Standing up to

everyday leaks
and drips
containing hazards in the workplace

Slippery floors are everyday occurrences in many workplaces,

but commonly overlooked as a safety hazard. Liquids typically
leak, drip or spray onto floors and walkways where workers
can easily slip and fall.

This paper details the risks facing your operation and the
products and processes developed to help you mitigate them.

It is likely to be of special interest if you hold any of the

following positions:

• Maintenance Manager
• Technical Specialist
• Operations or Production Manager
• Engineer
• Purchasing Officer
• Stores Manager
• Administrator
• Company Executive or Director
• Laboratory Technician
• Warehouse Manager
• Environmental Health and Safety Manager

© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk

Dangers
that can
floor you
Many workplace operations
require liquids to be stored,
moved and dispensed on site.
Such processes involve the risk
of leaks and drips reaching
floors and walkways – turning
clean, dry surfaces that normally
provide sound footing into
slippery hazards that can cause
injurious, even deadly falls.
Statistics show that:
• Slips and falls are the single
most common cause of major
injury in the UK workplace.1
• 95% of major slips result in
broken bones.1
• Nearly 11,000 major slip or
fall incidents are recorded
each year.2
• Slip and fall accidents
cost employers more than
£512 million per year.1
By law, you are
obliged to provide
a safe environment
for employees and
visitors to your
premises.
Registered office: New Pig Ltd • Hogs Hill Watt Place • Hamilton International Technology Park • Blantyre G72 0AH
Freephone: 0800 919 900 • Fax: 0800 731 5071 • pigpen@newpig.com
© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk
By law, you are obliged to
provide a safe environment for
Your profitability is also at
risk – through compensation
employees and visitors to your
premises. For more information
payouts, lost sales and increased
insurance premiums.
on the regulations you need to
comply with, refer to:
Research shows that most
enterprises have scope for
• Health and Safety at Work improvement in this important
Act 1974.1 but often over-looked area of
their activity – remarkably,
• The Workplace (Health,
when asked, only 13% of
Safety and Welfare)
members of the Institute of
Regulations 1992.1
Safety and Health thought their
• The Management of organisations were fully effective
Health and Safety at Work at controlling the risk of slips
Regulations 1999.1 and falls.1
You also have an obligation to
your organisation. Slips and
falls caused by even everyday
leaks and drips can cost
you experienced personnel,
demoralise the rest of your
workforce, disrupt production,
and destroy business reputations
built up over many years.
Towards
a more
surefooted
workplace
Leaks and drips from machinery,
drums, pipes and other sources
needn’t reach floors and
walkways to become dangerous
slip hazards – provided you take
the right precautions. Decades
of development, driven by the
dangers of slippery surfaces and
by the need for legal compliance,
have created highly effective
containment products and
technologies.
For plant machinery, these
solutions include:
• Absorbent Socks which
mould snugly around
the bases of machines or
containers.
• Absorbent Mats to soak
up leaks, drips, overspray
and condensation beneath
machines and gearboxes.
• Drip Trays, Pans and
Absorbent Pillows to catch
heavy leaks and drips under
cramped machinery.
For warehouses, these
solutions include:
• Absorbent Mats for
positioning at loading bays
to keep areas dry during
wet weather.
• Traffic Mats for warehouses,
these heat-infused
constructions are ideal to
soak up and retain liquids,
and are strong enough to
withstand forklift traffic.
Registered office: New Pig Ltd • Hogs Hill Watt Place • Hamilton International Technology Park • Blantyre G72 0AH
Freephone: 0800 919 900 • Fax: 0800 731 5071 • pigpen@newpig.com
© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk
Decades of development, driven by the
dangers of slippery surfaces and by the
need for legal compliance, have created
highly effective containment products
and technologies.
For pipework, these For liquid storage, these
solutions include: solutions include:
• Absorbent Mats which are • Spill Pallets and Decks for
mouldable and hold their containing larger liquid spills
shape to soak up and contain in material dispensing and
leaks, drips and condensation waste collection areas.
in hard-to-reach places.
• Pallet Rack Sumps to catch
• Pipe Diverters to redirect leaks and drips in steel
leaks from pipes, protecting pallet racking.
personnel and plant
For roofs and entrances,
equipment.
these solutions include:
• Repair Tape and Putty
• Leak Diverters for
for instantly repairing small,
capturing and redirecting
unexpected pipe leaks.
roof and office leaks.
For liquid handling, these
• Entranceway Mats to
solutions include:
remove and trap dirt and
• Dispensing Dollies to water from footwear to
provide drum transportation prevent it being walked into
and a dispensing station the workplace.
as well as secondary
containment for leaks
and drips.
• Drive-in Containment
to stop drips and leaks
spreading from storage
tanks, pallets and tankers.
• Basins and Trays which
keep slippery messes off the
floor and in the tray.
Soak up the
problem
Absorbent Mats, Socks and
Pillows are three of the
product categories most sought
by responsible employers
confronting the risks posed
by liquids in the workplace.
Superbly versatile, these items
can be used almost anywhere in
your facility to stop leaks, drips
and spills from becoming life-
threatening, business-wrecking
slip hazards.
Choosing the right
Absorbent Mats
Absorbent Mats are made with
a range of absorption properties
to match the different dripping,
leaking or spilt liquids they may
be required to tackle.
• Universal Absorbents,
typically grey or blue in
colour, are designed to soak
up and lock in non-aggressive
liquids such as oils, water,
coolants and solvents.
• Oil-Only Absorbents,
typically white or brown in
colour, will absorb petroleum-
based liquids such as motor
oil, hydraulic oil, gasoline,
diesel and kerosene.
• Haz-Mat or Chemical
Absorbents, typically
pink in colour, are meant
for aggressive liquids such
as acids, caustics and
unknown liquids.
Absorbent Mats are made with a range of absorption
properties to match the different dripping, leaking or spilt
liquids they may be required to tackle.
Registered office: New Pig Ltd • Hogs Hill Watt Place • Hamilton International Technology Park • Blantyre G72 0AH
Freephone: 0800 919 900 • Fax: 0800 731 5071 • pigpen@newpig.com
© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk
Another key concern is durability.
For using on walkways with
heavy footfall, select heavy-duty
mats. These grip to the floor so as
not to cause a slip hazard, absorb
and retain the required volume
of liquid so nothing leeches onto
the surface below, and are tough
enough to withstand intensive
daily use without fraying which
can be a slip hazard. Areas with
forklift traffic demand the use
of dedicated heat-fused mats.
Absorption capacity is a third
consideration. Lighter-duty
mats are for tool box and shelf
linings, counter-top use and
for placing under machinery
that drips infrequently. Heavy-
weight mats soak up larger
volume leaks and spills and can
be placed in single locations over
extended time periods.
Some Absorbent Mats are made
with 50% or more recycled
content so they can also help you
achieve your ISO 14001 and
CFR environment goals.
Choosing the right
Absorbent Socks
Absorbent Socks are classified
into Universal Absorbents,
Oil-Only Absorbents and
Chemical or Haz-Mat
Absorbents in the same way as
Absorbent Mats are (see above).
Ensure you select the kind
suitable for the types of liquid
they will be in contact with in
your application.
Consider how flexible your
Absorbent Socks will need to be.
For use around tight machine
spaces, choose highly mouldable
socks. Heavier duty designs are
better choices for spill control
applications and for sitting snug
to floors over extended periods.
Finally, consider your
absorption requirements.
In order to prevent slip and fall
hazards, decide the maximum
volume of liquid likely to leak,
drip or spill and select socks
that can soak up and retain
this. More Absorbent Socks also
mean less frequent change outs
which can save you money and
add to the bottom line.
Choosing the right
Pillows and Pans
For everyday discharges
under cramped machinery,
drum taps, pipes and flanges,
consider Pillows and Pans.
Absorbing liquid close to the
source of a leak or drip prevents
it progressing onto walkways
where it can cause dangerous,
expensive and potentially
litigious slip and fall accidents.
Absorbent Pillows are classified
into Universal Absorbents, Oil-
Only Absorbents and Chemical
or Haz-Mat Absorbents in the
same way as Absorbent Mats are
(see above). Ensure you select
the kind suitable for the types
of liquid they will be in contact
with in your workplace.
Getting
more from
Absorbent
Mats and
Socks
Optimising the performance of
these advanced solutions will
help you minimise the danger
of slip and fall accidents in
your workplace.
When working with
Absorbent Mats:
• Clean away any debris
or clay on the ground –
Absorbent Mats work best
when in direct contact with
the floor.
• Don’t stack – stacking
mats doesn’t increase their
absorbency but does create
more waste.
• Use to full capacity before
disposal. A puddle forming
on the top of the mat is your
signal that it needs replacing
so it does not leak liquid into
a pedestrian walkway and
become a slip hazard.
When working with
Absorbent Socks:
• Clean up any debris or clay
on the ground – Absorbent
Socks work best when in
direct contact with the floor.
• Shake before deployment –
giving Absorbent Socks a
good shake evenly distributes
the contained filler to create
the best possible contact with
the surface and enable snug
moulding around machines
and pipework.
Registered office: New Pig Ltd • Hogs Hill Watt Place • Hamilton International Technology Park • Blantyre G72 0AH
Freephone: 0800 919 900 • Fax: 0800 731 5071 • pigpen@newpig.com
© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk
• Overlap – when placing socks
end-to-end, overlapping them
by 8cm ensures liquid does
not pass from one to another.
• Avoid using surfactants with
Oil-Only Socks – as these
chemicals will destroy the
socks’ water repellency.
• Leave until fully saturated –
you’ll know when its time
to replace a sock as liquid
will slowly seep through
and pool behind it. When
this happens, you are not
protecting employees from
potential slipping hazards.
It’s also
recommended
that you develop
an advanced plan
to deal with the
contingency of
unexpected
leaks and spills.
Putting safety first
Always ensure the correct
Personal Protection Equipment
is issued to employees working
with Chemical or Haz-Mat
Absorbents as these absorb acids
and caustics which can cause
serious injury if not handled
correctly. To safeguard the
environment, used absorbent
products must also be disposed
of in compliance with national
and local regulations.
It’s also recommended that you
develop an advanced plan to
deal with the contingency of
unexpected leaks and spills:
1. Make an inventory of all
liquids stored or used on site.
2. List the quantity of each
liquid at each location.
3. Identify ‘high risk’ or ‘spill
prone’ areas. Don’t overlook
pipelines, sumps or
process liquids.
4. Record the maximum
quantities of liquids which
could potentially spill at
each location.
5. Keep updated Material Safety
Data Sheets (MSDS) for all
liquids at each location.
6. Select the best products,
materials and processes for
containing and cleaning up
liquids that reach the floor.
7. Plan routes for best access to
each location, allowing
for variables such as
weather conditions.
8. Monitor your containment
and clean-up supplies
to ensure they are fully
maintained and ready to
clean up liquid messes
on the floor.
Regular training for managers
and employees will also help
minimise the risk of slip-and-fall
accidents. Classroom training
establishes chain of command
and individual responsibilities;
practical demonstrations prove
the efficiency of solutions and
instill worker confidence.
Absorbing
the lessons
Slip, trip and fall incidents
in the UK workplace cost 40
workers their lives in 20093,
with liquids spilt onto floors and
walkways among the commonest
causes. Such events also have
expensive, potentially disastrous
consequences for affected
businesses. Legal action against
compliance failures, diminished
employee morale, disruptions
to production, your business
reputation tarnished – all these
are possible outcomes.
Even with the best liability
insurance, you’re likely to incur
considerable expenses. And your
insurance premiums are likely
to rise too – for example, an
employee breaking an arm can
increase these by £6,000 or more.1
References
1
Health and Safety Executive
2
Your Legal Rights/Barbour
Environment Health and Safety
3
HR Review - 8/2/2010
Registered office: New Pig Ltd • Hogs Hill Watt Place • Hamilton International Technology Park • Blantyre G72 0AH
Freephone: 0800 919 900 • Fax: 0800 731 5071 • pigpen@newpig.com
© 2010 New Pig Ltd. All rights reserved. • facebook.com/newpiguk • www.newpig.co.uk
Observing these rules will help keep your
workers safe – and your business on its feet.
Crucial to minimising the risk
of slips and falls is the safe
and legally compliant curbing
of leaks, drips and spills. Best
practice recommends that you:
1. Familiarise yourself and
your employees with all
relevant legislature.
2. Invest in the products and
technologies available to
you which soak up, contain
and redirect unwanted
liquids away from floors
and walkways. Absorbent
Mats, Absorbent Socks and
Absorbent Pillows provide
dedicated, versatile solutions
across the workplace.
3. Ensure your absorption
products are used to
optimal effect.
4. Follow all safety guidelines
concerning the handling and
disposal of used absorption
products.
5. Develop contingency plans
for addressing unexpected
leaks and spills, and train
staff to ensure they have the
knowledge and confidence to
deal with them.
Observing these rules will help
keep your workers safe – and
your business on its feet.