Laboratory emergencies can include events such as serious injuries, fires, explosions, spills, hazard exposures, and natural disasters. All laboratory employees should be familiar with and aware of the location of their laboratory’s emergency response plans and safety manuals. Before beginning any laboratory task, ensure there is a plan in place to deal with an emergency situation. Identify the location of safety equipment including first aid kits, eye washes, safety showers, fire extinguishers, fire alarm pull stations, and spill kits. Know the location of the closest fire alarms, exits, and telephones in your laboratory. The Lab Reference Guide provides an overview of emergency response procedures for laboratories. It should be placed in an easily accessible location in the lab. Non-serious accidents, chronic exposures, and non-active spills do not constitute emergencies, but should still be reported to the EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797, Mailbox 1. The following sections contain additional guidance on when an emergency response is warranted. When in doubt, treat the situation as an emergency.
For all incidents requiring emergency response, call 911 from campus phone or 310-825-1491 from an off-campus or cell phone
When 911 must be called:
- Unintended fire (even if extinguished)
- Unintended explosion (any sudden release of energy)
- Any use of a fire extinguisher
If during an emergency an unknown or hazardous chemical exposure occurs, an exposure assessment may be necessary to determine the extent and nature of the exposure and to provide guidance for any medical treatment. Exposures that occur outside of an emergency situation (e.g. as part of regular work and/or chronically over extended periods of time) may also require an exposure assessment. When an exposure to an unknown or hazardous chemical has or is determined to have occurred, University policy aims to comply with all applicable health, safety, and environmental protection laws, regulations, and requirements.
Accidents/Near-misses
PIs/Laboratory Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that those in their labs receive appropriate medical attention in the event of an occupational injury or illness. All accidents and near-misses must be reported to the EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797, Mailbox 1 or through the BruinSafe app. Open the app, click on the safety toolbox, Click on “Report Issue to EH&S.” Once in Reporting a Safety Concern you will have the option to report a near miss or another safety concern anonymously. EH&S will conduct an accident investigation and develop recommendations and corrective actions to prevent future accidents. At a minimum, each laboratory must have the following preparations in place:
- Fully stocked first aid kit
- Emergency telephone numbers and locations of emergency treatment facilities, including Occupational Health Facility (OHF, in CHS 17-240) posted prominently; and
- Laboratory personnel have been trained to accompany injured personnel to medical treatment site and to provide medical personnel with copies of Safety Datasheets (SDS) for the chemical(s) involved in the incident
If a researcher has a severe or life-threatening injury, call for emergency response. Employees with minor injuries should be treated with first aid kits as appropriate, and sent to the Occupational Health Facility (OHF at 17-240 Center for Health Sciences at 10833 Le Conte Avenue) for further evaluation and treatment from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday - Friday. Students with minor injuries should be sent to the Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday. Outside of office hours, treatment for employees and students can be obtained at the Ronald Reagan Emergency Room (757 Westwood Plaza [ER entrance Gayley Ave, north of Le Conte]).
Serious occupational injuries, illnesses, and exposures to hazardous substances must be reported immediately to the EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797, Mailbox 2. EH&S will report the event to Cal/OSHA, investigate the accident, and complete exposure monitoring if necessary. Serious injuries include those that result in permanent impairment or disfigurement, or require hospitalization. Examples include amputations, lacerations with severe bleeding, burns, concussions, fractures and crush injuries. As soon as PIs/Laboratory Supervisors are aware of a potentially serious incident, they must contact EH&S. Serious injury posters are displayed across campus with instructions on reporting injuries to EH&S to ensure that all serious injuries are reported to Cal/OHSA within 8 hours.
Fire-Related emergencies
If you encounter a fire, or a fire-related emergency (e.g., abnormal heating, smoke, burning odor), immediately follow these instructions:
- Pull the fire alarm and call 911
- Evacuate and isolate the area
- Remain safely outside the affected area to provide details to emergency responders; and
- If safe, use portable fire extinguishers to facilitate evacuation and/or control a small fire (i.e., size of a small trash can)
- If possible, shut off equipment before leaving
- Close doors
- Evacuate the building when the alarm sounds. It is against state law to remain in the building when the alarm is sounding. If the alarm sounds due to a false alarm or drill, you will be allowed to re-enter the building as soon as the Fire Department determines that it is safe to do so. Do not go back in the building until the alarm stops and you are cleared to re-enter.
If your clothing catches on fire, go to the nearest emergency shower immediately. If a shower is not immediately available, then stop, drop, and roll. A fire extinguisher may be used to extinguish a fire on someone’s person. Report any burn injuries to the supervisor immediately and seek medical treatment.
Any time a fire extinguisher is discharged, no matter for how brief a period, the PI/Laboratory Supervisor, or most senior laboratory personnel present at the time of the incident, must immediately report the incident by calling 911. Any unintentional fire, no matter the size, must also be reported by calling 911.
Natural Disaster Preparedness
All emergency procedures for disaster preparedness can be found on the Emergency Management webpage. However, disaster preparedness should always be included in all researcher's experimental design. In the event of an emergency, the equipment and experiment set up set up to run for extended periods of time should be designed to “fail safe.” New hazards should not be introduced when there is a loss of power, water, chilled water from the chiller plant, house vacuum, house air supply, and/or natural gas supply. What are the precautions that should be taken in case there is an extended period where the researcher cannot access the experimental setup? A lab-specific plan for how each lab will manage experiments during and after natural disasters should be prepared and all lab workers shall be trained and sign off on the plan.
Preparations can go a long way towards avoiding catastrophe, so take a few minutes to evaluate your lab’s preparations for a major event.
Chemical spills
Chemical spills become emergencies when any of the following occurs:
- The spill results in a release to the environment (e.g., sink or floor drain)
- The material or its hazards are unknown
- Laboratory staff cannot safely manage the hazard because the material is too hazardous or the quantity is too large
- A person is exposed to hazardous materials
Effective emergency response to these situations is imperative to mitigate or minimize adverse reactions when chemical incidents occur. After emergency procedures are completed, all personnel involved in the incident should follow UCLA chemical exposure procedures as appropriate.
In the event of a significant chemical exposure or contamination of personnel, immediately try to remove or isolate the chemical if safe to do so.
- For skin or eye exposures, remove contaminated clothing and flush the affected area using an eye wash or shower for at least 15 minutes.
- If ingested- consult the SDS and obtain medical assistance as indicated.
Remember to wear appropriate PPE before helping others. PIs/ Laboratory Supervisors must review all exposure situations, make sure affected employees receive appropriate medical treatment and/or assessment, and arrange for containment and clean-up of the chemical as appropriate.
Highly Hazardous Chemical Spills
Do not try to clean up spills of these materials of any size. All spills or releases of these materials require emergency response:
- Aromatic amines
- Bromine
- Carbon disulfide
- Cyanides
- Dimethylmercury
- Dimethylcadmium
- Hydrazine
- Hydrofluoric acid
- Mercury
- Nitro-compounds
- Halogenated solvents
- Pyrophorics
- Toxic gases (e.g. CO, F2, H2S)
- Unknown chemicals
Broken Mercury Thermometers
Broken Mercury Thermometersshould not be cleaned by the laboratory. Please try to prevent the spread of the spilled mercury, and do not allow people to walk through the contaminated area. Call 911 from a campus phone or 310-825-1491 from an off-campus or cell phone for assistance.
Simple Chemical Spill
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
- does not endanger the environment/campus.
When conducting a risk assessment to determine whether a spill is simple or complex be sure to evaluate the spill's overall risks, the relevant quantities; and any additional potential impacts factoring in the spill’s specific situation/context. If the spill does not meet the definition of a simple spill, then it is by default a complex spill and you should call 911 and the EH&S Hotline (310-825-9797).
Laboratory personnel can clean up simple spills if trained and competent to do so. Simple spills include chemical spills that are up to 1 liter in size and of limited toxicity, flammability, and volatility. Commercial chemical spill kits can be purchased from a variety of laboratory and safety vendors, which include protective equipment such as goggles and gloves, neutralizing and absorbing materials, bags, and scoops. You can also make your own spill kits to include the materials described below.
- If respiratory protection is needed for spill clean-up, the spill is too complex to be handled by
laboratory personnel. Dial 911
Clean-up procedure for a simple spill
Recommended materials for a simple spill-clean up Commercial chemical spill kits are available, which include protective equipment such as goggles and gloves, neutralizing and absorbing materials, bags, and scoops. You can also make your own spill kits to include the materials described below.
- Sodium Bicarbonate
- Citric Acid
- Sand, vermiculite or other diking material
- pH paper
- 1 pair neoprene or nitrile gloves
- 1 pair goggles
- 1 scoop
- Spill pillows, sorbent pads
- Disposable shoe covers (plastic bags may work)
General procedures for a simple spill clean-up
If for any reason, or at any point during response, personnel determine the situation cannot be safely or adequately addressed, call 911 and then the EH&S Hotline 310-825-9797.
As a general guideline, your first priority is to limit dangers to life or health by addressing any injured/contaminated personnel and prevent further harm by restricting/evacuating areas. Once the situation is stabilized and the incident is no longer timesensitive, take the time needed to conduct a risk assessment and establish a response plan. Never respond without a plan as this can lead to making things worse. It is always recommended to contact EH&S for advice or on-site support if you are uncertain of your response plan.
Below are general guides to performing a spill clean-up for simple spills that lab personnel can respond to safely. Adapted from the ACS Chemical Spill Response Planning in Laboratories Guide:
- Prevent the spread of dust and vapors: For concerns of airborne particulates or any vapors, do not clean-up spill. Instead, quarantine lab and call 911 and EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797.
- Neutralize: If the substance primary hazard is corrosive, neutralize using an appropriate and compatible neutralizer. Take caution as neutralization can often be vigorous, causing splashing and generating heat.
- Control and absorb: Make a dike around the perimeter to control and absorb the liquid working from the outside to the center using materials such as vermiculite, universal neutralizers, or spill pillows. Generally, avoid using materials not designed for spill response, such as paper towels or household items, as they may not be compatible.
- Collect, contain, dispose: Collect absorbed liquids or spilled solids in to a compatible container, such as a clear double bag. Bag must be transparent. Be cautious about potential dust generation during collection and follow Step 1 above if there is any concern.
- Decontaminate area, equipment, and PPE: For most spills, soap and water applied with a mop or sponge will provide adequate decontamination. When able, verify all items affected by spill are decontaminated, such as testing the pH or other indicators. If you have any questions about decontamination, contact EH&S.
- Document: After cleaning up a spill, large or small, an internal discussion and write-up should documented with all lab personnel. Be sure to cover what happened, why, what was done, what was learned, and any new mitigation strategies implemented to prevent future incidents.
Weak inorganic acid or base spill clean-up procedure
- Wear gloves, goggles, laboratory coat and shoe covers.
- To clean-up a spill of weak inorganic acid or base, neutralize the spilled liquid to pH 5 to 8 using a Neutralizing Agent such as:
- Sodium bicarbonate
- Sodium bisulfate
- Soda ash
- Citric acid
- Absorb the neutralized liquid with an Absorbent such as:
- Sorbent pads
- Diatomaceous earth
- Dry sand
- Sponges
- Vermiculite
- Rinse the absorbent pads or sponges in a sink with water. Scoop or place the other absorbent materials into a clear plastic bag. Double bag and tag the bag with a chemical waste tag. Take it to your chemical waste pick-up. Refer to the UCLA Hazardous Waste Pick-Up Schedule for the time and date of the pick-up for your building or call the EH&S Hotline at 310-825-9797.
Solvent spill clean-up procedure
- Absorb the spill with a non-reactive material such as:
- Vermiculite
- Dry sand
- Sponges
- Package as described above. Do not rinse or dispose of any chemicals down the sink or into any drain.
What to do with a complex chemical spill
Complex chemical spills require emergency response. Call 911 from a campus phone or 310-825-1491 from an off-campus or cell phone. If the spill presents a situation that is immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) or presents a significant fire risk, activate a fire alarm, evacuate the area and wait for emergency response to arrive.
- Remove the injured and/or contaminated person(s) and provide first aid
- Call for emergency medical response
- As you evacuate the laboratory, close the door behind you, and:
- Post someone safely outside and away from the spill area to keep people from entering
- Confine the spill area if possible and safe to do so
- Leave on or establish exhaust ventilation, if safe to do so
- If possible, turn off all sources of flames, electrical heaters, and other electrical equipment if the spilled material is flammable
- Avoid walking through contaminated areas or breathing vapors of the spilled material
- Any employee with known contact with a particularly hazardous chemical must use safety shower, including washing of the hair as soon as possible unless contraindicated by physical injuries