Types of Spill Kits: 7 Essential Options Explained

A spill kit is more than a box of absorbent pads; it’s a self-contained package of PPE, tools and disposal bags designed to stop a leak becoming an incident in the first crucial minutes. In practice, seven distinct kit categories cover almost every liquid hazard a safety manager is likely to face.

Choosing the wrong kit can be costly: ineffective clean-up delays operations, breaches COSHH or ADR duty of care and, in the worst cases, allows pollutants to reach drains or workers to suffer injuries. Matching kit to substance, volume and location therefore sits at the heart of any robust spill response plan.

Most guidance still groups spill kits into a tidy trio of oil, chemical and general-purpose, yet modern workplaces and specialist sectors—from oncology wards to marinas—demand finer distinctions. That’s why this guide breaks the subject into seven essential options: universal, oil & fuel, chemical, marine, biohazard, laboratory & cytotoxic, and anti-static kits.

Let’s examine each one in turn, highlighting ideal use cases, core components and the compliance points you can’t afford to miss.

1. General-Purpose (Maintenance / Universal) Spill Kits

Think of the general-purpose kit as the everyday workhorse of spill control. It’s built to mop up the non-aggressive liquids that crop up in routine maintenance—coolants, cutting fluids, inks, even the cup of coffee knocked off a bench—without the need for specialist absorbents. These kits are colour-coded grey in the UK, making them instantly distinguishable from the yellow chemical or white oil varieties discussed later.

Primary Purpose & Compatible Liquids

• Water-based solutions
• Mild solvents and detergents
• Lubricating oils with low hazard statements
• Non-corrosive chemicals that do not carry H314/H318 risk phrases

Because the absorbents will soak up water as readily as oil, they are unsuitable for hydrocarbon spills on open water—another reason knowing the different types of spill kits matters.

Typical Components to Include

Larger capacities scale up in wheeled bins—50 L, 120 L and 240 L—often adding a dustpan, brush and floor granules for wide-area coverage.

Best-Fit Locations & Compliance Tips

• Workshops, warehouses, loading docks
• Laboratory benches handling low-toxicity reagents
• Fork-lift battery charging bays (electrolyte spill risk is minimal but present)

COSHH requires “suitable containment and clean-up arrangements” wherever hazardous substances are stored or used. Position kits within 20 m of likely spill sources, mount signage for quick identification and log monthly inspections alongside fire-extinguisher checks. A simple QR code on the bin linking to the spill procedure keeps refresher training painless and audit-ready.

2. Oil & Fuel (Hydrocarbon) Spill Kits

When the liquid in question is diesel, petrol or hydraulic oil, a grey maintenance kit simply won’t cut it. Hydrocarbons float on water and spread quickly, so the kit must both repel water and stay buoyant while soaking up the contaminant. Oil & fuel spill kits are engineered exactly for that job: hydrophobic absorbents that latch on to hydrocarbons yet refuse to drink a drop of water, allowing rapid clean-up on land or afloat.

Liquids These Kits Target

• Diesel, petrol and kerosene
• Hydraulic, transformer and lubricating oils
• Solvents such as white spirit and mineral turpentine
• Heating oil, crude and most other hydrocarbon derivatives

Because the absorbents are non-reactive but not chemical-resistant, do not deploy them on strong acids, alkalis or unknown chemical cocktails.

Key Components & Colour Coding

Oil kits are colour-coded white in the UK for instant recognition against grey (universal) and yellow (chemical). Standard contents include:

Capacity scales matter; a 30 L grab bag handles a van service bay, while a 240 L wheeled bin covers a small depot.

Typical Use Scenarios & Legal Context

• Vehicle workshops, generator rooms, forklift refuelling points
• Construction sites storing red diesel in IBCs
• Marinas and inland waterways where refuelling occurs

Under the Environmental Protection (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations 2001 you must have “adequate spill response equipment” and prevent any discharge to drains or watercourses. Pair kits with secondary containment—bunded tanks, spill pallets—and train staff to boom off surface water first, then absorb. Failure to do so can trigger fines, clean-up bills and reputational damage that dwarf the modest cost of a correctly sized oil & fuel kit.

3. Chemical (HazChem) Spill Kits

When the liquid in question can burn skin, damage eyes or corrode metal, a grey maintenance kit is inadequate. Chemical spill kits—often shortened to “HazChem” kits—use absorbents engineered to withstand aggressive substances such as strong acids, alkalis, oxidisers and many solvents. Under COSHH, employers must control exposure to any substance carrying a ‘serious eye damage’ or ‘skin corrosion’ pictogram, which is why the right kit is as much a compliance requirement as a safety essential.

What Counts as a ‘Chemical’ Spill

Put simply, any spill involving liquids with hazard statements like H314 Causes severe skin burns or H318 Causes serious eye damage belongs in this category. Typical examples include:

• Sulphuric or hydrochloric acid from dosing pumps
• Caustic soda used in CIP systems
• Sodium hypochlorite, hydrogen peroxide and other oxidisers
• Two-part epoxy resins and aggressive solvents found in paint shops

Because these liquids react violently with water or hydrocarbons, universal or oil-specific absorbents can fail or even exacerbate the hazard.

Special Absorbents & PPE

Chemical kits are colour-coded yellow in the UK for instant hazard recognition. Core contents usually include:

Tip: if the kit lacks a neutraliser, plan to seal and label waste as hazardous rather than attempting onsite neutralisation.

Storage & Deployment Guidance

• Position kits beside chemical stores, dosing skids and laboratory acid cabinets—never locked inside them.
• Train staff to consult the Safety Data Sheet before entering the spill area, noting required ventilation and evacuation distances.
• Establish a hot-zone boundary using the kit’s yellow socks, stop the source, then work inwards; never wade straight through pooled liquid.
• Once the area is clean, complete a COSHH incident record and restock the kit immediately—regulators will check both.
• Review lessons learned at the next toolbox talk; small process tweaks often prevent a repeat event.

Deploying the correct chemical spill kit not only protects personnel and the environment but also demonstrates due diligence when the HSE inspector pays a visit.

4. Marine Spill Kits

Harbours, canals and off-shore platforms present a unique challenge: once oil or fuel hits open water it spreads fast, rides the tide and is almost impossible to chase down. Marine spill kits are therefore built for rapid deployment on or beside water. Their absorbents float, resist ultraviolet degradation and can be chained together to corral a slick before it escapes into the wider environment.

Designed for Water-Based Incidents

While an ordinary white oil kit will also repel water, its socks are short and sink as soon as they’re saturated. Marine kits swap those for long, buoyant booms fitted with snap hooks and ropes so they can be deployed from a jetty, RIB or quayside. The hydrophobic fibres cling to hydrocarbons but shed the surrounding water, allowing them to remain effective in choppy, saline conditions.

Typical spill targets include:

• Diesel or petrol released during bunkering
• Hydraulic oil from deck machinery
• Bilge discharges containing emulsified fuel

Core Contents & Extras

Optional extras: oil skimmer pads, sorbent mats pre-cut for drip pans, and a floating torch certified for ATEX Zone 1.

Regulatory Considerations & Best Practices

MARPOL Annex I and UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) guidance require operators to stop oil entering navigable waters and to hold “sufficient equipment for initial response”. Best practice looks like this:

1. Sound the spill alarm and stop the source.
2. Deploy booms down-current first, then up-current to create a containment pocket.
3. Use the sweep roll as a curtain to skim the remaining sheen.
4. Recover saturated materials into designated waste drums for licensed disposal.

Regular drills—ideally timed with tide changes—ensure crews can complete the above in under five minutes, the window after which a spill typically doubles in area. Keep an inventory log inside the deck locker and restock immediately after each exercise or real incident to stay audit-ready.

5. Biohazard Spill Kits

Chemical burns are scary, but a pool of blood or vomit carries an invisible threat: pathogens such as HIV, Hep B and Norovirus. A biohazard spill kit addresses infection control rather than chemical reactivity, using absorbents impregnated with disinfectant and colour-coded waste routes that meet NHS and HSE guidance. These kits are standard in hospitals, care homes, laboratories and any workplace with first-aid or sharps facilities.

Spill Types & Immediate Risks

• Blood from sharps injuries or phlebotomy accidents
• Urine, faeces and vomit in clinical or public areas
• Saliva or body-fluid mixes during dental or veterinary procedures

The principal hazards are blood-borne viruses and gastro-intestinal pathogens. Aerosol generation while mopping can spread microorganisms, so dry, chlorine-based granules are favoured over liquid bleach.

Essential Components

A compact kit manages up to 1 L; larger wall-mounted versions tackle multi-patient incidents in A&E or ambulance bays.

Sector-Specific Protocols

NHS best practice dictates a five-step sequence: cordon, PPE on, granules down, scoop and bag, disinfect and document. Waste goes into an orange bag if infection is known or suspected; otherwise a yellow/black clinical-waste sack (the “tiger bag”) suffices. Record the event in the accident book and, where exposure occurs, follow RIDDOR and occupational-health referral procedures. Re-stock the kit immediately—leaving it empty is a compliance breach waiting to happen.

6. Laboratory & Cytotoxic Spill Kits

Bench science and hospital pharmacy suites routinely handle liquids that are far nastier than everyday solvents—think concentrated acids, mercury, or cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs. A run-of-the-mill chemical kit may absorb these fluids, but it won’t neutralise them, protect the responder from aerosolised toxins, or satisfy the stringent waste-segregation rules that govern laboratories. That is why dedicated laboratory and cytotoxic spill kits exist: they combine high-spec PPE, targeted neutralisers and colour-coded disposal routes to keep researchers, clinicians and the environment safe.

Why Labs Need Specialised Kits

• Spills can involve Class 8 corrosives, carcinogenic reagents, bio-reactive tracers or antineoplastic drugs where even micro-exposures pose health risks.
• Glassware breakage adds a sharps hazard, while volatile vapours may require respiratory protection.
• COSHH and NHS Yellow Book guidance mandate substance-specific clean-up procedures and traceable waste streams.

Components & Neutralisers

Example Use Case & Procedure

A 50 ml spill of cyclophosphamide occurs inside a chemotherapy prep isolator:

1. Activate local spill alarm; halt airflow if advised in SOP.
2. Don full PPE listed above and cordon the area.
3. Place polymer mat over puddle; wait until liquid solidifies.
4. Sprinkle cytotoxic neutraliser powder, then transfer gel and debris into the purple bin with scoop and forceps.
5. Wipe surfaces with sodium hypochlorite 2,000 ppm, followed by sterile water.
6. Remove PPE inside the cordon, dispose of it as cytotoxic waste, and log the event in the cytotoxic register and COSHH file.

Regular drills plus shelf-life checks of neutralisers ensure this most specialised of the seven types of spill kits is always ready for the day you hope never comes.

7. Anti-Static Spill Kits for Flammable Liquids

Petrol, isopropyl alcohol and other Class 3 flammables don’t just burn; they can flash if an invisible static spark discharges during the clean-up. Conventional polypropylene sorbents are insulators, so the friction of unrolling a pad or tearing a waste bag can build enough charge to ignite a vapour cloud. Anti-static spill kits remove that risk by adding conductive fibres and earthing points that let static flow safely to ground.

Static-Ignition Risk Explained

Flammable liquids have low flash points—often below ambient temperature—so a spark of only 0.2 mJ can set them alight. Typical charge-builders in a spill response include:

• Ripping perforated absorbent rolls
• Walking on epoxy floors in dry air
• Pouring solvent from an up-ended drum

Because vapours are usually heavier than air they pool at floor level, right where responders kneel. An electrostatic discharge at that height can flash back to the main spill in milliseconds, producing a fireball rather than the tidy clean-up you intended.

Conductive Components & Earthing

Anti-static kits are colour-coded black in the UK. Key elements include:

Standard practice is to clip the bonding wire to a verified earth before the first pad touches liquid, maintaining the route to ground until waste bags are sealed.

Industry Applications & Standards

You’ll meet anti-static spill kits wherever ATEX or DSEAR designate a Zone 0, 1 or 2 area:

• Aviation refuelling aprons
• Paint spray booths and mixing rooms
• Electronics plants using IPA for cleaning
• Pharmaceutical solvent transfer stations

BS EN 1149 requires garments and absorbents to show a surface resistivity under 1 × 10^8 Ω. Sites in scope must document that their spill kits meet this rating and that responders have been trained to earth the kit, test bonding leads and store components in humidity-controlled lockers. Regular audit drills—ideally with a combustible-gas detector on hand—prove that the procedure works and keep insurers satisfied.

Putting It All Together

Choosing the right spill kit is really about four simple questions: what has spilled, how much, where, and under which regulations? Match those answers to the seven kit categories and the rest falls into place.

• Grey universal kits: the day-to-day drips and dribbles
• White oil & fuel kits: hydrophobic, land or water
• Yellow chemical kits: anything with a corrosive or oxidising pictogram
• Marine kits: long booms and UV-resistant sorbents for open water
• Biohazard kits: blood and body fluids, infection control first
• Laboratory & cytotoxic kits: high-toxicity or specialised neutralisation
• Black anti-static kits: flammables in ATEX or DSEAR zones

Once stocked, keep them ready: inspect monthly, log absorbent expiry dates, and run practice drills so staff can deploy within minutes. A well-rehearsed response not only protects people and the environment but also demonstrates due diligence when auditors call.

Need help turning procedure into muscle memory? Explore the spill-response and dangerous-goods courses at Logicom Hub and put confidence back into compliance.