In addition to studying spill control information and doing training, ordering the proper spill control products is critical when preparing for accidental hazardous leaks and spills. Companies that work with hazardous materials and chemical response teams need to be properly outfitted with quality spill control supplies. Companies that haven't received spill control training should always call a hazardous materials team to contain the spill.

Spill control products include protection for the workers, such as eyewear, suits and respirators, and tools for containing and cleaning the spill. Many companies offer individually sold spill control products as well as spill control kits that contain a variety of the most popular products. When purchasing spill control products, consider the following:

1. Protect workers' respiratory systems during spill control with respirators.

2. Wear protective clothing during spill control.

3. Keep spill control absorbents on hand.

4. House hazardous chemicals in spill control storage containers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Order respirators for breathing assistance during spill control

Workers wear respirators during spill control to protect their lungs from damaging air contaminants. Also known as gas masks, companies may also categorize dust masks as respirators. Self-contained breathing apparatuses are complex respirators that require training for proper, safe use.

I recommend: Find respirators and respirator accessories at All Safety Products. This company offers respiratory assistance products ranging from disposable dust masks to self-contained breathing apparatuses. Find spill control respirators at Cole-Parmer, including half-mask, full-face and particulate respirators.

Wear protective spill control clothing

When cleaning up hazardous materials, it's important to avoid skin exposure. Protective spill control clothing includes full-body suits, gloves, coveralls, aprons and sleeves. To avoid irritation, burns or exposure to radiation, the clothing should have a rating that indicates it's resistant to the contaminant. It's not enough to simply cover your skin.

I recommend: Find chemical protective clothing at Web Soft Safety Solutions, including chemical suits, safety gloves, safety coveralls and chemical-resistant clothing. DuPont manufactures protective clothing with varying levels of protection. It develops the clothing based on specific occupations so the level of protection is always right.

Purchase spill control absorbents

Spill control absorbents stop the spill from spreading and collect the contaminant. You can place spill control socks around drains, machine bases and in front of doors to contain the spill and prevent environmental contamination. Use absorbent pillows to rest hoses or other tools that could potentially leak chemicals. Absorbent You might also frequently use absorbent mats and pads during spill control.

I recommend: Find absorbents for many spill control scenarios at Dawg. This company specializes in manufacturing products for spill control. A provider of industrial safety equipment, Northern Safety & Industrial is also a spill control provider that offers a variety of absorbents, including socks, pillows and general-use absorbents.

Buy spill control storage containers

After containing and cleaning a hazardous spill, storage containers are needed to temporarily house the contaminant until it can be properly discarded. You can use small bags for minor spills and large drums can store either large amounts of fluid or the leaking container. Many manufacturers construct spill control drums from polyethylene and steel.

I recommend: Browse Emedco's spill control list of containment drums. This company offers drums of varying capacities in polyethylene and steel. ANI Safety + Supply offers 85-gallon and 95-gallon polyethylene drums that are ideal for temporarily storing containers leaking hazardous liquids.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  You must place hazardous waste tags on spill control storage containers you're using. You should label the tag as spill debris from the specific contaminant.