Are you ready for a spill?

NSW MTA’s environmental manager, Sarah Walton, takes a look at what happens when a spill occurs, and just how to avoid it.

Of course no one plans to spill anything, but the fact of the matter is that spills do happen. Whether it is due to an equipment fault or human error, spills have the capacity to harm the environment as well as cause a mess and waste money.

Simple spill management plans and equipment can easily be put in place to ensure that when a spill does happen, it is dealt with appropriately and any environmental damage is minimised.

Are you avoiding spills?

The majority of spills can be avoided if the appropriate measures are taken.

By actively working to prevent spills, businesses can save money and time by not letting resources go to waste.

A simple way to reduce the potential for spills is by ensuring that staff members always leave the lid on containers.

It may sound obvious, but sometimes these little steps can be skipped and unfortunately result in big spills.

All containers should also be on sealed ground and in an undercover area. Sharp parts and items should be kept away from containers containing liquid to avoid damage and leaks.

To prevent any spills from affecting business operations or the environment, bunding should be placed at all external exits and around contaminant storage areas. (A bund can be a low wall, tray, speed bump, iron angle, slowing floor, drain or similar and is used to capture spilt liquid for safe and proper disposal.)

Think carefully about where you are storing the majority of your contaminants. Consider whether they are in a thoroughfare or could be easily knocked over, and if a spill was to occur, where the liquid would run to.

Often, keeping all liquids in the one contained, bunded, undercover area is the easiest way to ensure that any leaks are contained.

Is the right equipment in place to deal with a spill?

Spills may not happen often, but when they do they can cause a big mess. It’s best, therefore, that you have the right equipment in place to properly deal with the spill.
Spill kits are great pieces of equipment to have on hand. They are purpose designed units that contain several items useful for cleaning up spills.

Typical items in a spill kit are safety gloves, absorbent pads, granules or pillows, containment booms and mops, brooms and dustpans. As you can see, they go a lot further and have a much greater capacity for cleaning up spills than just using sawdust.

In addition, all the equipment is neatly contained in one place (usually in a wheelie bin).
For suppliers of spill kits in your area, look in the MTA’s Environmental Product & Services Directory, which is downloadable from the MTA’s Green Stamp Plus website: www.greenstamp.mtansw.com.au.

Are your staff spill-savvy?

Cleaning up a spill is often assumed knowledge, but it is imperative that your staffunderstand the method that should be used when cleaning up a spill.

This is for both the safety of your staff and the protection of the environment.

The Department of Environment and Climate Change (DECC) in NSW recommends that spills are dealt with in the following order:

•  Stop the source

If it is safe to do so, the source of the spill should be stopped immediately. This may be a simple action like upturning a fallen container.

•  Contain and control the flow

To stop the spill from expanding, absorbent materials and liquid barriers should be placed around the spill. Work from the outside to soak up the spill. It is vital that spilt liquid is not allowed to reach stormwater drains, sewer drains, natural waterways or soil.

•  Report to relevant authorities

For large scale spills that involve hazardous materials, the fire brigade must be alerted. If a contaminant causes pollution the business has a duty to report the incident to DECC or your local council in NSW or Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS) in the ACT.

Failure to report a pollution incident that has the potential to cause material harm to the environment is an offence. If the spill is small, contained inside the workshop and easily cleaned up then there is no requirement for the business to alert any authority.

•  Clean up

Using information from Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) about the properties of the liquid spilled and the spill equipment available, spills should be cleaned up promptly.

•  Record the incident

By keeping a simple log of all spills, precautionary measures can be put in place to avoid similar accidents from occurring in the future. Recording spills demonstrates that a business is motivated to prevent pollution from spills occurring.

Try formalising these steps in writing and making the processes available to staff – a sort of “Spill Management Plan”.

The document could simply outline these five steps and be attached to the spill kit. Make sure each staff member is confident about what to do should a spill occur.

The effects of spills on the environment

Did you know that one litre of oil spilled into a waterway can pollute one million litres of water?

A small spill that leaves the workshop can cause a lot of damage – and businesses as well as individuals can be prosecuted for causing or allowing pollution to happen. Therefore it’s best to contain your contaminants in such a way that if a spill was to happen, it would not leak outside.