Spill Stations and Cabinets

Emergency spill pod spill control all in one place

When it comes to dealing with spillages in and around the workplace it's essential that you have the right equipment available when you need it. Spill stations are designed to contain everything you require to enable you to deal with a spill, quickly and effectively.

What do spill stations involve?

They are cabinets that are generally constructed from either steel or polyethylene and act as your one-stop-shop for absorbents and cleaning products. Dispenser stations will often include a spindle on which to mount a sheet paper roll, often known as blue roll. Also available are white centrefeed paper rolls.

Paper rolls are ideal for quickly absorbing spills such as water, or other non-corrosive liquids. The blue 2-ply versions are strongest and the most popular. They can also be used for cleaning windows, and other general cleaning tasks around your workplace.

Not to be confused with paper rolls, absorbent rolls are an alternative for mounting on your spindle for dealing with more heavy-duty spills. Absorbent rolls are generally available in three different types, each one designed for tackling different types of spill.

Yellow absorbent rolls are intended for use on chemical spills and are also effective in mopping up acid, caustics and solvents. White absorbent rolls are what you need to deal with spills of oil and fuel. But note, they're not intended for water. If you're looking to quickly contain water, general purpose absorbent rolls are what you need, these are grey in colour.

For the environmentally-conscious, recycled options can be deployed. Sustainable, recycled absorbents are also grey and can be used to combat oil, fuel, coolant, weak solvents, and handily, water.

The useful cylindrical absorbents, that look a little like a giant loo roll, are perforated. With one quick rip you will dispense a sheet of absorbent from your roll and can deploy it forthwith. It's worth noting that absorbents are available as pads too. You'll often find absorbent pads stored in a spill pod.

So for spill cabinets which don't include a roll holder, absorbent pads are ideal. They fit neatly inside and are super-easy to grab in an instant. They too are available for chemical spills, oil and fuel and as general purpose varieties.

You have the option of mounting your spill station on the wall, or there's stationary cabinets where wall-mounting isn't practical. There's even spill cabinets on wheels, ideal if you need to move your spill station to various locations around your business. These mobile cabinets are also known as Poly Carts and more often or not, bright yellow in colour so they're nice and visible in an emergency.

So, spill stations are ideal for keeping all your absorbents and cleaning solutions together and easy to access. However, if you're looking to prepare for larger spills you might want to consider a spill kit. Spill kits come in a huge range of shapes and sizes and are suitable for a large variety of applications.

Spill kits often begin with a bin. Everything from 65L bins up to 800L wheelie bins can be found to include a selection of different absorbents, spill socks - they look a bit like sausages - pads, rolls and even cushions can be found inside.

You also need to consider how you are going to dispose of your used absorbents safely. Strong disposal bags are the best and are more often or not included with spill kits. If you don't have a spill kit and opt for the spill pod option instead, disposal bags can be purchased separately and then kept nearby.

They even include cable ties to ensure your contaminated waste doesn't escape. Check with local authorities for the correct place to dispose of spillage waste.

Most business health and safety policies where chemicals are used will include guidance on spill control preparation. If you don't have spill control in place it's definitely worth investing. If you need any help or advice choosing the correct products for your workplace, give our technical sales team a call on 0808 258 1182 and they'll be happy to assist.