Managing Spills

Spilt chemicals waste time and money and may result in serious contamination of soil or water and may pose a serious risk to human health.

Although spill prevention is most important ls, you should always be prepared to respond adequately to any spills that might occur.

• Prepare and review your spill management plan and keep in an obvious place.

• Provide and maintain a spill kit of sufficient capacity and content to cope with all types of possible spills at the site, when loading, unloading and transporting materials. Keep the kit in an easily accessible location and re-order used items.

• Train all personnel in spill management and include it in induction training for new personnel.

• Appoint an emergency spill coordinator and deputies who can provide back-up and support.

• Ensure that you have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) on site for all chemicals, outlining clean up procedures and health, safety and environmental issues, and audit them at least annually. Ask suppliers for an MSDS for any samples they offer you.  

Click here to download an Environmental Guidance Note on Managing Spills.