September is National Preparedness Month, an annual event to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for emergencies and disasters. The 2024 theme is “Start a Conversation” related to emergency planning. During the month of September, we’ve been featuring blogs on several topics related to emergency preparedness to help get the conversation started at your organization.
In our first blog we focused on the importance of a comprehensive and current Emergency Action Plan. In the second blog, we highlighted the vital role of properly functioning emergency equipment. This week we are turning the spotlight on spill kits and the importance of maintaining them so they’re ready for use if needed.
In most laboratory settings, employees are only trained to the level appropriate for managing incidental spills. For larger and/or more hazardous, uncontrolled spills, a third party such as a waste vendor would be called in to address the release. We’ve included a list of recommended incidental spill clean-up supplies below.
- Caution signs/tape
- Universal absorbent pads, pillows, booms, or socks
- Scoop and scraper or dustpan and brush for managing sharps
- Bags for disposal (red for biological spill kits, clear or yellow for chemical spill kits)
- Disposable lab coats, goggles, nitrile/rubber gloves, and booties
- Bleach (for biological spill kits)
In some cases, specialty spill kits may also be needed, such as for spills involving mercury.
Spill kits should be located in areas where an incident could potentially happen including chemistry and biology labs, chemical storage rooms, and waste storage areas. They should be appropriately sized to manage the volume of material that could potentially be involved. For instance, a spill kit located in a waste storage room where 55-gallon drums of waste are kept would need to be larger than a spill kit for a typical laboratory.
Best practice is to check spill kits on a monthly basis by opening the spill kit, verifying its contents, and replacing supplies as needed. Individual items should be examined for signs of material degradation that could affect their use. For instance, the shelf-life of most spill pads is five years after which time they will start to degrade.
In addition to inspecting the spill kit contents, the container the supplies are kept in should be checked to make sure that it’s not compromised and that the lid is secure and closed properly. It should also be verified that the spill kit is of the appropriate size and that it’s in the correct location. In facilities where there are many spill kits to inspect, having their location marked on a floor plan can be useful to ensure none are overlooked.
As an alternative to inspecting the contents of each spill kit monthly, tamper proof tape (or labels) can be applied around the container lid on each spill kit to ensure that supplies have not been removed for other purposes. If a visual inspection of the spill kit shows that the seal and the container aren’t compromised, the supplies inside should not be either.
These visual checks should still be completed each month and documented. In addition, it’s recommended that the spill kit be opened every 6 months as best practice to verify the contents are in good condition. At a minimum, each spill kit must be opened and the contents inspected annually. It’s important to record the date the tamper seal was broken for the inspection, when the new one was applied, and to note which supplies were replaced.
For additional information on National Preparedness Month, or for assistance with stocking and maintaining the spill kits at your facility, please contact us.
This blog was written by Beth Graham, Director of Quality, Research, and Training
