Spill Cleanup Response
Every area with hazardous materials present should have a spill response kit designed for ALL OF THE TYPES OF HAZARDS PRESENT (don’t forget a kit for mercury, if you have some!) and of sufficient quantity to address the size of spill that is safe for you to respond to. The kit may be purchased as a “package” or be individually designed for specific needs. Both the kits and the individual items can be purchased from safety supply companies. (Web search: “chemical spill kit supplies”).
- BE SURE THAT EVERYONE IN THE KNOWS WHERE THE SPILL KIT IS LOCATED!
- EH&S can provide you with a sign or sticker to help you note where your kit is… These can be laminated signs or stickers of various sizes.
- Remember to replace materials used in a spill clean-up promptly as well. It is a very common problem to go to the kit at the time of a spill and find insufficient materials present, as they were previously used and not replaced!
When preparing a spill response kit
- Personal Protective Equipment: The kit must have chemical goggles, gloves appropriate for the hazards present, and perhaps a coverall to protect your clothes during the response. You should not respond to a spill that requires respiratory protection!
- Sorbents or similar material: These items will collect/absorb/neutralize the spilled material in some fashion. They may be sorbent pads, socks or loose material. For solvent spills, some products bind up the liquid. For mercury, granulated material amalgamates with the mercury to render it less hazardous for clean-up.
- Decontamination material: These items help render the spill location non-hazardous (or less hazardous,) by either neutralizing the hazard or helping it to be cleaned thoroughly.
- Waste disposal items: These include disposal bags and ties, scoops to pick up loose sorbent, rags for wiping the area, waste tags for disposal of the waste (these are CMU hazardous waste tags!).
Hazard |
Items needed |
Notes |
All chemicals |
|
Be sure there are no metal items here — they may cause sparking and induce flammable materials to ignite. The broom and dust pan are for cleaning up loose sorbent materials. |
Acids and Bases |
|
Some neutralizers offer a color change to indicate neutralization is complete. pH paper will help you determine whether a spill has been properly neutralized. |
Organic Solvents |
|
Poly-backed sorbent pads help contain vapors from the spill, preventing them from getting into the air where you may be trying to perform the clean-up. |
Hydrofluoric acid(Should only be present in laboratories!) |
(HF=Hydrofluoric Acid!) |
Typical acid pads and neutralizers are not generally appropriate for HF spills. HF antidote gel should be in the area anyway; be sure it is not expired! |
Mercury |
|
Various options are available for this, including amalgams (described earlier) as well as aspirating devices to collect elemental mercury, and mercury-specific sorbent materials. |
Formaldehyde |
|
These materials aid in reducing exposure to formaldehyde gas by immobilizing formalin and transforming it to an easily removed semi-solid mass. |
If there is a spill...
- You must be trained to perform spill response! You can harm yourself, others and the area if you do not respond properly. Contact EH&S to receive training.
- In responder training, you will learn what constitutes a minor vs. a major spill. You must NOT respond to a major spill. A minor spill is a small quantity of a lower hazard item, provided the quantity is within the scope of your kit. A major spill is either large quantity or high hazard (or both!)
- Refer to the laminated Emergency Response Guide in your work area for assistance.