Reporting spills within the company

• It's a good idea to have a company policy that requires that all spills be reported to the company's safety and health manager or plant manager.

It's a good idea to have a company policy that requires that all spills be reported to the company's safety and health manager or plant manager. This includes spills inside the building, within a process, or outside the building.

Having to report a spill to a supervisor makes employees more aware of the importance of preventing and/or containing spills. Plus, the significance of the spill should be evaluated by someone who understands the cleanup or reporting regulations that may apply to the spill.

The following information should be noted immediately:

• Where the spill occurred
• Manager's name
• Who discovered the spill
• Date and time of the spill
• Name of the chemical/substance that spilled
• Amount of the chemical/substance that spilled
• Specific location of the spill
• Primary physical and health hazards of the spill
• Action taken:
  • Was the building evacuated?
  • Who was involved in the response?
  • How long was the response action?
  • What specific response actions were taken?
  • Was the situation completely mitigated?
• Investigation results:
  • What caused the spill?
  • What was the extent of the contamination of the spill?

For the majority of spills that occur at the facility — a quart of oil, some battery acid, a gallon container of cleaning solution — further action is not necessary after clean-up. But for a spill that does need to be reported, the necessary information will be gathered and ready to share with the proper agency.