What should you do if a cooking oil spill occurs during the incident?

• A. Move the spill away from the work area to a distant corner.
• B. Pour water on it to dissolve.
• C. Ignore it if it's small.
• D. Contain and monitor the spill, avoid contact with hot surfaces, and use the extinguisher as directed if needed.

Answer: (D)

When cooking oil spills during an incident, the priority is to control the hazard without creating new risks. Containing and monitoring the spill keeps the oil from spreading toward hot surfaces or ignition sources, and avoiding contact with hot surfaces protects against burns. Having an extinguisher ready and using it as directed if the oil starts to burn gives you a prepared, safe response to a potential fire.

Moving the spill away from the work area can just push the oil to another spot and spread it, pouring water on cooking oil is dangerous because oil and water don’t mix and water can spread or splash hot oil, and ignoring a spill leaves a ongoing slip and fire risk. Containment with vigilance and a fire-extinguishing plan is the safest approach.