Yellow Shield has expressed its concern at what it describes as problems with current guidance relating to spills of hazardous liquids.
Having stated that the current spill kits and recommendations are not sufficient for dealing with hazardous spills, Yellow Shield has now announced its advice when it comes to this problem.
Most plants will provide personal protection equipment and spill kits but, according to Yellow Shield, this is simply not enough to deal with dangerous chemicals and personal safety could be put at risk.
What some forward thinking companies are now doing is turning to spill kits which contain Vytac neutralisers specific to acids, alkalis and chlorinating agents. Special wet and dry chemical industrial vacuum cleaners are provided to remove the waste for disposal and all operators are fully trained in spill response with an accredited spill awareness and response training course. Without this type of equipment, accessibility to the bunded area can be a problem. But a special wet and dry chemical industrial vacuum cleaner is used to remove the waste for disposal which solves the issue of poor access and no drainage in the bunded area. The hazardous chemical spill is vacuumed out of the bund into a receptacle where it can be easily dealt with.
The chemical is identified and treated with the appropriate neutraliser specific to the chemical spilled and appropriate amounts of water are added. These neutralisers produce no adverse chemical reaction. The Vytac neutralisers have a colour change indicator included which show when the chemical spill has been completely and effectively neutralised.
Absorbent pads are used to clean down the bund. The residue is safe, being pH neutral, giving greater protection to operators and the environment, and can be disposed of as a general waste or via the sewage system.
Using these more advanced methods, consumers will experience many benefits, including an improved safety of employees, effective chemical neutralisation, ease of use of the system, standard procedures for all chemical spills and substantial cost saving of hazardous waste disposal.
Where other guidelines and recommendations are lacking, Yellow Shield has filled in the gaps, with effective and safe solutions to hazardous liquid spillages.