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October 7, 2014

Spills: Clean Them up or Call in the HazMat Team?

Latest posts by Atlantic Research Team (see all)

When oil drips from a hose fitting onto the floor in a production area or a pan that was placed under a leaky drum faucet gets knocked over, workers who have been taught how to safely clean up after themselves often don’t give a second thought to grabbing a handful of paper towels or an absorbent and taking care of the mess. Most wouldn’t even consider these occurrences to be spills. But, are they just as comfortable cleaning up a 20-gallon or even a 100-gallon spill?

Responding to spills sometimes can present hazards that workers don’t face on a daily basis, and not every spill as easily is tackled as the first two scenarios mentioned above. When is a spill just an incident requiring clean up or an emergency requiring a hazmat response?

Incidental or Emergency

Anyone who is tasked with cleaning up a spill needs to understand the hazards it presents and know what precautions need to be taken to safely clean it up. It doesn’t matter if the spill is just a few ounces or if it is 100 gallons. A well-trained worker quickly will be able to assess a situation and know whether to take care of the spill or evacuate.

A first step for workers who could encounter a spill at a facility is to understand the difference between incidental and emergency spills. Incidental spills are the most-common type of spills facilities face. An incidental spill does not pose a substantial hazard to the worker or workers cleaning it up. These spills usually are small quantities of lower-hazard chemicals that do not have the potential to become an emergency in a short time frame.

Read Full Article At Ehstoday.com

Related Hazardous Spills Training DVDs:

Dealing With Hazardous Spills Video or DVD Program

HazMat Help employees who seldom have to face the dangers of a hazardous spill deal with a cleanup situation. View Product

Spill Prevention & Control Insuring A Safer World Training DVD

HazMat Help your employees learn how to prevent and contain oil spills with Spill Prevention & Control. View Product

Accidental Release Measures & Spill Cleanup Procedures DVD

HazMat Assists facilities in complying with the employee training requirements of OSHA’s HAZWOPER regulation. View Product

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