Spills need not bring your business to a halt if managed correctly. One of the biggest issues we find when we visit customers is the understanding of how to manage a spill effectively.

Understanding your risks

Its crucial you have a detailed understanding of your liquids on site. Consult your safety data sheets to understand risks and applications of liquids on site, as well as any incompatible products.

Providing adequate equipment

Once you understand your risks, providing suitable spill and safety equipment to your team should they be faced with an emergency is essential to protecting people and the environment from harm.

Spill Response Training

The third element which is often overlooked is empowering your team with essential information to handle an emergency spill.

Ensure everyone working with or near the fluids understands the risks. Use signage to highlight any warnings they need to be aware of and highlight their nearest spill kit.

Anyone working with the liquids should understand the risks and undergo training to manage a spill. Training should be carried out by a competent person and should be recorded on personnel records and spill response plans.

Training should include equipment available on site along with instructions of where equipment is kept. Delegates should understand what is in each spill kit, the absorbent equipment available and how to deploy them. Delegates should also understand the essential steps that should be followed in order to protect people and the environment from harm.

We would also recommend giving delegates the opportunity to practice with spill scenarios, having hands on experience of using absorbents to contain a spill, we find, helps cement the understanding required to manage a spill emergency.

Does everyone need to be spill trained?

Anyone who handles liquids on site should have an understanding of spill management but we would suggest, if it suits your business, having a designated spill response team who can manage the whole process. Depending on the size of your business this could be a few team members or a designated spill response team who are located at strategic areas of your site.

Investing in a spill response team, need not be expensive or time consuming and can often be carried out in addition to their normal role. Much like your designated first aid team or fire marshals. Having a specific person or team responsible for spill control ensures the whole process is managed and employees are confident they understand who to contact should an emergency arise.

Training your team in spill response has multiple benefits

Safety of personnel - training equips employees with the skills and knowledge to respond quickly and effectively to spills, minimizing the risk of injury or exposure to hazardous substances

Minimizing Environmental Impact: Training helps employees understand how to contain and clean up spills promptly, reducing the potential for environmental contamination. This is critical in preventing long-term damage to ecosystems, water sources, and wildlife.

Regulatory Compliance. If you are ISO certified, you must be prepared to respond to any potential emergency situations that may arise on site, this will include emergency spill response plans and trained personnel. Failing to comply can result in significant fines, legal action, and damage to the company's reputation.

Protecting Company Assets: Following the correct process for spill response can significantly reduce the costs associated with spill clean up. Trained employees are more likely to prevent the spill from spreading, causing damage to equipment and infrastructure. 

Maintaining Operational Continuity: A well-trained spill response team can address spills quickly, minimizing disruptions to operations. This helps to ensure that the business can continue functioning with minimal interruptions.

Building a Culture of Safety: Regular spill response training increases overall awareness of potential hazards in the workplace, promoting a culture of safety and encouraging proactive measures to prevent spills. It also empowers your employees to feel confident to act in an emergency situation.

Reputation Management: Companies that are prepared for spill incidents demonstrate a commitment to safety and environmental responsibilities, which can enhance their reputation with customers, partners, and the community.

Brand impact - Managing a spill effectively may not make the news, but failing to manage it correctly most certainly will. The negative publicity gained from being ill-prepared for spills, could have irreversible impact on your companies reputation

What spill training is available?

There are a variety of spill training options available from online videos, away days for a spill response team, to in-house training delivered on site to small teams. The training best suited to your needs will depend on rota's, potential downtime and availability of staff required so we would encourage you to explore options available

What training do Spillcraft offer?

We provide training in 3 categories

Essential training - this is a short session covering essential spill response information. This session is ideal for operators and and anyone working with liquids.

Advanced training - this session is more detailed, and delivered to spill response teams, health and safety managers. It includes all of the above information for spill response and also highlights the impacts a spill can have for your business such as environmental regulations and the implications if you cant control a spill.

Train the trainer - this is designed for large businesses where multiple training sessions are required. We train a small team within your business who can deliver the training out into your business at convenient times. We provide equipment and the presentation to deliver to ensure the message is delivered consistently.

All of our training is delivered at your site, we find this is more effective in delegates understand your risks and applying their learning to real life situations. 

For more information about our training options please visit our website or call the team on 01606 352 679