Choosing the right spill kit

Which Spill Kit is the correct kit for your applications?

Spill Kits comprise of three different sorbent Types, General Purpose, Oil Only, and Chemical. With a huge diversity and array of chemicals used in the workplace today it is important that you have the right sorbent for the right spill. Not matching the right sorbent with the right chemical can be unsafe and costly. So today I would like to take some time to explain kit sorbents and their applications.

The first Kit I would like to talk about is the General Purpose. General purpose sorbents are suitable for the clean-up of most liquids used in factories and workshops with the exception of highly aggressive chemicals. General Purpose or GP sorbents have the benefit of being able to soak up water or water based liquids. These can be handy for absorbing water based paints, coolants, spills leaks or drips of water from machinery, or simply cleaning up water from a leaky roof or a flooded floor. General Purpose sorbents are a good choice as an everyday sorbent when you might not know what liquid you will need to clean-up.

Oil Only sorbents are unique as they have the ability to soak up hydrocarbons (oils) whilst repelling water. This makes these sorbents ideal for marine environments, lakes and dams, or if you are trying to clean hydrocarbons in the rain (makes for a cost effective solution where you see the need to soak only the oil rather than filling the sorbents up with unwanted rain or water). Oil Only sorbents are widely used in mechanic or machinery workshops today as they only have the need to absorb oils. These sorbents are a great alternative to GP if you know you will only need to pick up hydrocarbons.

The last sorbent type Is Chemical. Chemical sorbents are ideal for hazardous liquid clean-up in laboratories or workplaces with aggressive Chemicals. They can be used on a wide range of chemicals, including hydrofluoric acids. Chemical sorbents will soak oils and water based liquids but it might be an over kill if you are not storing chemicals onsite. The added polymer allows it to withstand highly aggressive chemicals and makes it ideal if you are storing, transporting or using corrosive chemicals

Remember some workplaces might need two or even three different types of spill kits on site depending on the types of liquids being transported stored or used on a day to day basis.  

I hope this Blog has helped you decide which kit is the right kit for you. Until next time, stay safe!         

 Click here to download our free reports on SKD Top Tips on What to do in the Event of a Spill and SKD Top Tips on How to Prevent a Spill Occurring in Your Workplace which includes information on Spill Legislation in Australia.