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The old proverb says, “Don’t cry over spilled milk.” Whether it’s milk, coffee, oil or chemicals, any kind of workplace spill can lead to serious problems or injuries. Not only could your workers slip and fall, but they might also be exposed to dangerous substances and fumes. Follow these tips on how to handle spills and a few ways to prevent spills in the first place.

Spill Response:

• Know your materials: Ensure that all your employees are familiar with the proper storage, handling techniques and spill response methods for each material in your workplace.
• Draw up a spill response plan: Create a worksite spill response plan and train your employees on how to respond to different spills. Maintain material safety data sheets for each material on the worksite. These sheets should cover the correct spill response, cleanup and disposal techniques for each material. Make sure that each worker reads and understands your worksite spill response plan, and keep copies of the material safety data sheets easily accessible so employees can refer to them quickly if necessary.
• Use the right gear: When cleaning up a spill, workers should wear the appropriate protective gear, including gloves, safety glasses, coveralls and respirators. Make sure that all employees know where this gear is stored and when and how to use this equipment.
• Respond immediately: If a worker causes or finds a spill, they should notify their supervisor and surrounding coworkers immediately. If the spill is flammable or volatile material, shut off all flame sources and air out the area if it’s safe. Barricade the spill area so workers avoid exposure to the substance, and try to prevent the spilled material from entering floor drains or outside areas. If a worker is exposed to dangerous spilled material, get them to a well-ventilated area and use emergency eye washes or showers on them for at least 15 minutes. If necessary, seek medical attention.
• Ask for help: While workers can handle some spills themselves, other spills should only be cleaned by an expert. Ensure that all your employees understand when it’s okay for them to clean a spill and when they should contact their supervisor or an outside professional for help.
• Size matters: Different sized spills should be handled differently. Generally, if a spill is equal to one cup or less, workers can simply wipe it up with paper towels or other absorbent materials. For a one-gallon spill, you can typically clean up the mess with spill socks, pads or absorbents. As workers clean these larger spills, they should surround the puddle with absorbent materials and work toward the middle of the spill—this will reduce spreading or splashing of the material. If the spill is two gallons or more, you might want to contact your emergency spill response team or an outside resource to handle the cleanup.
• Use proper disposal methods: Once you have soaked up the spill, use a broom and dustpan to sweep up all the wet towels, spill absorbents or other cleanup materials. Thoroughly clean and decontaminate the floor as well as any tools, machinery or other surfaces that might have been exposed to the spill. Double bag all the contaminated clean-up materials in plastic and place the bags inside a plastic or metal drum. Label the drum as “Hazardous Waste” with the date and the type of materials spilled. Arrange for proper storage and/or disposal of the drum.

Spill Prevention:

• Use smart storage techniques: Store materials in appropriate, well-sealed containers in the proper environment. Group similar materials together and post each material storage area with the proper spill response technique and emergency phone numbers. Store all materials indoors, away from exterior doors and drains, to prevent accidental spills into the environment.
• Limit materials: Try to limit the amount of hazardous materials stored in your workplace. This will minimize the risk of major spills. If you must keep a large amount of a certain material or if you have any toxic or hazardous materials, store these substances in double containers.
• Move materials carefully: When you or your workers are moving materials, carry one container at a time or place multiple containers on a rolling cart.
• Look for leaks: Check all of your storage equipment, material lines and materials dispensing areas for signs of leaks as often as possible.

Incidents involving contact between heavy equipment and overhead power-lines are more common than you might imagine. Some of the more typical occurrences include workers lifting loads with cranes, operating trucks with raised beds, and placing drilling equipment into position. In each of these instances, the danger exists because workers failed to realize just how close they were to power lines.

Machinery that makes contact with an overhead power line conductor becomes energized with electricity ranging from several thousand to more than 10,000 volts. When this happens, there are three ways that injury can occur:

• Workers in direct contact with both the machine and ground become a pathway for electrical current.
• Equipment operators, who are unaware of the line contact, or of their imminent danger, dismount the equipment, which causes them to bridge the high voltage between the equipment and ground.
• Nearby workers who try to help co-workers involved in the incident make contact with energized equipment or victims.

Because accidents involving power lines and heavy equipment are such a problem, OSHA established the following guidelines:

• All equipment covered by Subpart O—Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations, must comply with 1926.550(a)(15) when working or being moved in the vicinity of power lines or energized transmitters.
• Any overhead line must be considered energized unless and until the person owning the line or electric utility authorities indicate that it is not and has it visibly grounded. There are three OSHA approved methods to protect equipment operators from coming into contact with live overhead lines:
  • De-energize lines and visibly ground them before work begins. The owner of the property or the utility company is responsible for performing this step.
  • Construct insulating barriers that are separate from the equipment to prevent physical contact with the lines.
  • Operate equipment only if the required clearance between the lines and the equipment exists. If the line is rated 50 kV or below, there must be a 10 foot clearance. If the line is rated over 50 kV, there must be a minimum of 10 feet plus 0.4 inch for each 1 kV over 50 kV. Keep in mind that the required amount of clearance must be between the line and all parts of the equipment.
• Transporting crane-type equipment with no load and boom lowered requires a minimum of 4 feet of clearance for voltages less than 50 kV, and 10 feet of clearance for voltages between 50 kV and 345 kV. Voltages over 345kV, up to and including 750 kV, require a 16 foot clearance.
• A person must be designated as a spotter to ensure line clearance of the equipment. The spotter is also required to give a timely warning for all operations where it is difficult for the operators to see if they are maintaining the desired clearance.

Countless hazards can arise when workers are operating materials handling equipment on the jobsite. However, if operators and surrounding workers practice the proper safety guidelines, you can keep your jobsite free and clear of danger.

According to the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), there are two different categories of materials handling equipment: Earthmoving equipment and lifting and hauling equipment. OSHA provides safety guidelines for each of these types of vehicles. You can ensure a hazard-free jobsite by requiring your workers to follow these rules:

Earthmoving equipment safety

According to OSHA, earthmoving equipment is any type of equipment that moves dirt around, although some of these machines are also used as equipment haulers. This includes loaders, scrapers, wheel tractors, bulldozers, crawler tractors, off-highway trucks, agricultural and industrial tractors, graders and similar equipment. OSHA’s safety rules for earthmoving equipment are as follows:

• Seat belts must be provided on all equipment as designated by OSHA. However, seat belts are not necessary on equipment designed only for stand up operation or equipment without a roll-over protective structure (ROPS) or adequate canopy protection.
• No construction equipment or vehicles should be driven on access roadways and grades unless the area is specifically designed to withstand the equipment. Additionally, every emergency access ramp and berm must be constructed to restrain and control any possible runaway vehicles.
• All machines that move in two directions, including rollers, front-end loaders, bulldozers and compacters, must be equipped with an audible horn. The horn must be loud enough to be heard over the other jobsite noise and should be used whenever the operator is moving the equipment in either direction.
• If earthmoving or compacting equipment has an obstructed view to the rear, this equipment should not be moved in reverse unless it either has a reverse signal alarm that is loud enough to be heard over the jobsite noise or another worker signals the operator that it is safe to reverse.
• All earthmoving equipment must be equipped with service brakes that operate even when the equipment is fully loaded.
• Scissor points on all front-end loaders must be guarded.

Lifting and hauling equipment safety

OSHA defines lifting and hauling equipment as equipment that moves raw materials around a jobsite. This might include industrial trucks, forklifts, stackers, telescopic handlers and other similar equipment. The OSHA safety requirements for this type of equipment are as follows:

• Never exceed capacity ratings for equipment.
• The rated capacity must be clearly posted on lift trucks, stackers and similar vehicles so that the operator can see it. When adding auxiliary removable counterweights provided by the manufacturer, the vehicle’s capacity must be adjusted accordingly and posted.
• Do not attach steering or spinner knobs to the steering wheel unless the steering mechanism can prevent road reactions from causing the steering wheel to spin. If so, you must mount the steering knob within the periphery of the wheel.
• Only authorized workers can ride on powered industrial trucks. Those who are authorized to ride must be provided with a safe place to ride.
• You must receive the manufacturer’s written approval before making any modifications or additions that might affect the capacity or safe operation of equipment. If you receive approval to make these changes, you should change the capacity, operation and maintenance instruction plates or tags accordingly.

When materials handling equipment comes into play on the jobsite, workers can face a myriad of potential dangers. OSHA requires that operators of equipment and machinery must be qualified by training or experience to operate that equipment. If you want to keep your jobsite clear and free of danger, ensure that only experienced workers operate equipment. You should also constantly reinforce OSHA’s safety regulations with all equipment operators as well as surrounding workers.