Spills in your workplace must be managed and cleaned up safely. If you come into contact with hazardous substances, you should be prepared in the event of a spill emergency. The regulations require employers to provide adequate training for employees on responding to any chemical spills.
Training must cover site-specific procedures to respond to chemical spills, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and the correct use of equipment for spill containment and clean-up. This type of training should be provided at regular intervals to ensure that everyone at the workplace is up to date with the latest procedures and equipment.
The knowledge to effectively manage and respond to a spill is very important for the health, safety and wellbeing of people on site.
At the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Understand common industry terms and abbreviations when dealing with dangerous goods.
- Understand the importance of legislation, regulators, and enforcers, including HSR, HSNO, and HSWA.
- Recognize the roles of WorkSafe NZ, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and why spill training is important.
- Understand your obligations, roles, and responsibilities in the event of a spill emergency.
- Identify and classify hazardous substances using the HSNO and GHS classification systems.
- How to read and extract key information from a substance’s Safety Data Sheet (SDS), with a focus on sections for Hazard Identification, First Aid, Accidental Release Measures, and Exposure Controls.
- Understand the importance and use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE).
- Identify the different types of spill kits and which ones are suitable for which type of substance.
- Know the contents of spill kits and how to use them effectively to clean up small indoor and outdoor spills.
- Understand when to escalate a spill emergency.
- Identify specific clean-up precautions for certain classes of dangerous goods.
- How to best prepare before a spill emergency occurs by:
- Identifying how to access relevant information, equipment, and site-specific procedures at the workplace.
- Ensuring that the currently available control measures such as signage, inventory lists and emergency response plans are up-to-date and fit for purpose.
- Checking that everyone is trained and familiar with the emergency response plan and how to read a Safety Data Sheet.
The chemical spill response training is available as either an online eLearning module that can be completed on a smartphone at your own pace or a 60-minute onsite course. Click here to register your interest and submit an enquiry for available dates. Alternatively, call us on 0800 474 338 to discuss your options or email hello@rifft.co.nz and we will respond as soon as we can.
To learn more about the online course and register for an account, click here.
