What to do if there has been a chemical or oil spill at home or at work?
Everyone in Queensland has a general environmental duty to prevent environmental harm. Below are the necessary steps to clean up a chemical or oil spill:
Your immediate action will be to stop the source of the spill from leaking.
Secondly, work to contain the spill using cat litter, sawdust, sand rags. Really anything you have at hand.
Thirdly, you will want to use an absorbent of some sort to soak up the remaining chemical/oil.
Next, place the used material/s in a heavy duty bag. It is likely that the chemical you are cleaning cannot be just placed in your general waste bin.
Call the QLD pollution hotline on 1300 130 372 for further guidance on how to dispose and if any further action is needed.
If the spill is bigger than you are able to contain, call 1800 774 557. This is the number to the Cleanaway spill team who have expertise and the necessary equipment to clean large spills.
It is never a good idea to just leave a spill; the spill can make its way into local water sources and cause environmental harm.
Remember, the penalty for serious environmental harm is 6,250 penalty units or 5 years imprisonment.