Skip to Main Content

Chemical Spill

Are you contaminated? 

  1. Call 911 for medical emergency
  2. Remove contaminated clothing
  3. Wash for 15 minutes in eyewash or shower
  4. Notify your principal investigator (PI)

Restrict access to spill

  1. Alert others in the area
  2. Confine the spill using adsorbents (sand or vermiculite) if safe to do so
  3. Post signage or a lab member outside the spill area to warn others if safe to do so

Complex Chemical Spills

  • Is the spill spreading rapidly?
  • Does the sill endanger people or property?
  • Does it emit toxic or flammable vapors?
  • Do you feel uncomfortable cleaning the spill?
  • If the answer to all of these is yes, then:
    • Call 911
    • Evacuate the area
    • Close doors behind you

Simple Chemical Spills

Simple spills are those you are trained and equipped to clean yourself

  1. Don appropriate PPE
    • At minimum, gloves, lab coat and eye protection
  2. Apply appropriate neutralizer and/or absorbent to pilled liquids
  3. Collect absorbed liquids or spilled solids using a scoop into a clear double bag
  4. Clean any residue using soap and water
  5. Collect all cleanup materials in the clear double bag
  6. Label the bag as hazardous waste and bring it to your next waste pickup
  7. Debrief what happened, and what you learned, with your research group