SPILL PALLETS - QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Spill pallets must be sealed against the stored liquids and must be made of non-flammable materials.

The storage room must be suitable, i.e. with permanent ventilation, Ex-protection and constructional fire protection.

The material from which the spill pallet is made must be suitable for the stored liquids. When storing water-hazardous, flammable substances for example oils and paints, a spill pallet in steel is ideal, either galvanised or painted. When storing aggressive chemicals, for example acids or alkalis, a spill pallet in stainless steel or plastic is needed. A good guide is to look at the container in which the substance is supplied, to determine which material the spill pallet should be made of.

Spill pallets must - depending on application - meet a range of requirements. Spill pallets with integral forklift pockets are ideal for transporting around the works using a forklift. The next thing to consider is the spill pallet containment volume. The spill pallet must also be properly tested and certified. Every weld seam of a DENIOS steel spill pallet has been tested by dye penetration.

Usually, a spill pallet height of 500 mm must not be exceeded, otherwise sufficient ventilation cannot be guaranteed. If a higher spill pallet is required however, technical ventilation can be used for example.

A spill pallet must be able to contain the contents of the largest container or at least 10% of the total stored volume. In as far as the storage of water-polluting substances is permitted in water protection areas, a spill pallet in this case must be able to contain 100% of the total stored volume.

Check whether combined storage of the substances is permitted. Our DENIOS Hazmat Manual includes a handy combined storage table to help you comply with the regulations.

These can be used in buildings and outdoors, however must not be used in Ex-zones. When installed outdoors, the containment devices must be protected from precipitation.

Clean up the leaked fluid using an absorbent material which is suitable for the hazardous substance. Take care to ensure that the type of absorbent material is appropriate to the leak. Absorbent materials are available in Oil, Universal or Special variants. Find out which absorbent material is suitable for your needs here.

The spill pallet must be visually inspected at least once a week. Remove the hazardous substance in accordance with the regulations using suitable absorbent materials. Further information on the legally compliant testing of spill pallets can be found here. As an additional, practical monitoring aid, we recommend our SpillGuard® hazardous substance leak warning system. The handy SpillGuard®, which can be placed in any spill pallet, is easy to activate and triggers a visual and audible signal for 24 hours in the event of a leak - giving an effective warning.

Check the test certificate as well as the guarantee from the manufacturer. If you notice the beginnings of any corrosion, the spill pallet must be disposed of in accordance with the legislation. In order to carry out a general sealing test, water can of course be poured into the spill pallet to check it is water-tight.

A large proportion of spill pallets can be accessed from below, so a forklift can be used to transport from A to B. Some models are available with castors. If a floor spill pallet needs to be transported, this can be done on a pallet. In each case, ensure the spill pallet is not so full that there will be a risk of a leak during transport. If transport is necessary, where public roads and not just the works grounds need to be accessed, the legislation for the transport of hazardous goods needs to be taken into consideration.