Spill Pallets and IBC Bunds

Drum spill pallets for one to eight drums

A drum spill pallet stands 205 litre drums on a grid above a sump, and the range runs from a single drum to eight on one pallet. The right format depends on how many drums the store holds and how they are loaded and used.

Single and double drum pallets

A single drum pallet suits a workshop, plant maintenance point or compound where one drum of oil or coolant is kept in use. It is also the quarantine point for a drum that is leaking or damaged, which can stand on its own sump until its contents are transferred. A double pallet takes the drum in use and a full spare beside it, and the spill pallets for 205 litre drums come in several versions for one or two drums.

Three, four and eight drum pallets

Multi-drum pallets suit a depot or site store where several drums of the same or compatible products are kept in one bunded row. Four drums is the common size for a site drum store. The eight drum version of the drum spill pallets puts a whole store on a single sump, which leaves fewer pallets to inspect.

Low profile drum spill pallets

A low profile drum spill pallet sits as close to the ground as its sump allows, so drums can be rolled on or set down from a drum trolley without a forklift. It is the format to choose where drums are loaded and unloaded by hand.

Extra capacity sumps

An extra capacity drum spill pallet has a larger sump than a standard pallet for the same number of drums. It is the choice for a busy drum store, where drums are opened, worked from and changed over more often than in a store of sealed stock.

Covered spill pallets for outdoor storage

Rain that falls into an open sump takes up the capacity a spill needs, and in a wet spell an uncovered pallet can fill with water before any product has leaked.

Open pallets indoors and under a canopy

An open pallet is right in a warehouse, workshop, plant shed or roofed bay where no rain reaches the sump. Drums and IBCs stay easy to load, reach and inspect, and the open drum pallets and IBC bunds are the simplest format for any store with a roof over it.

Covered IBC bunds with raincovers

The covered single IBC bund has a flexible raincover with a front access flap, so the tap and dispensing platform can be reached without taking the cover off. The covered double IBC bund has a rainproof cover over both IBCs and an overflow tray. Both are made from weatherproof recycled polyethylene and are the choice for IBCs kept outside and drawn from regularly.

Hard covered drum storage

Hard covered drum storage closes a rigid polyethylene cover over a bunded base. It is the choice for drums kept outside for long periods, where a rigid cover keeps rain, dirt and site debris off the drums and out of the sump.

IBC and drum storage cabinets

Once a store runs to several IBCs and many drums, IBC and drum storage cabinets bring them into one enclosed store, in sizes holding up to 24 IBCs and 96 drums. A cabinet is the next step when a yard of separate covered pallets has become harder to inspect, secure and keep dry than one enclosure.

Sump capacity, forklift access and dispensing

Once the type, cover and material are known, three details decide whether a pallet suits the store, and sump size comes first because it is the figure an inspector or a licence condition checks.

Sizing the sump

The common rule is that a sump holds at least 110% of the largest container it serves, and that is the basis on which the range is sized. Sites operating under an EPA licence work to the bunding conditions written into that licence, which can set a larger figure where several containers share one bund, so the licence is the number to size against.

2-way or 4-way forklift access

Pallets with 2-way pockets are lifted from two opposite sides, which suits pallets lined up against a wall or in a row where only the front face can be reached. Pallets with 4-way pockets can be picked up from any side, which suits an open yard, a compound where the forklift approaches from different directions, or a pallet that is moved often. The spill pallets with 4-way forklift access are for drums, and the recycled IBC bund with 4-way forklift access does the same for a single IBC.

Dispensing on the pallet

Where product is drawn off on the pallet, the drip from an IBC tap and the splash from filling a smaller container both need to land inside the bund. The integral dispensing areas and drip trays on the single IBC bunds sit under the tap for this purpose. In a drum store, an extra capacity sump leaves margin for a decanting spill on top of a leak from the drum itself. Spill absorbents kept beside the pallet deal with drips that land outside it. Where drums are moved near a gully, drain covers close it off until the work is done. For a larger spill elsewhere on site, keep spill kits from the waste and spill equipment range at each work area.