Do your spill kits get used and not replenished? It’s more common than you may think. However, it...
When completing a spill risk assessment, you’ll need to take into consideration what materials would be required to manage an emergency spill of each liquid. Once you’ve specified this and ensured an adequate spill kit is located nearby, it’s important everyone is aware of the specification of the kit to ensure that, once used, it is replenished to the required standard.
Its crucial if you have specified the requirement of a spill kit that it is maintained in case of emergency. Spill kits contain a certain 
amount of absorbents to correspond to the risk highlighted, so if the kit isn’t maintained you may be ill-prepared for an emergency spill.
Having internal procedures for spill kit replenishments is a great solution, and should never result in an empty spill kit. We recommend contents labels and replenishment details in spill kits, so anyone who uses the kit, can see what should be in there, and can easily re-order any replacements.
However, often kits are restocked over time by a variety of people, with various levels of knowledge and expertise, and kits inevitably end up with a mixture of contents (depending on availability), that may not be much use in an emergency.
Why does it happen?
Typically, a kit is specified for specific risk in an area, detailed in risk assessments. However, if this is not common knowledge amongst staff who may use or restock the kit they may not be aware of the required contents. Another potential issue is availability of the stock required, if it’s not easily accessible it may be replaced with a more convenient substitute.
How can we stop it from happening to ensure we are prepared for spills?
Having a detailed contents list located on the kit allows for easy access to the required information, ensure this is clearly visible and easy to understand.
Ensure that the products which may be required are easily available and accessible to anyone who may be responsible for replenishing spill kits.
Set out a specific team who will monitor, report and replenish kits, who are suitably trained to complete the task effectively.
Looking for additional support for spill response?
Understanding the requirements for spill kits that you need on site may be overwhelming, if you need assistance in completing your spill risk assessment please contact our team, and we can discuss the challenges you are facing with our free spill survey.
If you have spill equipment on site but are struggling with maintaining your kits, a managed spill solution may be the solution. Read about how a managed spill solution such as Spill360 can help take the hassle out of spill control for you.
