Spill Response Plan

A spill response plan is a simple, written procedure that helps your team react quickly and consistently to leaks and spills. The goal is always the same: protect people first, stop the spill getting worse, prevent pollution, and return the area to safe operation as efficiently as possible.

This guide is designed for typical UK workplaces handling oils, fuels, coolants, solvents and chemicals. It can be adapted for factories, workshops, depots, labs, warehouses, fleets and construction sites.

1) What your plan should include

Your spill response plan should be site-specific. At minimum, capture:

• Spill risks on site (what could spill, where, and how much).
• Immediate actions (raise the alarm, make safe, contain, clean up, dispose).
• Roles and responsibilities (who leads, who supports, who contacts external help).
• Spill equipment locations (kits, drain covers, PPE, warning signs, waste bags).
• Escalation points (when to stop and call specialist support or emergency services).
• Waste handling and documentation (especially for hazardous substances).
• Training, drills and review frequency.

2) Prepare before a spill happens

Most spill “incidents” become expensive because the basics were not in place. Use this preparation checklist to reduce downtime and risk.

Risk and location planning

• List liquids stored or used on site, including where they are transferred, decanted or pumped.
• Identify nearby drains, interceptors, watercourses and sensitive areas.
• Decide where containment must happen first (doorways, drainage routes, loading bays, bund edges).
• Keep Safety Data Sheets (SDS) available for all chemicals and ensure COSHH assessments are current.

Equipment readiness

Choose equipment that matches your liquids and likely spill sizes. For quick browsing:

• Spill Kits for ready-to-go response packs.
• Absorbents for pads, socks/booms, rolls and loose absorbents.
• Spill Control for drain protection and specialist spill control tools.
• Spill Containment for bunding and secondary containment options.
• Drip and Spill Trays for drip prevention and tidy work areas.
• SpillTector for targeted spill prevention/containment solutions.
• Lab Supplies for lab-focused spill products and accessories.

Training and drills

• Train staff on spill assessment, PPE selection, containment priorities and waste segregation.
• Run short drills that cover realistic scenarios: small hydraulic leak, drum knock-over, chemical splash, yard spill near drains.
• Store the plan where it is easy to access: near spill kit stations, goods-in, workshops and chemical storage.

3) Roles and responsibilities

Assign names or job titles to each role so it is clear who does what, even on nights or weekends.

• Incident Lead: takes control, assesses the risk, decides whether to escalate, coordinates response.
• First Responder: raises alarm, isolates the area, begins safe containment (only if trained and safe to do so).
• Safety Support: checks PPE, monitors for fumes/slips, prevents unauthorised access.
• Environmental Contact: ensures drains and water routes are protected; manages reporting where required.
• Waste Coordinator: labels waste, arranges storage and disposal in line with duty of care requirements.

4) Immediate spill response steps

Use the sequence below as your core procedure. Your site plan can add location-specific instructions (for example: “protect drain A first”, “close valve B”, “use kit station 2”).

Step 1: Assess and make safe

• Stop and assess from a safe distance. Identify the liquid if possible (check labels, SDS, process notes).
• If there is a risk of fire, fumes, chemical burns, or unknown substance, do not approach. Escalate immediately.
• Raise the alarm and isolate the area. Use barriers and warning signs where available.

Step 2: Protect people

• Wear appropriate PPE before contact with any liquid or contaminated absorbents.
• Keep non-essential staff away. Watch for slip hazards and track-out (contamination carried on footwear).
• If anyone is contaminated, follow first aid and SDS guidance and seek medical support if needed.

Step 3: Stop the source (only if safe)

• Shut valves, upright containers, place a drip tray, or isolate pumps if you can do so without risk.
• If it is not safe, move to containment and escalate.

Step 4: Contain and prevent pollution

• Protect drains first: deploy drain covers, drain mats or temporary bunding where appropriate.
• Use absorbent socks/booms to dam and divert flow away from doorways and drainage routes.
• For yard spills, prioritise interceptors and surface water drains and prevent spread with bunding and booms.

Step 5: Recover and clean up

• Use the correct absorbents for the liquid type (oil-only for hydrocarbons; chemical/hazmat for aggressive chemicals; general purpose for mixed maintenance spills).
• Work from the outside in to avoid spreading contamination.
• Replace saturated materials promptly and bag waste as you go.

Step 6: Dispose and document

• Segregate waste appropriately (for example: oily waste, chemical-contaminated waste, sharps where relevant).
• Label waste bags/containers and store securely until collection.
• Record: time, location, substance, estimated volume, actions taken, any releases to drains, and any injuries.

Step 7: Review and improve

• Replace used items immediately so the station is “response-ready”.
• Hold a short debrief: what worked, what slowed you down, what needs changing.
• Update training, kit placement, signage or procedures based on what you learned.

5) Escalation rules (when to stop and call for help)

Build clear triggers into your plan so staff are not forced to guess. Escalate immediately if:

• The substance is unknown, highly hazardous, or producing strong vapours.
• There is a fire risk or ignition source cannot be controlled.
• The spill is spreading rapidly or exceeds the capacity of on-site materials.
• There is any risk of liquid entering drains, surface water, groundwater or soil.
• Anyone has been injured, splashed, or exposed.

If you need support selecting the right type of response products for your site, contact us here: Contact Serpro.

6) Quick spill response checklist (copy into your internal plan)

1. Raise alarm, isolate area, assess risks.
2. Identify substance if safe (label/SDS/COSHH).
3. Put on suitable PPE.
4. Stop source if safe.
5. Protect drains and water routes first.
6. Contain spread with socks/booms/bunding.
7. Recover with appropriate absorbents.
8. Bag, label, segregate and store waste safely.
9. Record incident details and escalate/report if required.
10. Restock kit and review improvements.

References and guidance

The following UK guidance is useful when building and maintaining spill procedures:

• UK Government: Pollution prevention for businesses (includes recommendation to create a pollution incident response plan). View guidance
• HSE: COSHH emergencies (planning and equipment for foreseeable incidents such as spills). View guidance
• HSE: Emergency response and spill control (technical measures and good practice for spill control). View guidance
• NetRegs: GPP 22 Dealing with spills (pollution incident response plans, containment methods and clean-up guidance). View PDF