A company’s spill prevention and response plan should
be kept in a central location where it is easily accessible for all employees
to find in a moment’s notice. Every plan should have the following sections:
materials inventory, spills that require special cleanup, facility map,
employee training log, and a spill kit inventor and labeling. The supervisor is
responsible for keeping the employees up to date in training and are familiar
with the procedures as they get updated. After the plan has been fully
implemented it should be maintained annually and should especially be updated
when new chemicals are brought into the workforce. On the plan there should be
a list of people and their phone numbers that are deemed responsible for spill
response planning. There should also be a list of emergency contact numbers
such as the numbers for your local fire department, poison control center,
police department, emergency release and incident reporting line, and the
safety department at the company.
The next item on the list is the clean-up procedures. Only
employees that have gone through the proper training are allowed to clean up
chemical spills, if they are not trained they should find the nearest person
with training. It is vital that the employees use the proper protective
equipment while cleaning up spills. There is a maximum amount of chemical that
an employee is allowed to pick up, in case the amounts are greater than the
maximum they are instructed to call the responders on the emergency contact
list.
When an employee spills a chemical they are instructed
to evacuate the area unless they have training on how to clean it up. When
cleaning up a spill, all cleanup materials should be treated as hazardous
waste. Some materials used for clean-up are: Material Safety Data Sheets,
absorbents, over-pack container, container patch kits, spill dams, shovels,
floor dry, acid/base neutralizers, and “caution-keep out” signs.
Spills are classified in three different sizes: small,
medium and large. A small spill is classified as a spill where the major
dimension is less than 18 inches in diameter and can be handled by trained employees.
Medium and large spills should be determined by the company if they are
appropriate for the employees to clean up or not. Medium and large spills
should be called in to the police and the area should be evacuated. There
should also be a list of all chemicals used and the maximum amounts that are
appropriate for employees to clean up and the proper way to dispose of it. On
the plan there is a list of all materials and spill kits including the quantity
and location of the materials. To make the locations completely clear, there
should be a map of the area where everything is located.
All spills regardless of how small should be reported
and have a form filled out. Spills should be reported to the Facility
Responsible Person and they can decide if the effects of the spill could affect
the environment outside of the facility.
