When a non-haz spill occurs, it’s instinct to go and clean up immediately. Before starting the cleaning process, take a step back and acknowledge what you’re cleaning and the process your facility has in place to deal with it.
Inform Employees and Authorities of the Hazard and Control the Source
Once a spill is identified, notify other employees of the hazard immediately so they are aware and stay away from the designated spill area. It’s crucial to keep employees who are not trained for spills away from the area. Approaching a spill can be hazardous to them and their health if they are not trained on proper spill response and the appropriate personal protection equipment (PPE) for the job.
Trained responders can identify risks associated with the spilled material. If someone is involved with the spill, it is instinct to help them. However, trained responders know not to rush to help someone who may have been involved with the spill; it could be dangerous to them and their health. It is important to control the source of the spill to ensure the issue does not worsen. Assess the source of the issue and work first to alleviate that particular issue.
Contain the Hazard & Clean the Spill
After controlling the source, take steps to prevent the hazard from spreading to other building areas. The spilled material could expand across the facility, causing a bigger mess. When containing a spill, it’s important to first cover the floor drains to prevent spills from leaving the area, which could result in more significant damage to the building’s infrastructure.
There are a variety of spill confinement techniques. Depending on the situation, containing the hazard starts with confining the spill to a small area using an oil absorbent mat from your spill kit or overlapping absorbent socks. Creating a dam ring around the spill with absorbent socks is the preferred method for most facilities. Then, once dammed up, fill the middle of the spill with absorbent matting to soak up the non-hazardous fluids. Once saturated, dispose of the absorbent material in your recycler’s containers so that the items can be properly recycled. Lastly, the floor may still be slippery from the residual fluids. Mopping or utilizing a floor scrubber may be needed to ensure the floor is not slippery, depending on fluid and flooring type. Once the fluid has been cleaned up, the recyclable absorbent material saturated with fluids have been recycled and the floor has been tested to ensure it is not still hazard, you can communicate an end to the hazard to employees.
Reflect on Your Spill Management Procedure
Every facility should have a coordinated SPCC plan (Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure). This includes maintaining a library of SDS for all fluids on site, and effective communication, mitigation, and response plans for spills. Lastly, does your SPCC plan work well with industrial recycling goals for waste minimization?