Spill Kit Inspection Checklist: Monthly, Dated, Photographed
A spill kit inspection is the short, regular check that a spill kit is where it should be, the right kind for what's stored nearby, sealed, complete and ready to use. It takes two minutes per kit. It matters because the day you need a spill kit is the day you find out it was used last spring and never restocked.
Most sites check their kits monthly, after every use, and whenever what's stored nearby changes. This is that check, in the order you'd do it.
1. Is it in the right place?
A spill kit five minutes' walk from the spill is a spill kit that isn't used.
- Next to the risk: within quick reach of fuel stores, chemical stores, refuelling points, loading bays, generators, workshops and anywhere drums are decanted
- Visible and signed: a clear sign above or beside it, and not hidden behind pallets
- Accessible: not locked away, blocked or stacked on
- Protected: out of the rain if the container isn't weatherproof, because wet absorbents don't absorb
2. Is it the right type?
Kits are usually sold in three kinds. Colour coding is common but not universal, so check the label.
| Kit type | Absorbs | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| General purpose / maintenance | Oils, coolants, water-based fluids | Workshops, plant rooms, general sites |
| Oil only (hydrophobic) | Oil and fuel, repels water | Outdoor fuel stores, refuelling, near drains or water |
| Chemical | Acids, alkalis, aggressive chemicals | Labs, chemical stores, battery rooms |
The question to ask: does this kit match what's actually stored here today? A store that switched from oils to chemicals last year may still have an oil-only kit next to it.
3. Is it big enough?
Kits are rated by how much liquid they absorb. Compare that with the largest container in the area. A 20-litre kit next to a 1,000-litre fuel tank won't stop a tank leak, though it will handle a dripping nozzle. Record the kit's rated capacity, and flag any mismatch.
4. Seal, tag and condition
- Tamper seal intact. A broken seal means somebody opened it, and probably took something.
- Inspection tag or label: last check date and initials
- Container: lid closes, no cracks, wheels work on a wheeled bin, not filled with rubbish
- Contents dry and clean
5. Is everything inside?
Open it if the seal is broken, or on the schedule your site uses (many open every kit quarterly even when sealed). Check against the contents list on the kit:
- Absorbent pads, enough to cover a spill, not a handful
- Socks or booms to contain the spread
- Pillows for larger volumes
- Drain cover or mat, if the kit is near a drain
- Disposal bags and ties, plus labels for the used material
- PPE: gloves of the right type for the chemicals, goggles or a face shield, and an apron or coverall for chemical kits
- Instructions: a short card on what to do, in that order
6. Is the PPE usable?
PPE is what quietly expires in a kit. Gloves perish, goggle straps crack, and sizes don't fit. Check that the PPE is the right type for the chemicals nearby (check the safety data sheet) and in a usable condition.
7. Do people know how to use it?
A full kit doesn't help if nobody nearby knows the order: stop the source, protect yourself, contain, protect drains, absorb, bag, report.
- Ask someone who works in the area where the kit is and what they'd do first
- Check whether spill response is part of induction or a toolbox talk
- Check the emergency contact on the instruction card is current
8. After a spill: restock, report, re-seal
- Restock everything used, the same day
- Bag, label and dispose of used absorbents as the waste they now are, often hazardous waste
- Report the spill, even a small one. A pattern of small spills at one spot is the warning of a bigger one.
- Re-seal and re-tag the kit, with the date
What spill kit checks usually miss
The kit that's never opened. A sealed kit gets a tick every month for three years. The seal was put back on after the last use, and the pads inside are the half-used ones.
The drain. The pads are there, the drain cover isn't, and the nearest drain runs straight to a river.
The kit nobody can reach. It was by the fuel store. Then a pallet of bags was stacked in front of it.
No record of the restock. The spill was cleaned up. Nobody recorded that the kit was then empty.
No photo. A dated photo of the open kit, contents laid out, settles whether it was ready, for an auditor or for an environmental regulator after an incident.
Doing it on the round
Spill kit checks are usually done on a round, ten kits across a yard or a plant. Nobody wants to stop at each one to fill in a form, which is why so many get a tick on a clipboard from memory.
Speak while you walk, and the document writes itself. Say what you see at each kit, for example: "Kit 4, fuel store, oil-only, seal broken, pads down to three, no drain cover, photo. Kit 5, workshop, general purpose, sealed, tagged September, fine." Every kit gets a dated, photographed record, and the restock list is ready before you're back at the office.
Key Takeaway
The free hazardous material handling inspection covers the chemical store around the kit: labels, segregation, bunding, spill readiness and waste. It fills in on a phone. In the ReportWalk app you can build a spill kit round of your own, one entry per kit, with a photo for each. First walks free.
Related
- Hazardous material handling inspection: the chemical store walk
- Chemical exposure assessment: one substance, one task, assessed
- Site waste management audit: where the used absorbents go
- Farm safety inspection checklist: fuel, chemicals and slurry on a farm
Frequently asked questions
How often should a spill kit be inspected? Commonly monthly, plus after every use and whenever the materials stored nearby change. Some sites also open sealed kits on a set schedule, such as quarterly, to check the contents and the PPE.
What should be in a spill kit? Absorbent pads, socks or booms to contain the spill, pillows for larger volumes, a drain cover if a drain is nearby, disposal bags with ties and labels, PPE suited to the chemicals stored nearby, and a short instruction card. The exact contents depend on the kit type and size.
What's the difference between oil-only, general purpose and chemical spill kits? Oil-only kits absorb oil and fuel but repel water, so they work outdoors and on water. General purpose kits absorb oils and water-based fluids. Chemical kits are made to handle acids, alkalis and aggressive chemicals safely.
How do you know what size spill kit you need? Compare the kit's rated absorbency with the largest container that could leak in that area, and with how quickly a spill could reach a drain. Larger stores often need a bigger kit or more than one.
What do you do with used spill kit materials? Bag, seal and label them, then dispose of them as waste matching what they absorbed, which is often hazardous waste. Restock the kit the same day and record the spill.
Who should check the spill kits? Whoever is responsible for the area, often a supervisor, facilities lead or the environmental or safety coordinator, on a set round. Whoever uses a kit should report it so it gets restocked.
