By Travis Zdrazil
Oil spills are messy. Oil smears and spreads fast, and if it has spilled onto the floor, it can make walking hazardous to say the least. Paper towels are no match for oil spills -- what it takes is industrial grade absorbents.
And once you check out your options, so may feel a bit lost as to which ones to get. There are just so many kinds to choose from.
1) Choose Oil Only Absorbents
The first choice is easy. If you have an oil spill, choose oil only absorbents. They are especially made to handle oil and will do the job faster and more effectively than other kinds of absorbents.
2) Consider Size
Next, you should consider the size of your oil spill as you select what form your absorbents should take. If you have a huge oil spill, especially if it happened on water, you'll want an oil boom.
If the spill is smaller, you can choose from a range of spill kits that generally contain an assortment of absorbents, from socks, pads, and pillows.
They will generally also include bags of absorbents in the form of granules or powder that you can pour on the liquid you need to remove. They will absorb the liquid and you can then sweep up and remove the absorbents that have soaked up the oil.
3) Consider Where You May Need Absorbents
Often, you may find that a whole spill kit is too much. There's another problem with spill kits. In order to have absorbents ready to go immediately anytime a spill occurs, you need to have them right there. And there are many places in the average facility where spills can happen. So what can you do?
You can stash a supply of absorbents at each of those places. But that can get expensive, and all those spill kits can get underfoot and in the way. So what's the solution?
4) The Economical and Handy Solution
There's a very economical way to have absorbents at the ready anywhere in your facility: Spill pads. They're inexpensive and small enough that you can stash them in lots of different places, and so that they can be deployed immediately if there's a spill or a leak.
Then, if the spill needs more than a few absorbent pads, you can also get back-up absorbents -- the bigger spill kits that are placed in strategic places around your facility so that they can be deployed quickly when they're needed.
And once you check out your options, so may feel a bit lost as to which ones to get. There are just so many kinds to choose from.
1) Choose Oil Only Absorbents
The first choice is easy. If you have an oil spill, choose oil only absorbents. They are especially made to handle oil and will do the job faster and more effectively than other kinds of absorbents.
2) Consider Size
Next, you should consider the size of your oil spill as you select what form your absorbents should take. If you have a huge oil spill, especially if it happened on water, you'll want an oil boom.
If the spill is smaller, you can choose from a range of spill kits that generally contain an assortment of absorbents, from socks, pads, and pillows.
They will generally also include bags of absorbents in the form of granules or powder that you can pour on the liquid you need to remove. They will absorb the liquid and you can then sweep up and remove the absorbents that have soaked up the oil.
3) Consider Where You May Need Absorbents
Often, you may find that a whole spill kit is too much. There's another problem with spill kits. In order to have absorbents ready to go immediately anytime a spill occurs, you need to have them right there. And there are many places in the average facility where spills can happen. So what can you do?
You can stash a supply of absorbents at each of those places. But that can get expensive, and all those spill kits can get underfoot and in the way. So what's the solution?
4) The Economical and Handy Solution
There's a very economical way to have absorbents at the ready anywhere in your facility: Spill pads. They're inexpensive and small enough that you can stash them in lots of different places, and so that they can be deployed immediately if there's a spill or a leak.
Then, if the spill needs more than a few absorbent pads, you can also get back-up absorbents -- the bigger spill kits that are placed in strategic places around your facility so that they can be deployed quickly when they're needed.
Want to know more about absorbents? Get valuable tips and the latest news about absorbents and other environmental safety products on Travis Zdrazil's Safety Maintenance News blog and get his free newsletter too. Travis is an expert on environmental safety products and has supplied businesses with products to aid in meeting EPA and OSHA requirements for more than 10 years.
You may publish this article, but must keep the resource box ©2009 PCI Products Company. All rights reserved.
You may publish this article, but must keep the resource box ©2009 PCI Products Company. All rights reserved.
