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Hazardous Chemical Spill Cleanup Guidelines
Who Cleans Up the Spill?
The
following guidelines are offered to help you decide who should clean
up a particular chemical spill.
You clean up the spill
for chemical spills which
do not involve injury, that do not represent a fire or life hazard, that
are less than one gallon and for which you have the proper training and
the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to do the clean up. If
there are any questions concerning a particular spill situation, contact The
Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office (CHO) at ext. 3502.
Environmental Health and Safety Cleans Up
the Spill for all other chemical spill situations, including
those for which you have any questions or doubts about your ability
to clean up the spill. Call
Chemical Hygiene Office (CHO) at ext. 3502. The situation will
be evaluated and proper response will follow. Afterhours, call 9-911
and OWU Public
Safety
ext. 2222. Report all injuries, fires, explosions and potential life-threatening
situations first to 9-911, then to CHO and Public Safety. If the
chemical spill is too large for the CHO to clean up, the Delaware Fire
department
HazMat Team and/or private contractors will be called in by Jann M. Ichida
(CHO) to handle
the clean up procedures.
Planning for Chemical Spill Emergencies
Prepare a Telephone Emergency Sheet.
The sheet should contain the
following information and should be posted by each telephone.
* Emergency telephone number: 9-911
* Public Safety Number x2222
* Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office x3502
* Name and phone number of any on-site emergency personnel (Environmental
Health and Safety Committee members, Laboratory Coordinators)
* Location of fire extinguishers
* Location of the spill control equipment
* Location of the fire alarm
Train all employees in chemical spill procedures when they are
first hired and periodically thereafter. Document training and
have the employee and supervisor sign the documentation form to
certify
that the
training was given. Keep the certification forms on file.
You can aid CHO by drawing a map of your lab
or service area and clearly labeling where chemicals and waste are
stored. Fire extinguishers,
eyewash stations, spill kits, exit routes. Any additional
hazards should also be clearly marked. Keep a copy of the map in
the main office
of your department and a copy to the CHO. If an emergency does
occur, your main office or CHO should provide advance warning to
emergency
response personnel (Haz-Mat team) of hazards in the
room. Update these maps whenever chemical management practices in
the room change.
Hazardous Chemical Spill Cleanup
Guidelines
A chemical spill or hazardous materials emergency
situation should be handled as a fire emergency. Initial response
in a fire situation
can be summarized as RESCUE, CONFINE, REPORT, SECURE AND CLEANUP
(FIGHT FIRE). These principles can also be applied to a hazardous
materials spill situation
RESCUE
Just as you are not to reenter a burning building, do not go back in to an
area where a chemical spill has occurred. In many documented cases, rescuers
not wearing proper protective equipment have been overcome by toxic of asphyxiating
fumes trying to rescue other victims and died as a result. Do not make this
mistake.
As you leave an area involved in a chemical spill, assist people exiting the
area.
* Evacuate personnel from the spill area.
* Direct personnel to the nearest fire exit. Do not use the elevators.
* Attend to victims.
First Aid
* Remove victim from spill area to
fresh air (but do not endanger your
own life by entering areas with toxic gases).
* Immediately remove contaminated clothing.
* Wash skin with water.
* Flush skin and/or eyes with water for at least 15 minutes. (you may
not feel any immediate effect from the chemical spill, but it is important
to
wash quickly
and thoroughly because many chemicals can cause severe tissue damage
which is not apparent until hours later.)
* Get medical attention for victims
Chemical spills over large body areas
* Remove contaminated clothing while under a shower.
* Flood affected body area with water for 15 minutes.
* Resume water flush if pain returns.
* Wash off chemicals with water. Do not use neutralizing chemicals,
creams, lotions, or salves.
* Make sure medical personnel understand exactly what chemical is
involved.
CONFINE
* Close all doors.
* Isolate area.
* Establish exhaust ventilation if possible.
* Open windows if possible without exposing yourself to the fumes.
REPORT
Call 9-911 and Public Safety x2222:
* for spills that involve injury requiring medical treatment.
* for spills that involve fire or explosion hazards.
* for spills which are potentially life threatening.
* for all chemical spills after work hours (4:30 pm -7:30 am)
Call Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office
x3502 and Public Safety x2222:
* for chemical spill situations that do not require 911 assistance.
* for spills of one gallon or more of any chemical , or any quantity
of a highly reactive or toxic material.
* for spills of an unknown chemical.
* for spills for which you do not have the proper training
or proper PPE to do the clean up.
* for spills for which you have any questions or doubts about your
ability to clean up the spill.
When calling the Biosafety and Chemical
Hygiene Office (CHO) the following information will be requested:
* Your name, telephone number, and location.
* Location of the incident.
* Time and type of incident.
* Name and quality of the material involved.
* The extent of injuries, if any.
* The possible hazards to human health of the environment outside
the facility.
* Other hazards that may be encountered in the area, such as large quantities
of stored chemicals (particularly oxidizers, flammables, and air-borne toxic
or irritant materials), radioactive materials, biohazards, etc.
SECURE
Until emergency responders arrive
on the scene, you, your staff, and your building's designated safety
committee member, will have to block off entrances
to the spill site and prevent people from entering the contaminated area.
* Lock doors leading to the chemical spill
and post signs on the doors warning of the spill (if necessary).
* Post staff at commonly used entrances to the spill site so they can
warn people to use other routes.
* For any large outdoor chemical spill, keep people upwind and uphill from the site.
CLEANUP
Based on the chemical spill situation described in the “Who
Cleans up the Spill” section, decide who will do the
clean up. If you are going to do the clean up, follow the
procedures listed in the “What to do When you Clean
Up a Spill?” section.
What To Do When You Clean Up a Spill
If you have proper training, proper personal protective equipment, and the
proper materials to absorb and clean up your chemical spill, and no one has
been injured, the spill is contained, and the spill is not life threatening
or a fire or explosion hazard, then follow the following procedures:
1. Perform
all the procedures in the CONFINE, REPORT,
and SECURE sections
above.
2. When cleaning up the spill yourself, locate the spill kit.
3. Choose the appropriate personal protective equipment.
* Always wear protective gloves and goggles.
* If there is a chance of body contact, wear an apron or coveralls.
* If the spill is on the floor, wear protective boots or shoe covers.
* If there are inhalation hazards, wear a respirator. If a respirator
is
used, the person wearing the respirator must meet all the requirements
set forth in 29 CFR 1910.134. (These include but are not limited
to fit testing
and medical exams.
4. Remove ignition sources.
* Turn off hot plates, stirring motors, and flame sources
* Shut down all other equipment.
* If unable to shut off sources of ignition, notify the emergency responders
(technical support in your department).
5. Confine or contain the spill.
* Cover with an absorbent mixture.
* Clean up minor spill with paper towels or a sponge if they will not
react.
* Sweep solid materials into a dust pan and place in a sealed container.
* If it is an acid/base spill, first add a neutralizing agent.
Small amounts of inorganic acid/base:
* Use a neutralizing agent and then absorbent material.
Small amounts of other materials:
* Absorb with non-reactive material (e.g. vermiculite, sand, towels,
Floor Dri).
Large amounts of inorganic acid/base:
* Neutralize and call for help.
Large amounts of other materials:
* Make a judgment call, dependent upon the amount, toxicity, and reactivity;
you may handle it yourself or call for help.
6. Spills that require special handling:
Acid Chlorides:
* Use Oil-Dri, Zorb-all, dry sand, etc.
* Avoid water and sodium bicarbonate.
Mercury:
* For small spills (e.g. broken thermometer and small quantities
of mercury), use an aspirator bulb or suction device. Then mop with
mercury decontaminating
powder solution (saturated HgX in water or other commercially available
products).
* For (1) spills larger than a broken thermometer, (2) any spill in
an oven or heated area or (3) spills in small unventilated rooms, call
Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office (x3502) to ask for mercury
vapor monitoring.
Alkali metals:
* Smother in dry sand.
* Put in hood.
* If possible, dispose of by slow addition of isopropanol.
White (Yellow) Phosphorus:
* Blanket with wet sand or wet absorbent.
7. Remove absorbent material with a broom and dust pan.
* Place in a plastic bag or other appropriate container. If the spilled
chemical is a volatile solvent, transfer the plastic bag to a
fume hood for storage
until the material can be picked up.
* If the spilled material is a non-volatile, hazardous chemical, dispose
of the material as a hazardous chemical. Contact Biosafety and Chemical
Hygiene office
(x3502) to determine the appropriate disposal method.
8. Wet mop the spill area.
Comments
Questions arise as to what constitutes a “large” spill
requiring Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene or other parties to clean
up or oversee the
clean up procedures and what are the limitations of commercially available
spill clean up kits.
A “large” chemical spill can be as small as a few milliliters
if the material is a highly volatile, toxic, or reactive compound spilled
in a
confined space. Many times you will have to make a professional judgment
as to the severity of the spill. When in doubt, you can always call the
Biosafety
and Chemical Hygiene Office (x3502) for advice.
Chemical spill cleanup kits are a must in the laboratory and other service
areas that use chemicals. The kits are very useful if you and your fellow
workers know
how to use them properly. Chemical absorbents or neutralizers can be used
quickly and effectively to contain a spill. Use these items if your personal
safety is
not in jeopardy. If in your judgment a respirator is necessary to clean up
the spill, secure the room and call the Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office
(at
x3502) and Public Safety (x2222) to aid in the spill clean up.
Be aware of the
fact that while you may be in a well ventilated room, the Lower Explosion
Limit (LEL) of a chemical may be reached at the surface
of the spill
and you want to avoid any sparks or sources of ignition when doing the
clean up. The protective equipment in a spill kit will not protect
you from a flash
fire. Many times the best way to handle the spill of a highly volatile
compound, such as diethyl ether of chloroform, is to open the windows
and fume hoods,
leave the room and close the doors, and let the room air out. In these
cases call Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office (x3502) and
Public Safety (x2222),
so that they can send someone to monitor the situation. If in your professional
opinion, there is a strong risk for fire or explosion, call 9-911 and
Biosafety and Chemical Hygiene Office (x3502) and Public
Safety (x2222) for fire department
backup, pull the building alarm, and evacuate the building. In most cases
of a chemical bottle breaking in a laboratory, you will not need to call
the fire
department.
Do not forget that any person who needs to wear a respirator must be fit
tested, have a medical exam, and meet the requirements of 29 CFR1910.134.
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