Breathe Easy: How Morrows Is Responding Smarter to Spills
You can never be too prepared when you work in a dangerous goods facility. One small error can turn everyday operations into a serious incident. That’s why being cautious isn’t just a best practice at Morrows Noble Park warehouse—it’s a way of working.
“Our approach is to overreact,” says Shannon, Logistics Manager at the site. “And what we mean by that is we treat every incident as though it’s a worst-case scenario. That way, we’re never caught off guard and keep our team safe.”
Why the Breathing Apparatus Comes First
Today, the team has two complete self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units —each offering around 45 to 60 minutes of isolated, breathable air. The setup includes a backpack-mounted tank, a full-face mask, and gauges to show how much air is left.
“It’s like having a scuba tank on your back,” says Shannon. “You’ve got your own air supply, fully sealed off from the environment. Giving us the confidence to walk into an unknown situation safely without worrying about what we’re inhaling.”
The goal of the BA gear is simple: provide a clean, isolated air source in places where the air might contain harmful elements.
Don First. Assess Second.
At Morrows, spill response starts with putting on the breathing apparatus—no matter how big or small the incident.
“We don’t wait to find out if the air’s safe. We just suit up,” Shannon explains. “About 90% of the time, we can make a quick assessment once we’re there—either keep it on or decide the air is fine to breathe.”
With various dangerous goods on site—everything from corrosives to gas products—it’s better to be safe than sorry. “Some products you just don’t want to inhale. And with others, it’s critical that you don’t,” Shannon adds.
Training, Drilling, and Team Readiness
All users complete accredited training with certified external providers. That’s followed by in-house sessions on how Morrows handles incidents—the who, what, when, and how.
“We train so our team knows exactly how to respond in a real-life situation,” says Shannon. “Our equipment is always ready and easily accessible—monthly drills help us be familiar with the equipment and know how to don and check each other before heading into a potential stressful situation. We want it to be muscle memory.”
Making Smarter Safety Calls
Having the gear on site doesn’t mean the team handles everything themselves. “There are some spills we’ll happily leave to professionals—like toxic products that need full HAZMAT suits,” says Shannon. “But now, with our own BAs, we can make better decisions faster. Before, we had to call in external help because we didn’t have enough information. Now, we can safely go in, check the scene, and decide what’s within our scope.”
The team is also trialing a portable gas detector—another tool to assess air quality before committing to full protective gear.
“If it tells us the oxygen levels are fine, and there’s nothing hazardous in the air, we have the confidence to remove the BA and continue working in the area,” Shannon says. “It’s just another way we’re working smarter.”