10 Ways to Reduce Spills in the Workplace

Chemical spills in the workplace are dangerous for multiple reasons. Depending on the type of chemical that spills and an employee is exposed to, it can cause burns and irritation to the skin, eyes, lungs, and more. Some chemicals can even cause respiratory organ damage, blindness, or even death. They can also cause employees to slip and injure themselves in a fall. And that’s not all. Chemical spills can also cause harm to the environment, damage company equipment, and cause financial losses. With that in mind, it’s important to create your own spill containment plan for your workplace and find ways you can reduce spills.

Follow these 10 tips to ensure you are taking the precautionary measures necessary to limit the risk of dangerous chemical spills.

One of the most important steps in reducing spills is ensuring the containers you store your chemicals are in are compatible with the chemical. For example, if the chemical is corrosive, you may want to store it in a glass container. This will help mitigate the risk that the chemical will eat through the container and leak.

Make sure all seals on your chemical storage containers are in good condition. These seals help make sure chemicals cannot leak out or won’t spill if the container is tipped over accidentally.

Just like it’s important to ensure the seals on your containers are in good condition, it’s just as important to ensure that your containers themselves are also in good shape. The better shape the containers holding the chemicals are in, the less likely they are to leak and spill their contents.

Following the last two points, it’s extremely important to regularly inspect your equipment and containers, this helps ensure you keep them in good condition, of if they are damaged, you can replace them before any spills occur. When inspecting your equipment and containers, look for the following:

• Equipment in good working condition
• Any leaks or holes in hoses, seams, valves, or containment basins
• Drip marks
• Corrosion
• Cracks
• Gaps
• Discoloration
• Tight connections
• Spraying/ splashing
• Slow drips
• Pooling/ puddling
• Tracking (to other machines/ walkways/ departments)

When putting your chemicals away into storage, be sure that they are stored correctly. These are a few different ways you can safely store your chemicals:

• In locked cupboards and storage areas
• In purpose-built danger goods cabinets with continuous inspection and maintenance of the cabinet
• In bunded trays or purpose-built chemical storage with inbuilt spill retention
• In storage that’s segregated into respective Dangerous Goods Classes
• On shelving that is secured to the wall for maximum stability and fit with raised edges to help prevent chemicals from slipping off the shelf

When you find a good place to store your chemicals, try to place all chemicals, especially heavier containers, as close to the floor as possible, without being directly on the floor. This way, containers are in easy reach of employees and the chance of chemicals being dropped when trying to take them out of storage is minimized. However, it isn’t always possible to store chemicals right near the floor, so a good rule of thumb is to store no higher than eye level.

To help reduce spills, when decanting chemicals, it’s important to have the necessary equipment you need. This can include:

• Automated dispensing units
• Appropriate equipment for decanting chemicals, such as easy pour funnels, trays, containers, and more
• Personal protective equipment, such as gloves, goggles, chemical suits, aprons, and more
• Appropriate equipment to clean up or contain spills

It’s also important to ensure you have a standard procedure for decanting chemicals in place.

Simply put, the less fluid you have in your facility that you use, the less likely you are to spill it. So, coming up with ways you can minimize the volume of fluids generated, or used, at your facility can be a significant help in reducing spills in your workplace. You may try to work with suppliers for well-timed deliveries so there are less fluids sitting in inventory, train employees to reduce inefficiencies, upgrade raw materials to generate less waste, or maybe upgrade your company’s processing equipment.

Be sure all employees who handle the chemicals or work around them are trained in appropriate chemical management as soon as they are hired. This includes how to handle both small and large spills, where to locate the correct equipment for chemical spills and for handling or using chemicals, and how to use the equipment. Ensure everything is also properly labeled and easy to find to help make this easier for employees. Conducting refresher training for employees can also help reduce spills as employees are constantly keeping chemical safety top-of-mind.

It’s very important to have a spill containment plan in place and ensure everyone is aware of what that plan is. While you may do as many things as you can to reduce chemical spills, they unfortunately may still happen. And if they do, it’s best to contain and clean them up as soon as possible. With that in mind, it’s best practice to make sure you have both passive and active spill containment methods in place.

Active spill containment methods are those that require someone to act after the spill occurs. These are helpful in controlling the spill but may have a delayed response. Examples of active spill containment include:

• Putting down drain covers
• Using a spill kit to clean up a spill
• Using mops to clean up a spill
• Putting down a temporary containment wall

As active spill containment methods depend on a person’s response time, it’s also a good idea to have passive spill containment methods to help before active spill containment methods are put in place. Passive spill containment methods are those that are already put in place and ready if a spill were to occur, such as:

• Absorbent mats, pads, and socks lining your machines and storage tanks
• Drip pans or buckets
• Underground storage (spill diversion)
• Absorbent safety floor mats