Chemical Spill Guidelines

The objective of this guide is to provide laboratory employees with a framework for spill response planning. This planning must be done in advance, not after a spill occurs.

S.W.I.M. FOR ALL SPILLS

Stop the spill. Cover with absorbent material.

Warn others. Alert people in the immediate area of the spill.

Isolate the spill and secure the area. Close doors.

Minimize your exposure: wear PPE and avoid contact or inhalation. Vacate the area. Wash hands.

Radiological Spills

Utilize time, distance, and shielding to prevent exposure.

Cover with absorbent material.

Wear gloves and use tongs/scoop to collect contaminated material as radioactive waste.

Call Radiation Safety Officer at 435-797-7423, After hours, call USU Dispatch at 435-797-1939

Chemical Spills

If personal contamination has occurred, use the eye wash or safety shower for 15 minutes

Determine whether the spill is simple or complex:

• Evaluate the spill risks
• Evaluate the quantity spilled
• Evaluate the spill impact

Simple Spills: Do not spread rapidly, do not endanger people or property except by direct contact, and they do not endanger the environment.

• Trained personnel should follow the spill response plan and use the lab’s spill kit.
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) during cleanup
• Spill clean-up materials should be containerized, labeled as hazardous waste, and disposed of through the EHS Hazardous waste program.

Complex Spills: Evacuate the area and call 911. If the spill is spreading or if the material involved has a significant health risk, the fire alarm can be pulled to begin evacuation of the building.

EH&S chemical spill assistance is available 24/7:

During business hours (Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), call 435-797-1053

After business hours, call USU Dispatch 435-797-1939 to reach EH&S staff on call.

Biohazardous Spills

Cover the spill with paper towels or absorbent material.

Pour freshly prepared 10% bleach around the spill and allow to flow into spill.

After 30 minutes of contact time, wipe up and dispose of biohazard waste.

If spill contains recombinant nucleic acids, notify EH&S Biosafety as soon as possible at 435-797-3507

Report all spills within 24 hours by calling EHS at 435-797-2892

Preparing for Chemical Spills in the Lab

In most cases, laboratory spills involve small quantities of materials and, if precautions are taken, present minimal hazards. Laboratory workers are usually the most appropriate people to clean up their spills because they are more likely than others to be familiar with the spilled material's hazardous characteristics; can respond at least as quickly as, and usually more quickly than, anyone else; know about other potential hazards or complicating factors in their work area; and should be familiar with the proper cleanup techniques for a particular spill. Some laboratory spills require outside assistance because of the spill's size or its unusual hazards.

Emergency Preparedness

To prepare for spills, you should: (1) learn about the hazards of the chemicals in your laboratory, (2) write response procedures to address those hazards, and (3) make sure that you have the equipment and training necessary to follow those procedures.

Know Your Hazards

As an integral part of any laboratory work, you must identify the hazardous or potentially hazardous properties of all chemicals used or produced in your laboratory. Before using any chemicals, you should evaluate the consequences of potential spills and develop appropriate response procedures. If necessary, consult published data (such as material safety data sheets and chemical dictionaries) for response planning. Additionally, communicate potential hazards to other workers in your area.

When planning laboratory work and preparing for potential problems, determine the hazard class of all the chemicals to be used. The following chemical properties are of most concern when preparing for possible chemical spills:

• flammability
• reactivity to air or water
• corrosion
• high toxicity

Write Spill Response Procedures

Every laboratory should develop written spill response procedures. Such procedures should detail the initial steps to take when a spill occurs and include such elements as staff responsibilities, communication methods, instructions on using spill response equipment, and spill cleanup and residue disposal. Communicate these procedures to all individuals who use chemicals or who might assist during spill cleanup. Periodically review and update these procedures to ensure that all laboratory workers are familiar with the current information. Each procedure should indicate the date it was last reviewed. The laboratory's Chemical Hygiene Plan is a good place to include these procedures.

Spill response procedures should include elements such as

• listing of appropriate protective clothing, safety equipment, and cleanup materials required for spill cleanup (gloves, respirators, etc.) and an explanation of their proper use;
• appropriate evacuation zones and procedures;
• availability of fire suppression equipment;
• disposal containers for spill cleanup materials; and
• the first aid procedures that might be required.

Make Materials and Equipment Available

Before starting any work with chemicals, verify that all necessary safety equipment and spill cleanup materials are available and in good working order. Additionally, ensure that the individuals who may be involved in spill response are properly trained in equipment use and spill cleanup procedures. Finally, regularly inspect all materials and equipment to ensure that they will function properly when needed.

First Steps When a Spill Occurs: Communication and Determination

Whenever you spill a laboratory chemical or discover a spill or release, tell your colleagues and laboratory director-no matter how small or insignificant the spill or release appears. In order to assess a spill's risks and to obtain advice on cleanup procedures, it always helps to solicit the advice of others. Even a small spill can result in a harmful exposure to you or others or can result in hazards that are not obvious; therefore, notification of regulatory officials may be required.

When a spill occurs, you and others should move well away from the area when determining the appropriate response. There are two types of spills: simple spills, which you can clean up yourself, and complex spills, which require outside assistance. A simple spill is defined as one that

• does not spread rapidly,
• does not endanger people or property except by direct contact, and
• does not endanger the environment.

Three basic steps should be taken to determine whether a spill is simple or complex: (A) evaluating the spill's risks; (B) evaluating quantities; and (C) evaluating the spill's potential impact.

Evaluate the Risks

The first step in evaluating whether a spill is "simple" is to estimate the risks created by the spill. In spill response, the key risks of concern are human health effects, property damage, and environmental damage. Call EHS during normal business hours or USU dispatch after hours if you don’t feel like you are able to contain the spill safely.

Human Health Effects

Potential health effects is the most important hazard category to consider when deciding whether or not to attempt a spill cleanup. Some chemical releases may result in health hazards such as fires or explosions. Other chemical releases may present health threats because of their ability to spread rapidly and enter the body readily. A spill is not "simple" if it presents these risks.

If the potential for fire or explosion exists, seek outside assistance from trained emergency responders. Releases of flammable chemicals (liquid or solid) can present significant fire and explosion risks when one or more of the following is present:

• volatile vapors,
• water reactive or air reactive chemicals,
• ignition sources,
• oxidizers, and
• significant quantities of combustible materials.

Toxic vapors and dust are also hazardous. Avoid direct contact with such hazards because they spread quickly, are easily absorbed through the skin, and may damage tissue.

A chemical spill is not a health risk if it has a low toxicity (especially if it is not volatile or a dust), is not highly corrosive, and is not a strong oxidizer. Such spills may be considered "simple" only if physical damage or environmental factors are absent. When a spilled chemical's toxicity is unknown, treat the spill like a potential human health hazard by avoiding exposure and seeking outside assistance.

Physical Damage to Property

The potential for physical damage to property (equipment, building materials, structures, or cleanup materials) also is important when determining whether you have a simple spill. Remember-a common first response to a spill is to try to protect equipment and property, but any real threat to such items will also threaten the persons cleaning up the spill. Do not attempt to protect property if there are any human health or fire/explosion hazards present.

In addition to potential fire and explosion hazards, strong corrosives and oxidizers typically fall under the property damage category. If any hazards are present that would damage property, treat the spill as complex and contact the appropriate authorities.

Environmental Threats

Some laboratory spills have the potential for escaping into the environment. Spills may release into the atmosphere, discharge into the sewer system, or leak directly into soils or surface water. While few laboratory spills present environmental threats, it is necessary to notify the appropriate authorities if a spill has the potential to cause environmental damage. If you can do so safely, it may be prudent to take interim measures before the hazardous materials response team arrives, such as blocking a spreading spill with absorbents or covering a floor drain with a rubber mat.

Though small amounts of some chemicals pose environmental problems, most environmental risks are presented by large-quantity releases of materials. A large-quantity release that threatens the environment is not a simple spill, but requires the attention of trained responders.

Evaluate Quantities

The next step to take when determining whether a spill is "simple" is to evaluate the quantity of material released. If a spilled chemical is not hazardous, its cleanup (without the assistance of an emergency response team) is dependent on the ability to control the spill, as well as the availability of sufficient spill control materials (e.g., an absorbent for liquids). Factors that may complicate a cleanup effort (such as the unique characteristics of a spill's surroundings or the restricted access to a spill) must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

If the spilled chemical is hazardous, the threshold quantity for a simple spill cleanup depends on the spilled chemical's physical properties and hazards. This quantity depends on situational factors such as

• training and experience of laboratory personnel,
• availability of spill control materials,
• availability of personal protective equipment, and
• physical layout of the spill location.

The more toxic, corrosive, or flammable a material is, the less likely that the spill can be defined as "simple". Thresholds for flammable liquids and solids, as well as volatile toxics, should be relatively low. Spills of reactive chemicals should only be managed by trained responders (who may be in-house). In general, simple spill thresholds for liquids will be lower than the thresholds for solids. Additionally, simple spill thresholds for volatiles will be lower than the thresholds for non-volatiles.

Evaluate Potential Impacts

The third step to take when deciding whether a spill can be managed as a simple spill is to evaluate the potential broader impacts of the spill. A chemical spill in an area where its potential risks are magnified by specific situations (such as physical situations or the presence of a large number of people) should not be managed as a simple spill. For instance, the presence of boxes, chemicals, and other ignition sources would magnify the impact of a one-gallon release of acetone. Since acetone is highly flammable and volatile, this situation would be immediately dangerous to both human health and property, and cleanup should be handled by an emergency responder. Other factors that may magnify a spill's impact and require emergency response are

• the possibility that hazardous vapors or dusts might enter the building's ventilation system (and be distributed to other areas);
• the possibility that spilled liquids might flow into other areas, thus expanding the threat of harm (such as reaching ignition sources, exposing other people, damaging delicate equipment);
• the presence of incompatible chemicals.
• the proximity of classrooms or offices containing people who could be harmed by the spill's consequences; and
• spills in sinks that might be connected to other sinks through the plumbing system.

When evaluating potential impacts, a prompt response can minimize adverse consequences. On the other hand, an inappropriate response can turn a simple spill into a complex situation.

To determine whether a spill is simple or complex (which is often the hardest part of spill response), you need to know (1) the hazard(s) posed by the spilled chemical and (2) the spill's potential impact. Both these factors are, in large part, determined by the spill's size. The following information will help you determine whether you have a simple spill:

• the type of chemical(s) spilled
• the amount
• the hazardous characteristics of the spilled chemical(s)
• the location
• the proper method for cleaning up the spill
• the personal protective equipment available
• the training of the laboratory's personnel

Recommended Components of a Laboratory Chemical Spill Kit

Mercury Spill Kit (unless it is known that there is no mercury in the laboratory)