The 10 Rules Of Effective Spill Response: An Infographic
Just how prepared is your worksite for a spill?
You can purchase and stock as many personalized spill kits as you want, but until employees and employers alike have developed an effective spill response plan and technique, the answer to that question is, “Not at all.”
Why? Because dealing with spill cleaning tools can be fairly well summarized by an old cliché: “It’s not what you have but how you use it.” While not entirely true – the absorbent product and tools you use to clean your mess do matter – this old saying does highlight how even a poor product being used well will outperform a good product being used improperly.
We’re not the only ones saying so, either. According to the EPA, “The key to effectively combating spills is careful selection and proper use of the equipment and materials best suited to the type of oil and the conditions at the spill site.” Depending on the type of spill being dealt with, skipping one single important spill response step could quickly lead to your company wasting precious spill cleaning resources while simultaneously barely cleaning any of the spill. When this happens, your company is more likely to experience serious issues, while a properly handled spill could be a relatively mundane event.
For example:
- Without the proper safety gear, a spill can quickly became an expensive accident due to workers compensation.
- Without an understanding of who is in charge of what, conflicting orders can create chaos when a singular, united response is needed.
- If workers don’t know where spill response gear is stored, precious seconds and even minutes will be wasted in the scramble to locate them.
- In some situations even neutralizing products like SpillFix can’t fully decontaminate an area after a spill. Companies need to fully prepare to do more than clean a spill if the material poses additional risks even after its clean-up.
- Spills can’t be swept under the rug – they need to be reported and properly documented. Do you know what information you’ll need to gather before making this call?