A Katikati man suffered minor burns to his leg after a 200 litre plastic drum of nitric acid was spilt overnight.

Fire service assistant area commander Kevin Cowper says the man returned to the scene after receiving medical treatment at a nearby clinic.

Firefighters were called to an acid spill in Katikati overnight.

Firefighters were called to the spill at a Hydroponics vegetable growers on Middlebrook Drive about 4pm.

Kevin says the drum was being unloaded at the growers when it fell, spilt and splashed a worker.

'More than half the contents were lost. One worker, I think the guy that was unloading actually, got a bit of a splash of acid on his leg,” says Kevin.

'He received decontamination and first aid at the scene. He was transported to the medical centre for a check-up but he was okay.”

Firefighters wearing splash suits soaked up the spill off the concrete floor using absorbent material.

'Then we neutralised the acid left on the floor that we couldn't soak up with a soda ash, which will be disposed of by a company that does that sort of stuff.”

The spill was virtually across the road from the new Katikati Fire Station, which was used as the operations base.

After ensuring everyone was out and everyone was safe, the local brigade waited for the Greerton hazmat unit - which contains the splash suits and other gear required for dealing with a chemical spill.

Firefighters left the scene around 8pm.