit is an investment that can save your business from serious financial, legal, and environmental issues.
Ecospill provides various spill kit packages for different organisational sizes — this makes sure our kits are able to handle your needs as a business that is just starting out.
Visit our website to see more products we offer, or contact our team for a spill kit servicing. Get your business started the right way with Ecospill!