LABORATORY CHEMICAL SPILLS

LABORATORY CHEMICAL SPILLS
The range and quantities of hazardous substances used in laboratories require preplanning to respond safely to chemical spills. The cleanup of a chemical spill should only be performed by personnel familiar with the chemicals involved.
Minor – Non Emergency A minor spill (e.g., laboratory quantities of hazardous substances) is one that staff is capable of handling without assistance from safety & emergency personnel.		Major - Emergency A major spill (e.g., fire, health or reactivity hazard; bulk quantities of hazardous substances) will likely require assistance from safety & emergency personnel (i.e., Fire Department)
Emergency or Non-Emergency Designation Releases of hazardous substances that pose a significant threat to health and safety or that, by their very nature, require an emergency response regardless of the circumstances surrounding the release or the mitigating factors are considered emergency situations.
The following constitute an Emergency The situation is unclear to the person causing or discovering the spill. The release requires evacuation of personnel. The release involves or poses a threat of fire, explosion or other imminent danger. Conditions are Immediately Dangerous to Life and Health. High exposure levels of toxic substances are present. Personnel in the work area are uncertain they can handle the severity of the hazard and/or the exposure limit could easily be exceeded.		The following constitute a Non-Emergency The person causing or discovering the release understands the properties and can make an informed decision as to the exposure level involved. The release can be appropriately cleaned up by lab personnel using available spill clean up materials. The materials are limited in quantity, exposure potential, or toxicity and present only minor safety or health hazards to persons in the immediate work area or those assigned to clean up the activity.
Emergency Spill Response Evacuate - Stop work, evacuate personnel from the spill area and alert those nearby. Shut off electrical equipment as you leave. Direct personnel exiting the area to the nearest fire exit. DO NOT use elevators. Confine - Isolate the spill area (e.g., close doors to the room where the spill occurred). Report - Dial 9-1-1, from a safe distance, and provide spill information. Secure - Until emergency response personnel arrive block off the areas leading to the spill, attend to victims. Caution - Do Not go back into an area where a spill has occurred. Rescuers not wearing protective equipment have been overcome by toxic or asphyxiating fumes attempting to rescue others.		Non-Emergency Spill Response Limit access to the spill area to those involved in the cleanup process. Choose the appropriate personnel protective equipment. Always wear gloves and proteective eyewear. Use additional protective equipment (e.g., apron, boots) as needed. Confine or contain the spill using Piglogs^®or similar. Neutralize acid, caustic or formaldehyde/formalin spills as appropriate. Cover/absorb liquid spills with absorbent (e.g., floor dry,, vermiculate, sand, paper towels) and sweep/scoop clean up materials into plastic bag. Clean area with water. Dispose of waste in compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations. Decon the spill cleanup equipment using copious amounts of water.
Spill Kits Ready access to a chemical spill kit is required in laboratories that work with hazardous chemicals. Minimally, such a kit should contain: splash resistant goggles chemical resistant gloves plastic bags multi-chemical absorbent (enough for a 2 gallon spill) acid/caustic/formalin neutralizers mop and bucket small/large broom plastic scoop and dust pan NOTE: Each laboratory's spill kit should be kept in a readily accessible location and each employee should be trained on its use.