Beyond the Basics: Specialised Training Required for Chemical Spills

Workplace training benefits both your employee and you as a manager or employer. Teaching your staff how to carry out specialised tasks, operate heavy machinery, or tackle chemical spills can help decrease the likelihood of disaster in the event of a spillage.

ICE Cleaning is an expert cleaning company that offers chemical spill cleaning services. Its team of qualified technicians is skilled in cleaning chemical spills and effectively containing the spread of dangerous substances to other areas in the building.

Read on to learn more about chemical spills and why training can prevent disaster from striking.

What is a chemical spill?

A chemical spill is the unintentional release of a dangerous amount of a chemical, acid, or alkaline. These often occur on construction sites, factories, and warehouses. A hazardous substance on-site will result in the implementation of workplace exposure limits (WELs), keeping employees protected.

WELs are in place per the Health and Safety Executive’s study and hazard assessments of certain substances. These include chemicals like arsenic, bromine, mercury, and propane.

What is required to tackle a spill?

Those with specialist training must follow their company’s emergency spill response procedures. This includes evacuating untrained personnel, securing the affected area, and conducting the containment of the spill.

There may be staff on-site who have received spill response training, and they will have specific steps to follow to contain the spill which include:

• Use of absorbent materials to contain the spill
• Covering drains seals to prevent water contamination
• Activating a containment barrier (if one is there)
• Using skill kits, decks, and trays to quarantine infected materials
• Utilising proper PPE to collect hazardous materials

Trained individuals can identify all hazards in the area and make the best decision to protect the staff and environment. By offering your staff specialised training, you create a more efficient and safer environment for everyone.

How specialised training can prevent disaster

If you are working with hazardous substances, you will participate in a course that covers spill response training. These training practices must be accredited by the International Spill Accreditation Scheme (ISAS), ensuring you receive the best information possible regarding spill response.

These training sessions typically include both practical and classroom learning conducted on-site. A spill response training course should consist of:

• Understanding prioritisation in an emergency
• Identifying how certain materials pose an environmental and health risk
• How to protect drainage systems
• Studying health and safety procedures
• Conducting a live spill response with a non-hazardous substance

Employees will learn how to use equipment properly, including spill kits and industrial cleaning equipment. However, some sites may not have the appropriate tools or training available — which is where a professional cleaning company can step in.

ICE Cleaning’s professional technicians are industry experts qualified to perform a chemical clean-up in your workplace. They use the latest technology and industrial neutralising solutions to efficiently contain and clean the spill. They are an expert cleaning company, available 365 days a year, 24/7.

You can learn more about their cleaning services here.