Making The Transportation Of Fuel, Oil, And Chemicals Safer

Nowadays, employees work all over the place – not just in one single building. While many workers still reside in a single garage, workshop, or office location, others travel the country transporting essential tools and goods all over America. While workplace safety standards are certainly important for those in a building, it’s imperative that there are also policies in place for those who transport dangerous materials – such as fuel, oil, and chemicals. Those who operate the big rigs carrying these materials sometimes fall under the radar. It’s easy to overlook the safety of an employee who you don’t see often. However, these drivers are a valuable part of your team and, as such, must be prepared for emergencies, the same as your on-site workers. Most transportation employees do their jobs in trains, trucks, tankers or pipelines. While each of these methods have their own pros and cons, one thing is the same across the board – all of them, in an emergency, have the potential to accidentally release oil, chemical, or fuel spills into the environment. With this in mind, there are two major safety steps any company that transports these goods must take. 1. Make Time To Properly Train Your Workers. Don’t skip out on educating your employees on how to properly handle a spill situation. Accidents can happen, even to the most experienced of staff members. Because of this, it’s always important to train your workers so that they know how to control a bad situation. This skill may even come in handy if local authorities near a potential spill or accident are not properly equipped to handle the situation themselves. 2. Equip Your Workers With The Proper Equipment. Depending on what your employee is hauling, proper equipment can mean anything from a comprehensive response plan to a simple spill kit; most rudimentary spill kits will include some type of absorbent product, a sturdy broom or shovel, and contractor bags. However, a more comprehensive package could include hazmat suits, safety gloves, and goggles. Ultimately, no matter what they’re hauling, all transportation employees should have the equipment necessary to efficiently clean any sized oil, chemical, and fuel spill in the event of an emergency. After deciding what your business needs in a spill kit, the rest comes down to making the purchase decisions. There are a lot of options out there, but we recommend including SpillFix products in any spill kit; made from coconut husks, SpillFix offers a renewable resource-based cleaning product that promises not to cause any damage during a cleanup in an emergency or after it’s disposed. SpillFix also works far better than the average clay-based absorbent, absorbing any spilled liquid to actually stopping liquid in its path down an incline. With the right training and the right tools, your company’s employees can be the first responders to the scene of an accident – and could even potentially keep that accident from becoming even bigger. Don’t wait: make sure that safety training, lists, and spill kits are as up to date as possible today for all of your employees, on- and off-site.