​Choosing the Right Spill Kit

Whether your work environment is a manufacturing facility, food service, construction, transport, or a warehouse, chances are the need to use spill kits or sorbents to clean up leaks or a major spill will arise.

With so many options available, we here at Spillkit.com would like to offer some quick tips to ensure you’re purchasing the proper kit that will suit your needs, and your surroundings, and will maximize your preparedness for any mess that comes your way.

The first step in choosing the right kit is to make a full assessment of the environment or facility in which the kit will be used.

From the front door to the back dock, doing a complete walk-around ensures you don’t miss any potential risks.

The key aspects to consider include:

Identifying problem areas: A full evaluation of your facility/workplace helps establish a spill plan for every possible scenario. Mapping out the multiple locations where a leak or spill can occur is the first step in ensuring you have the right gear.

Identifying all types of liquids: From your machinery to the raw materials used in production, every liquid housed within your facility should have a spill plan. Spillkit.com offers sorbents for oil-based products as well as caustic/hazardous materials. Knowing what you have in your work environment is key to making sure your clean up process is safe.

Accessibility: When mapping out the different areas where a spill or leak could happen, it’s important to note the surrounding environment. Is it in an open warehouse where one or two larger wheeled kits could be stored and easily moved around? Or are there multiple rooms that have limited access that house potential risks? If it’s the latter, multiple smaller kits stationed close to each work area may be needed. Spillkit.com provides a variety of styles that are easily stored, highly visible, and ready for any situation.

Ready to check them out? Click here.

Need more information before shopping? Keep reading!

Like fire extinguishers, eyewash stations and first aid kits, spill kits should be located where they are likely to be used. They should be easily accessible and well-marked.

The second step involves choosing the right size.

Generally, a spill kit should have sufficient absorption capacity for the largest spill possible that the responders on-site are trained to handle.

Here are a few questions to ask to help you decide which size you may need.

• Will spills be managed by a single spill kit or multiple kits throughout the facility?
• What is the largest spill possible (worst-case scenario)?
• What is the most likely spill/leak to occur? This can/will vary in different areas of the facility.
• What is the accessibility or space to store them?

Different formats include;

Portable – For smaller spill prevention and cleanup, portable spill kits are often in small nylon bags, clear zipper bags, or a 5-gallon pail. The containment ranges from 5-25 gallons of the contained fluid

Overpack – Overpack spill kits are UN-rated drum spill kits, ranging in size from 20 gal to 95 gal containers. These can soak up to 100 gallons of fluid in their larger sizes. Drums are designed to be stationary, and left in a known, common area for workers ease of access

Wheeled – A larger-sized spill kit with wheels, these kits have a variety of containers that have a capacity to absorb up to 258 gallons of a spill. A spill rarely occurs directly next to where a kit is positioned, so wheeled kits provide tremendous value in an emergency situation.

Most spill kits can be stored both indoors or outdoors. However, when stored outdoors, it’s important to choose a kit that is weather-tight and shields the absorbents from UV degradation. Check out our options here.

The third step in purchasing a kit is to consider the liquid that may leak/spill.

As mentioned above, if you have identified multiple types of liquids, your facility may need several kinds of kits.

Although most chemicals can be absorbed using Universal pads, socks and pillows, some instances may require Oil-Only or Hazmat sorbents.

Here is a quick rundown of the most popular Absorbents.

Universal Absorbents – Highly versatile absorbents that are typically gray in colour and are used in almost all industries. Universal sorbents will absorb all liquids, including water and oil-based liquids.

Oil-Only Absorbents – The most common colour for oil-only absorbents is white. They are widely used for oils and hydrocarbons, but are hydrophobic. Because they are hydrophobic, they do not absorb water and are ideal in outdoor applications for absorbing oil from water.

Aggressive / Chemical Absorbents – Also known as Hazmat sorbents, they are yellow in colour and are universal in their absorption capabilities. The yellow colour of the sorbents provides a visual indicator to people that a hazardous chemical is present. They are best used for unknown, toxic, flammable, corrosive, and chemical substance spills.

Last but not least, the contents of your spill kit.

When it comes to spills, we know that not every mess can be treated equally. That’s why we made it our mission at SpillKit.com to provide a wide range of application-specific kits, that are expertly designed for you.

Typical contents include:

Sorbent Pads - For effective absorption, pads are placed directly in contact with the spill

Absorbent Socks – Used first and are placed along the outer perimeter of the spill to prevent the spread of the spill liquid

Pillows – High-absorbent pillows are used to soak up large amounts of fluid

Safety Gear – Often includes nitrile gloves and goggles. Some instances include Tyvek coveralls, face mask, and protective boots

Disposal Bag - Collect and hold absorbed liquids for proper disposal

Choosing the right kit that will suit your needs and your environment can be daunting, given the variety of options available to peruse at your fingertips. We hope the above information was useful and offered some insight.

Still have questions?

We have a team of trained professionals ready to assist you and answer any questions you may have regarding your spill response plan, kits or accessories! Get to our contacts page here

Our industry-leading experts have spent years engineering the perfect spill kit selection to ensure the best value for our customers. We have worked diligently to take the guesswork out of the equation.

Our comprehensive line of spill kits is ready for all types of spills; From water, oils, to very hazardous materials. Should you be looking to supplement your kit with another type of sorbent, all of the contents are available for purchase individually*.

Every order is shipped free, every time. Check out our TOP SELLERS!

*Pack sizes vary