Using an oil spill kit to control an oil or fuel spillage

Spill kits are designed to provide you with everything you need to quickly deal with a spillage in a portable, compact and easy to access bag. Different versions are available depending upon the nature of the fluid; oil spill kits for oil and petroleum based liquids, maintenance spill kits for pretty much absorbing and fluid and specially designed chemical spill kits.

Oil spill kits like this are designed for dealing with manageable oil and fuel spillages, which can be retained on site and easily dealt with by site staff. However, a significant or dangerous spillage of fluid including petroleum or hazardous chemicals should always be dealt with professionally and the incident reported. For example, a spillage that requires the site, or part of the site to be closed, or where a specialist contractor or the emergency services need to attend.

If you find yourself in a manageable spill situation, you should use your emergency oil spill kit to deal with it via the following steps:

Before you begin dealing with a spill you should start by putting on the necessary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) provided on site by your employer, and warn others of the spill using signage.

If possible immediately stop the source of the spill, and then use the long oil spill socks or booms to contain the spilt fluid and prevent it from spreading any further. When more than one absorbent sock is used they should overlap by approximately 30cm to ensure that there is no gap for the spill to leak out.

When the spillage is contained within a confined area, the absorbent pads should be laid out on top of the fluid. The oil spill pads should be left to absorb the spillage for two to three minutes or until they are fully saturated.

All used oil spill absorbents should be placed into the clearly marked disposal bag and secured using the tie provided. This should then be disposed of correctly in accordance with local waste disposal regulations.