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Every factory or industrial site that uses hazardous chemicals needs to have a spill response procedure in place should there be a spill. Spills of hazardous or toxic substances can be extremely dangerous, so the right equipment needs to be used, and employees need to be trained in the latest spill response techniques.

Some of the different absorbent products used to soak up spilled liquids include:

Absorbent pads

Absorbent pads are easy to handle and easy to use. They come in different volume soaking capacities, with chemical pads capable of soaking up between around 0.5 litres and around 1 litre of spilled fluid.

Absorbent pillows

Absorbent pillows can soak up more spilled liquid than an absorbent pad and are extremely versatile, being easy to use in an emergency to soak up a liquid spill. Chemical absorbent pillows can soak up around 4 litres of spilled fluid.

Absorbent socks

Absorbent socks don’t just soak up a spilled liquid; they can also act as an absorbent barrier preventing a spill spreading to a controlled area. Chemical absorbent socks come in different lengths and are capable of absorbing around 4 litres to 8 litres of spilled liquid depending on the length of the sock.

Many applications still use single skinned storage tanks to store heating fuel or oil. However, the oil storage regulations 2001 are quite stringent in which applications they can be used.

Single skinned fuel storage tanks cannot be used when:

• The tank is situated within 10 metres of a controlled water supply

• The tank is situated within 50 metres of a bore hole, well or spring

• The capacity of the tank needs to be in excess of 2,500 litres

• Spillages could run into controlled waters over the ground

There are however a wide range of applications where single skinned tanks are appropriate for use.

When buying a single skinned tank, it’s important to find out what extras come with the tank as standard. Things to look for include a filter and shut off valve. Some tanks even come with an ultrasonic digital content’s gauge and forklift access points, for initial fitting of the tank.

It’s important to remember that single skinned tanks do not come with bunds. If you are in any doubt regarding the type of storage tank you require to comply with the oil storage regulations 2001, you should always contact your storage tank supplier to confirm the tank is suitable for your application.

An oil spill off India’s western coast has caused concern for environmentalists. The spill happened last week when a merchant ship, the MV Rak, sank off the Mumbai coast.

The Indian coastguard and pollution authorities are now in the middle of a clean up operation to remove the oil slick before it causes damage to the coastline.

All crew members from the ship were rescued before it sank with India’s Navy helping local coastguards.

A defence ministry release stated:

"Since Saturday night, oil has been observed leaking from the sunken vessel at an approximate rate of 1.5 to 2 tonnes per hour. The oil has spread to about seven nautical miles [eight miles] around the vessel,"

The spill had been described as minor and should no pose no threat to the country’s coastline. However, environmentalist Debi Goenka stated:

"It is quite close to the shoreline and there is not much distance separating the oil from the beaches and mangroves. Since this is the breeding season, this is the most vulnerable time of the year,"

The leak is the third such occurrence off the Indian coast in the last year. Just last January, 25,000 barrels of oils leaked from an oil and gas pipeline and last August two ships collided resulting in 500 tonnes of oil leaking into the Arabian Sea.

It’s important for any industrial site to make provisions for the capture of spilled liquids from drums, IBCs or any other liquid containing device. Bunded spill pallets are the perfect way to do this. The bunded pallet sits underneath the drum or IBC and any drips, leaks or accidental spills can be contained.

IBC spill pallets

IBC spill pallets are available in a wide range of sizes and styles and are made from either steel, polyethylene or reinforced plastic. Most IBC spill pallets have a bund capacity of 110% the volume capacity of the IBC, so even if all the liquid contents were to spill from the IBC, the liquid would be contained and not affect the surrounding area.

Bunded workfloor

For those sites that need to store a large quantity of drums, drum workfloors are an apt solution. Bunded workfloors can clip together to create a large surface area, and being lightweight they can be moved around the work area to create the drum storage solution you require.

Some bunded spill pallets have forklift pockets so the bunds and the drums can be easily transported. And, being UV stabilized and chemical resistant, they are suitable for containing oils and chemicals in line with the 2001 oil storage regulations.

Every industrial site that uses oil drums or other hazardous liquid storage drums needs to make provision to store the drums safely. A spill from one of these drums can cause injury to your site personnel and also damage the environment.

In the past health and safety regulations were not as strict and it was common to see oil drums left at various locations around a factory so their contents could be used when needed. However, this is most definitely not the case any longer. Oil drums or fuel drums now have to be stored in a dedicated location which is accessible by only authorised personnel.

To keep your oil drums organised and facilitate the containment of a spill should one occur, there are now various oil drum storage solutions available. When drums are stored correctly, any drips, spills or leaks from a drum can be contained.

Drum racking systems which use containment bunds to catch spills are an apt solution. New drum racking systems will comply with the oil storage regulations 2001 and can support a number of drums, making the storage and dispensing of the liquid contained within the drum easy.

It’s important that every industrial site takes the collection of waste seriously. Recycling is everyone’s responsibility, right from domestic establishments up to the largest factories. And to achieve a good recycling performance, people have to be educated on what is and what isn’t recyclable.

Most people at home now have a number of different coloured bins in which they dispose of general waste, paper waste, glass or plastic bottles and even food waste or garden waste. Unfortunately industry is slow to catch on to this trend and many sites still dispose of all their waste together. However – there is a solution to this.

There is now a wide range of different industrial wheelie bins available which come in a huge array of sizes and colours to cope with various types of waste. All these bins can be used with the compactors you have on site or the compacting machines used by waste collection operatives and most feature easy to use push or pull handles and are fitted with wheels.

Wheelie bin colours available include grey, blue, red, yellow, brown and green so all your recyclables can be sorted before collection. The bins are made from heavy duty polyethylene or durable stainless steel for added strength and can go a long way to improve your site’s environmental credentials.

It’s not just important to have the right spill absorbents available to soak up a hazardous spilled liquid. It’s also really important to have spill containment solutions in place, so the spill does not further contaminate the surrounding area.

There’s an increased emphasis on health and safety nowadays, and for this reason it’s really important that all the substances you use on site are risk assessed. This will highlight where potential risks exist, either by the substance coming into contact with a person or by it affecting the surrounding area.

Spill containment products encompass all those items which stop a spill from causing damage to the surrounding area. They either actively catch drips or leak, or they prevent a spill liquid spreading. Some spill containment products include spill pallets and bunds, booms, drip trays and drum funnels. Of these items drip trays are perhaps the most well known but the others are continuing to be used with increasing frequency all the time.

Each of the above devices reduces the potential for a harmful spill further damaging the environment. And so all these devices should be looked at by the industrial user as methods to comply with the latest health and safety legislation.

All employers need to assess the potential for risk in every job that their employees do. COSHH regulations make every site which uses dangerous materials perform a risk assessment on using that substance, even if it is used infrequently.

It’s actually law that companies who have more than five staff need to perform a risk assessment before any of these hazardous materials can be used. Companies with fewer than five members of staff still need to be aware of the potential risk to employees however, and have to make some form of note of the steps they have taken to reduce the risk of exposure to employees. Many companies haven’t done anything like this before, so the HSE have laid out steps to follow on their website.

It’s always worth asking the supplier of your dangerous goods or substances if they have the relevant information about the substance, as this can play a major role in completing your risk assessment. You can then work out a schedule of work if any employee needs to come into contact with this substance. This may necessitate some sort of training need, such as spill control training, so employees know what to do if an accident happens.

Water storage is critical for those industrial premises or agricultural sectors who need to store water.

Water storage tanks are available in many different types but all have to be heavy duty so are able to withstand the tough weather conditions the UK sees at all times of the year.

Polyethylene tanks are rust free and easy to maintain, which makes them popular among farming and engineering industries.

Horizontal water tanks

Horizontal water tanks usually have integrated mounting points in the base of the tank so can be fixed to a flat surface. Most of these tanks are manufactured in a colour which keeps the water cool and come with a five year guarantee.

Sump water tanks

Sump water tanks are slightly different than horizontal water tanks in terms of the way the tank is constructed. It is still made from durable polyethylene but the tank also has an integral sump allowing the tank contents to be drained easily. Sump tanks also come with galvanised steel mounting frames for ease of installation.

Flat bottom water tanks

Flat bottom water tanks are durable and robust and because they come in a range of different sizes, can fit into any space you have on site. The tanks feature access points at the top and are made from polyethylene so can be relied upon for many years.