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Absorbent Materials & Spill Kit Refills

Need help? Need help? Controlling dangerous spills is crucial. Learn how! Control Dangerous Spills with a Huge Range of Absorbent Materials

At Seton, we offer a wide range of absorbents to suit your needs. Whether you work with hazardous liquids, solvents or oils, the risk of spills and leaks is inevitable. Therefore using absorbents, such as pads, granules, socs or a combination of absorbents will ensure you have a tried and tested response plan when accidents may occur. The most important element to consider when managing accidents such as spills and leaks in your spill control arsenal will be absorbent materials. Whether you use pads, granules, socs or a combination of all three; you will need a good supply placed strategically around your site so they are always to hand in an emergency. Seton has a wide selection of options available for all spill types.

Our absorbent materials and spill kit refills designed specifically to fulfil the safety standards described by the UK government. There is something for everyone, so order your spill kits and refills from Seton today.

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Absorbent Materials Guide

Once you have carried out a COSHH risk assessment you will have identified how likely spills are to occur in your workplace and where they might happen as this will pose a hazard. Obvious areas that will require spillage control in the form of absorptive materials are wherever solutions are stored and the locations in which they are commonly utilised. You will also want to keep stock at intervals along routes managed for transporting solutions from A to B. This doesn’t just include the course taken by drums or other containers, but also extends to pipes that carry water and chemicals as well. Any vehicles which transport hazardous liquids will also be required to keep absorptive materials onboard.

Further stock should be held around large machinery which could leak potentially dangerous or flammable substances and in or near areas such as kitchens and bathrooms to soak up water which can become a slip hazard.

It is also a good idea to keep extra sorbent materials in cleaner or maintenance store cupboards so spill kits can have their contents replaced immediately after being managed.

Absorptive materials can also be employed as packaging filler when chemicals or oils are being transported. This will contain any leakage caused by damage during transit.

How to clean a chemical spill

The following steps must be followed carefully to clean a hazardous accident efficiently:

  1. First, inform every one of the incidents. Secure the spillage from contact with other people and advise them to stay away from the location if this is a serious hazard.
  2. Determine the substances that were utilised in the spillage. Control combustion sources and ventilate the area if the substance is explosive and ignitable.
  3. Instantly guide a person who has been in contact with chemicals to the emergency shower or eyewash, where they should rinse for at least 15 minutes and take off any contaminated clothes. Call 999 if fire or medical assistance is required.
  4. Choose the best personal protective equipment (PPE) by consulting the Safety Data Sheets (SDS), where you can store valuable information documents.
  5. To prevent environmental discharge hazard, cover drains or other pathways with chemical absorbents from the spillage kit to prevent the overflow from spreading.
  6. Photo of a hand using an absorbent roll to wipe a chemical spill on a table, amongst other chemicals.
  7. Use a spongy fabric to cover and surround the spillage, such as cushions, cloths, socs or pads. Be patient and wait until the spilt item is completely absorbed. Use the neutralising agent to neutralise chemicals if required.
  8. Utilise a scoop, scraper, and dustpan and broom to gather the absorbed overflow. If there is shattered glass, pick it up with forceps rather than your hands. Put the wet waste in a hazardous waste bag or hazardous waste container.
  9. Ensure that the container or bag has suitable labels with hazardous waste as well as the information on what is inside.
  10. Depending on the situation, add water and surface cleaner to remove any remaining residue.
  11. Wash and disinfect your hands with sanitiser, soap and water after removing PPE.
  12. Restock the items in your kit, or add more accessories if required.

Sorbent products according to spill type

Once you have decided where to situate your absorptive materials the next step is to consider which substances are present in each location. Sorbent products are generally geared to three different spillage types. These are:

Oil-Only

Suitable for fuel and petroleum-based fluid. These are useful in storage areas and around machinery.

Chemical

Suitable for acids, caustics and other chemicals. Perfect to add to store rooms and cleaners’ cupboards, as well as general use in laboratories, salons and repair shops.

Maintenance

Suitable for most industrial fluids such as water and solvents. A versatile item that is helpful in many situations - keep on hand in kitchens, warehouses and outdoor areas.

Which absorbent product is best for me?

The absorbents come in various types and forms. The suitability of the absorptive product solely depends on the kind of spillage you mainly deal with. Each spillage has a specifically designed permeable material to clean it. The following list will assist you to choose which absorptive product is best suited for you:

General

This requires fabric or paper sorbents that are made to handle drips or overflows that are not very harmful and dangerous, including mats, super-permeable cloth, rolls, etc.

Chemical

This requires chemical-based sorbents typically made for handling chemical-based fluid, such as chemical sorbent pads, chemical sorbent socs, chemical sorbent rolls, sorbent pillows, powder, etc.

Fuel and petroleum

This requires oil-based sorbents made exclusively to clean oil and fuel-based fluid, such as absorbent pads/permeable material, oil-only sorbent socs, sorbent pillows, etc.

Types of absorbents

The basic types of absorptive include:

  • Pillows
  • Padding
  • Socs
  • Granules

Using absorbent compresses, granules and socs

For small leaks, sorbent pads will often be all that is required - these can be purchased in wall-mounted boxes for quick and easy usage. To tailor the size of a pad to your requirements, a sorbent roll which can be cut to fit is ideal. These also have the added benefit of reducing waste. We also offer a variety of spill boxes for your individual needs.

Thick sorbent pillows work in much the same way as padding, but can hold more fluid and are squashable to fit awkward spaces. They can be particularly useful for catching slow leaks.

Absorbent granules can be made from a variety of material including clay and will solidify spills so they can be swept away.

For larger spillages, sorbent socs should be placed immediately around the perimeter of the fluid to prevent it from spreading. The inside can then be filled with padding, pillows and sorbent granules as required.

What are different absorbents used for spill clean-up?

Absorbents are the materials that will be helpful at the start of the clean-up process. Sorbents are either granulated or solids that may soak up a leak or overflow. You will only be able to effectively clean up the leak or overflow at your workplace if the spillage kit contains proper absorptive spillage equipment. Listed below are some of the effective permeable materials that are perfect for cleaning the spillage you may choose to select:

Grey absorbent pillow, used to mop up spills and accidents

Pillows: A pack of spongy fabric serves as the container for an absorptive cushion. The most frequent usage of spongy pillows is when a lot of liquid or fluid is spilt in a limited space.

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White absorbent pads and wipes

Pads: Absorbent pads consist of wipes and sheets. These wipes and sheets are laid down in advance to protect surfaces from dampness and are utilised for considerably more minor accidents. Supplied in a pack of 100.

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Long tube-like absorbent socs

Socs: Absorbent socs are a long tube-like cloth that is utilised to surround and encircle the area of the spill to prevent it from spreading. Absorptive socs are often utilised to handle large leaks and are frequently utilised to manage fuel-based leaks. They are also utilised to soak up H2O, solvents and coolants in many everyday industrial or mechanical situations.

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Fluorescent yellow absorbent spill mats

Mats: Absorbent Spill Mats are designed to absorb a variety of liquids, including water, oils, coolants and solvents. These are helpful in soaking up various spillages, no matter how big or small due to perforations which allow continuous length of absorbent material to be easily torn or cut to minimise the waste.

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What are absorbent materials used for?

In a quote from the HSE, any type of spill can have dangerous repercussions if it is left for too long, as slipping over is the “single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces”. They report that around 40% of major injuries are down to a person slipping over, and these can also lead to other, more serious accidents, such as people falling from a height. In essence, there are only three elements required for a fall – a slippery floor, the contaminating fluid and the feet of a passer-by.

It is easy to imagine how quickly a leak could escalate into something more serious, but there are many ways to prevent an unwanted spillage with our wide range of sorbent products. The best time to buy is in advance so that you’ll have the right type and amount of equipment in the right place as soon as it is needed.

What types of liquids need absorbing?

As we all know, any type of fluid or solution falling on the floor will cause a considerable mess. Some fluids can be quite dangerous and require prompt action and absorptive material. It is crucial to thoroughly engulf them if any of the following which may leak in a workstation:

  • Coolant
  • Oil
  • Petrol
  • Gas
  • Turpentine
  • Solvents
  • Hexane
  • Acetone
  • Bio-hazardous fluids
  • Mercury
  • Water

Where are absorbent materials used?

Once you have assessed which types of fluids you may wish to contain, you also need to think about the types of overflow that could occur. Different applications call for different products, so let’s view some of the most common spillages;

Occasional drips. If you can identify the source of a leak and it tends to occur in exactly the same place, one of our Sorbent Pillows can trap even hazardous substances before you make a repair.

Localised leaks and overflows. If the over brim is small, you can choose our absorptive powder to spread over its surface to soak up the dampness. It then takes just moments to sweep away, leaving your workplace with very little downtime.

Table top spills. Scattering granules on a table may not be practical, so instead, you can invest in our flexible Sorbent Padding to lift away a huge range of hazardous chemicals and oils.

How do absorbing materials work?

All spill control equipment works to absorb any fluids. it comes into contact with. Each has opposed strengths, and the right ones for your business will depend on their intended purpose.

Seton is among the UK’s leading companies that provide safety information and accessories to make your workplace secure. Our diverse product catalogue offers a wide variety of spill kits, sorbent items and accessories that will equip your workplace for any accidents, whether they are oil spills, chemical spills or general spills in safe and secure packaging for all working environments. View our full assortment today, or contact our friendly service team who will be happy to give you a quote, or further information.