​Secondary Spill Containment with Spillkit.com

A secondary spill containment plan can be daunting to put into place. Perhaps your facility needs one unit for just a few drums, or a complex medley of products to ensure your facility is compliant with industry standards. Here is a quick review that is sure to offer some insight to help you choose, build, design and install as per your facility's needs.

Primary Containment vs Secondary Containment

Before we jump into secondary containment, let’s quickly outline the differences between Primary and Secondary.

Primary containment is considered to be the packaging that is holding a liquid, or solvent. For the purpose of this particular article, we will omit smaller containers. We can acknowledge that although a small bottle filled with a caustic liquid could be a nuisance if spilled, it will likely not cause an instrumental disaster. Instead, let’s focus our attention on those that range from 55-gallon drums, to medium to large totes, to enormous tanks holding hundreds of gallons of liquid inside.

Secondary containment is a system or device that is used to control any leakage from the primary container, in order to mitigate the potential mess or hazard that it may cause. Spillkit.com offers a range of secondary containment products that include Spill Pallets, Spill Decks, IBC Tote Spill Pallets, and both L-Bracket and Snap up Berms.

Because everyone’s facility and environments are different, the EPA and OSHA do not specifically outline what constitutes a secondary containment system. However, they do provide guidelines on the spill volume that needs to be contained and what the secondary containment system must be capable of doing. You can find additional information on these regulations here.

Who needs Secondary Containment?

If your facility is either storing or using hazardous materials or waste in a large capacity, chances are you’re in need of a secondary containmentsystem. In terms of size, as we alluded to earlier, you can think of drums, totes or tanks. 

As for the types of chemicals, a good rule of thumb to follow is to focus your attention on the solvents that have the capability of causing harm or damage to people or the environment should a significant amount be spilled. All liquids used or stored in your facility will have an SDS sheet, you can use this information, combined with the amount of liquid that is present to determine whether or not you are in need of a larger containment system. 

The regulations that Osha and EPA have put in place can help determine whether your facility requires this type of containment; you can find that information here.

In any case, hazardous or not, we can all agree that large spills of any kind of liquid, have the potential to cause a disruption to your business, and can increase the risk of accidents.

Furthermore, if the discharge involves a harmful chemical or hazardous solvent, it could bring forth substantial fines from OSHA, the CSPP and the EPA.

Although the use and management of a secondary containment system may not always be required, it is considered a best practice to use this method wherever a substantial leak or spill could occur. Having a predetermined area to capture potential discharge will inevitably save your facility both time and money.

Choosing the Right System

Here are 3 points to consider when choosing your secondary containment system:

1. Material/ Chemicals in Primary Container

The material should be chemically compatible with the liquids housed in the primary containers. Spillkit.com offers a variety of materials to ensure that it will withhold the chemicals. Our standard products are made with LLDPE (Linear Low-Density PolyEthylene). However, depending on your needs, we can also manufacture using Geoloy, XR, PTFF, and 8123 ULT. Call our customer service department for more information.

2. Capacity

Your containment system “must have sufficient capacity to contain 10% of the volume of containers or the volume of the largest container, whichever is greater” -Ref (b) (3) Containment, EPA 40CFR264.175. Spillkit.com offers a myriad of choices to match the capacity of your containment needs.

3. Drainage

The primary units should either rest on a grate system or a unit that slopes to ensure that leaked liquids do not pool around the base. All of our Spill Pallets and Spill Decks ensure that liquids pool in the sump, and are specifically designed to quickly and easily remove spilled or leaking liquid.

Ready to build your secondary containment system?

Spillkit.com offers an innovative spill containment series expertly designed and engineered to help your facility maintain environmental compliance, without breaking the bank.

Our product range includes Spill Pallets,Spill Decks, IBC Tote Spill Pallets, and both L-Bracket and Snap up Berms. (Click on each to visit our web pages for more information and product specifications).

Need help choosing which is right for your needs? Contact us and our team of experts will be happy to assist!

You can fill out our intake form here, or contact us via phone or email.

Phone: (800) 778-8154 E-Mail: support@SpillKit.com