Customer Questions: Spill Kit Regulation Requirements

Question: Are there certain regulations that require you to have a spill kit?

Answer: No, there are not any regulations that specifically say you need to have a spill kit, but there are several that require you to be prepared for spills. Having a spill kit might help you comply with those regulations.

If your facility stores above threshold quantities of oil and has the potential to pollute a nearby waterway, you’re required to have a Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) plan and “appropriate containment and/or diversionary structures or equipment to prevent a discharge” [40 CFR 112.7].

You can write into your SPCC plan that you have spill kits as a best management practice that helps you to be prepared to handle a spill. Spill Kits can also be written into a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) as a best management practice a facility will take to prevent the discharge of unpermitted hazardous pollutants into waterways.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Hazardous Waste and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) regulation requires anyone responding to an emergency spill to have “sufficient quantities” of absorbents and salvage drums available to control a spill. Some spill kit containers can double as salvage drums and shipping containers for hazardous waste, which you’re required to have available “in areas where spills, leaks or ruptures may occur” [29 CFR 1910.120(j)(1)(vii)]. Before purchasing a container, you’ll need to make sure you have the correct UN-rated container to ship the absorbents in.

Stock your facility with PIG Spill Kits so you're ready to respond to spills. Not sure what type of kit you need? Give us a call at 1-800-HOT-HOGS and we'll help you decide.