Download of poster available at Lab Spill Procedures [1]
Chemical Spill
- Assess the spill.
- Is the spill manageable? Is it a minor spill that can easily be cleaned up? If no:
- Evacuate lab, restrict area and notify others in the area of the spill.
- If there is immediate risk to the safety of other people in the building, activate the emergency alarm and evacuate.
- Dial ext. 2000 and provide campus dispatch with all relevant information.
- If safe to do so:
- Attend to injured/contaminated personnel.
- Turn off ignition sources if flammable material involved.
- Restrict/contain the spill.
- Is the spill manageable? Is it a minor spill that can easily be cleaned up? If yes:
- Attend to injured/contaminated personnel.
- Turn off ignition sources if flammable material involved.
- Restrict area and notify others of the spill.
- Don appropriate PPE.
- Contain the spill.
- Neutralize if appropriate /required.
- Soak up spilt material using appropriate absorbents as applicable.
- Transfer to appropriate container and treat as hazardous waste.
- Is the spill manageable? Is it a minor spill that can easily be cleaned up? If no:
*Note that certain materials such as pyrophorics, mercury, and hydrofluoric acid require specific neutralizers and/or modified spill response procedures. Specific response procedures should be developed based on the identity and quantity of material being handled.
Biological Spill
For Level 1 or 2 biohazards:
- Attend to injured/contaminated personnel.
- Restrict area and notify others of the spill.
- Don appropriate PPE.
- Contain the spill.
- Decontaminate the area with appropriate disinfectant allowing for sufficient contact time.
- Soak up spilt material using appropriate absorbents as applicable.
- Transfer to autoclave bag and treat as biohazardous waste.
The disinfectant in this lab is:
Radiological Spill
See Radiation Safety Manual for detailed procedure.
- Assess the spill.
- Does the spill involve more than 100 exemption quantities, contamination of personnel or release of volatile material? If no:
- Restrict the area and notify others of the spill
- Don appropriate PPE
- Contain spill.
- Absorb from the outside in as applicable, transferring used absorbents into disposal containers and treat as radioactive waste.
- Wipe test or use survey meter to identify residual contamination
- Decontaminate area with cleaning agent such as DeCon until radiation counts return to background levels.
- Does the spill involve more than 100 exemption quantities, contamination of personnel or release of volatile material? If yes:
- Evacuate lab, restrict area and notify others in the area of the spill.
- Contact the RSO at (519) 824-4120 ext. 54888 or ext. 53774 (out of hours dial ext. 52000 or (519) 840-5000).
- Does the spill involve more than 100 exemption quantities, contamination of personnel or release of volatile material? If no:
Note that this information reinforces but does not replace the requirement to post CNSC poster, “Spill Procedures”