Even with the strictest protocols and most careful processes, worksite accidents can occur from time to time.

Industrial sites like factories are especially prone to this, as these facilities are rife with chemicals, machinery, and liquid substances that are reactive and distinct from the common safe compounds we encounter on a daily basis.

One such accident that can occur is a spillage. Depending on the substance and severity of the leak, each incident may need to undergo a different spill management process.

Regardless of the characteristics surrounding the spillage, dealing with it should be top of mind for worksite supervisors. Staff safety and the continuity of the operations depend on it.

If you’re currently dealing with a spill site, or are looking to reduce spill incidents, read on. This article will cover a few essential steps for effectively managing spills on work sites. It’ll also touch on how site owners can prevent spills from happening in the first place.

Let’s hop right into it!

1. Create a Spill-Proof Environment

The best way to deal with spills is to avoid them in the first place. If you’re one of the few facility owners who hasn’t experienced a major spillage in their premises yet, then consider yourself lucky. But luck won’t ever beat following the best principles to contain spills.

Creating a spill-proof environment is all about sealing liquid substances properly. If you’re working with chemicals and hazardous liquids, ensure that they’re covered with the appropriate lid to avoid accidental spills.

Furthermore, inform your staff (or anyone who may come into contact with the liquid) to be careful around the substance. Put up labels surrounding the liquid good that clearly inform others what the container contains.

On top of that, if the liquid substance flows through machinery, be sure to regularly maintain the piping and container. Assess its effectiveness and sturdiness at least once a year. 

You may get in touch with a mechanic to perform this inspection, and if anything is found to be out of place, then you should urgently take appropriate action to address the concern before it negatively manifests.

By proactively putting up these spill safety protocols, you can greatly reduce the risk of spill incidents happening. This, in turn, can keep your equipment and facility safe and ensure the continuity of operations without interruptions.

2. Stop the Spill Source

If the spillage is ongoing, your first priority should be to stop the source immediately. That is assuming that it is safe for you to do so.

Handling the spillage can entail different tasks. You could either shut off valves, block leaking pipes with cloth, turn over containers, or press the right buttons in a machine. 

In any case, it’s important to act with urgency to ensure that the spillage stops flowing. However, if it’s not safe to stop the leak, then you have to equip the right protective gear before attempting to control it. This may mean wearing a mask or gloves—or the entire protective equipment.

By stopping the spillage promptly, you can lessen the impact of the spillage and be able to control its aftermath with haste and better effectiveness.

3. Identify Spill Characteristics

Having an extensive list of safety precautions can help minimise the risk of spillages happening, but it’s not an absolute safety guarantee. There may be incidents where a spill may still occur without anyone expecting it to.

Instead of starting a blame game, focus your and your team’s efforts on dealing with the spillage quickly. Time could be of the essence if the spillage is not your typical water or oil container.

Look at the liquid’s characteristics and its pertinent container. Hands-on supervisors may be able to quickly glean what type of chemical has spilled, but if you’re not 100% sure, then you can always ask the person in charge of the area what the specific substance may be.

Identifying a single, spilled liquid isn’t all you have to do. Look at whether there have been multiple spillages or any noteworthy exposures. Chemical reactions may be taking place before you, and the worst of them can be a serious health hazard.

Once you’ve identified the spillage, label the liquid as either non-reactive, toxic, corrosive, or flammable. You should be aware of the liquid’s properties beforehand, or have access to it, particularly if you’re dealing with a hazardous chemical. 

For reference, you can typically find a chemical’s properties in the safety data sheet (SDS) that these chemicals come with upon purchase. The information you gather can help you perform the next steps of the cleanup appropriately and safely.

4. Secure the Room and Protect Yourself

If you’re dealing with a spillage of a hazardous chemical, then it’s important to keep its particular properties in mind before containing it. You don’t want to put yourself and others at unnecessary risk by standing too close to it without the right protection.

To secure the area, start by evacuating non-essential personnel away from the spillage. Make sure that the windows and doors are sealed if you’re dealing with a harmful chemical to ensure that no fumes exit the area. 

Once no one’s around, enter the scene geared in personal protective equipment (PPE). Ensure you’re properly equipped with gloves, respirators, masks, and a full-on suit before attempting to approach the spillage.

As soon as you’re geared up and everyone has evacuated, you can start with the spill containment procedure.

5. Contain the Spill with Chemical Spill Kits

Once you’ve verified the room’s safety, you can deal with the spillage with peace of mind and safety. Then, the next step is to contain the spill and remove it from the surface that it’s currently on.

There are multiple ways to contain spillages—all of which depend on the nature of the spilled substance. If you’re dealing with non-reactive liquids like water, then you can just wipe it down with a rag and transfer it to a container.

However, for more delicate chemicals, the approach will be much more nuanced. 

For instance, if you’re dealing with an oil spill, you should use chemical spills kits for oil substances. For hazardous chemicals, you should also use a dedicated spill kit equipped with absorbent pads and disposal bags designed for quick containment.

In either case, you’ll have to lay down the absorbent pad and allow some time to pass for it to soak. Then, you dispose of them in a designated disposal bag. Don’t lump the waste together with your general waste—put it in a hazardous products bin.

Ideally, you should have these spill kits within reach of places where hazardous chemicals may spill. This way, you can act quickly in case a sudden spillage occurs, thus lowering its impact on the entire building.

6. Decontaminate and Derisk the Area

Soaking the spillage down with an absorbent pad and cleaning the affected surface with a rag isn’t the end of it. The final and most critical step is to decontaminate the area.

If a chemical or multiple chemicals have spilled in the area, then use the appropriate neutralising agent or cleaning product to fully remove traces of it that may persist from the initial cleanup. 

As a general rule of thumb, for instance, acid spills would require an alkaline neutraliser, while solvents may need a specialized cleaner.

Furthermore, ensure all surfaces, tools, and equipment in the affected area are properly cleaned and any traces of the chemical are fully removed. Make sure the area is well-ventilated once done.

By doing this, you’ll keep your environment safe and hazard-free. This will give everyone in the facility a feeling of safety and enhanced productivity.

We hope this article will help you in the event of a worksite spillage.