Lecture students on different types of spills: chemical liquid, chemical powder, nontoxic liquid and nontoxic powder. Use a manual, such as the Environmental Protection Agency's "Manual for the Control of Hazardous Material Spills" as a training aid.
Educate students on wearing protective equipment when necessary. Chemical-resistant gloves and boots, and sometimes breathing apparatuses, are necessary when using spill kits.
Teach students that the first step in dealing with a spill is to isolate the spill. Personnel should contain the spill using barriers or absorption agents contained in a spill kit. Additionally, personnel must keep unauthorized persons away from the spill to prevent further incident.
Instruct students to ventilate the area of a spill and to stay upwind as much as possible.
Simulate spills with a nontoxic material, such as water colored with food dye. Use varying amounts of water to create spills of different sizes. Only use the colored water on nonporous surfaces. Tell students what the spill represents; for example, you can designate a spill as a common workplace chemical you frequently use. Instruct them to contain and clean the spill according to that chemical's requirements.
Refer your students to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's material safety data sheet library, commonly referred to as the OSHA MSDS library, to determine how to handle specific spills.