Any workplace that handles chemicals or hazardous materials must have a sufficient number and type of spill kits on hand. The kits must contain a sufficient amount of supplies to control and/or cleanup spills of the various hazardous chemicals that are on-site. Your facility may need to stock several different types of spill kits if there is a variety of chemicals on-site.

Kits Must Be Easy To Identify

The kits should be located near the chemical storage areas and must be easily accessible. If acids are in one place, there should be an Acid Neutralizing Spill Kit in that same area. If one kit will not be sufficient, then more must be readily available nearby. The spill kits must be clearly marked and easy to identify by all employees. MSDS information sheets on the stored chemicals must also be quickly available for the use of all employees. If some employees do not speak English, then MSDS information should be provided for them in a language that is easily understood.

A Variety Of Sizes Are Available

Spill kits must be easy to identify and must clearly state the chemicals that they can control. There are a variety of spill kits available today and they come in a wide range of sizes, ranging from small kits to supplies in a 5 gallon bucket to a 50 or 95 gallon drums for large spills. You can purchase spill control materials in kits, in a larger bag, in a box on a wheeled caddy, or a small container, which is compact enough to fit into a truck cab. 

There Are Many Different Kinds Of Spill Kits

• Universal Kits
• Acid Neutralizing Kits
• Base Neutralizing Kits
• Kits to Handle Solvents
• Mercury Clean Up Kits
• Battery Acid Control and Cleanup Kits
• Kits to handle chemical based spills
• Kits designed to control and cleanup spills of fuels, lubricants, and hydrocarbons

Spill Kit Contents

Spill kits should contain absorbent materials and may have spill containment socks, absorbent pads, and a drain blocker. They may also include neutralizer material, cleanup supplies, disposal bags, MSDS information, and instructions on the use of the kit. The supplies should be adequate to control the potential volume of a spill.

There may be Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the kit, depending upon the nature of the chemicals that are being stored. If PPE is included, there should be:

• Goggles
• Gloves
• Respirators
• Disposable protective chemical resistant suits, jackets or pants - Tyvek Suits & Tychem Suits
  
• Boots or shoe covers 

It is the employer’s responsibility to provide sufficient type and numbers of PPE to protect employees and enable them to deal with the spill safely.

Employee Training

Any employee who works with or around hazardous chemicals or materials must know:

• Where the chemicals or materials are stored
• How to detect a spill
• How to use a spill kit
• How to use PPE

Failure to use a spill kit properly and quickly may result in injury, illness, fire or explosion, contamination of the environment and property damage.