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What Are Spill Kits?

Spill kits are specially designed materials put together to contain and clean up spills of various kinds. Primarily for liquids or fluids that can be hazardous to health or environment, a spill kit can range in size from a bucket to a 50-gallon drum. Depending on the type of material to be contained, the kits are often required by law in certain commercial settings.

  1. Biological

    • Settings such as medical facilities or schools may encounter spills or incidents involving biological materials and bodily fluids. Spill kits for these settings are usually housed in a plastic bucket containing protective gloves and eye wear, trash bags, absorbent materials and an absorbent boom to contain the spill. Once the spill is cleaned, the used clean-up materials are enclosed in the bucket to be disposed of properly.

    General Environmental

    • Household or commercial solvents, cleaning agents, industrial inks or fluids, or food grade liquids that are not considered dangerous health hazards, but pose a risk if spilled, are cleaned and contained with this type of kit. Absorbent materials and protective gear are housed in these kits ranging in size from small bucket size to 50-gallon drums. These are not designed to clean hazardous chemical spills or anything corrosive, but are for general type materials.

    Hazmat

    • Corrosive materials, certain chemicals and industrial-grade liquids require a more serious spill kit. These are housed in yellow containers with yellow disposal materials to indicate a hazard. Deactivating materials, such as powders or solids designed to stop chemical burns, are often part of these kits, as well as more heavy-duty absorbent materials and protective gear. These require more training and special handling than a typical spill kit and often teams trained in their use must be called to handle hazmat spills.

    Oil Only

    • In situations where oil may be spilled or is present, an oil only spill kit needs to be in place and employed in case of an accident. Oil is thick and viscous and requires particular type of absorbent materials and handling. Spill kits that are in bags for mobility, large carts or in drums are common for this type of use. Oil is generally a concern as it needs to be contained so as not to contaminate the environment where it is spilled and pose a hazard to humans and animals in the vicinity.

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