Contain Spills through Spill Barriers
It can be scary to be in a place where an incident of hazardous chemical spill has taken place. The reaction of most people in the event of a spill is to try to do something to prevent it from spreading. Unfortunately, this is not the right way to deal with the problem. Trying to stop or slow down an unsafe spill is not to be done by workers because they are putting themselves in harm’s way. There are workers who are daily exposed to hazardous agents, and these workers should be given spill containment trainings to let the workers know the proper procedures in containing spills.
Of course, the best way to do it is to have the right equipment for this problem. As a primary safeguard against spill hazards, there should be spill pallets and spill containment berms to use. Perhaps the best weapon for this is to make sure that there is proper management of production and storage areas which are the most common places where spills take place. Transportation corridors should be given the same amount of attention. One great idea is finding a way to channel the spill to a place away from heating elements and circuits to keep them away, and all workers needs to do is to simply evacuate the area.
Chemical storage in the form of external storage tanks can overfill or deteriorate, which can be a cause of leaking. The solution for this problem is diking. These liquids are highly flammable, corrosive and harmful and it order to prevent them from spreading around, the dikes can collect them. This method is recommended by the OSHA or occupational safety and health administration and in some conditions mandated by law depending on the volume of tank being used.
Although these dikes are useful, before they are constructed consideration has to be made regarding vehicular traffic in the storage space. You have to be sure also that the OSHA does not prohibit the installation of dikes near the container, like they do for certain chemicals such as liquefied petroleum gas.
Aside from dikes and barriers, OSHA also recommends the use of diatomaceous earth to control spills. This is a chalk-like substance that you can spread to stop potential hazardous liquids. This is also a proven technique. Using diatomaceous earth can be a competent option for contain a spill.
There are also chemicals that can be sprayed to the spill through pressurized applicators. The spreading substance can be stopped by these chemicals. This chemical will not only reduce the effects of the fumes, ti can also solidify hazardous substances in question. The spills can harden or can change their chemical composition to change its combustibility. A hardened chemical spill can easily be disposed of and after that there will be no more fear of danger when the spill is removed. To produce quick barriers, fast-acting agent can be used so that the edge of the spill can be changed to swiftly lose its fluidity.
Source: http://www.lifeandexperiences.com/safety-in-manufacturing-what-you-need-to-focus-on/