8/16/2019 Spills and Leaks

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SAFETY

Chemical Spills and Leaks Do You Know What to Do?

here is much that you can do to prevent a spill orak, but if one occurs, your safety and that of othersepend on your quick and appropriate response.

reventionince the best spill is no spill at all, follow theserocedures to lessen the chance of one occurrine:"

Inspect containers regularly for leaks, corrosion,worn seals.Handle containers with care, removing only asmuch of their contents as you need at a time.Close containers after using them.Find out how to dispose of chemicals you nolonger need.

etting ReadyGetting ready" for a spill? Yes-unfortunately spillso happen, and there are certain preparations youhould make:

Be familiar with your company's emergency re-sponse plan, evacuation routes for your areaand your assigned role in a spill situation.

coordinator to whom you must report a spill isclearly posted.Check labels and

MSDSs of chemicals you use. Youshould know the potential hazards-fire, explosion,reactivity, toxicity-that might be present in a spill.

Make sure that the phone number of the emergency

When a Spil l Happens

a spill occurs,try to avoid touching it, walking in it,r breathing it, whether it has an odor or not.eport

r leak immediately.Be prepared to tell what isaking or spilled, where it is, the size of the spill or

he leak's rate of flow. You may be asked to clean upsmall spill, following company policy and MSDSrocedures. For larger spills, your response dependsn your assigned responsibility. Unless you are on thepill response team, you should evacuate the areaccording to your assigned route, warn others to leavend stay out of the area until you are told it's safeo return.

Containing the SpillFor all but the smallest spills, the spill response teamwill step in with procedures and equipment for con-taining the spill and protecting workers and theenvironment from exposure to the substance. Teammembers must wear protective clothing and perhapsrespirators. If the spill is flammable, they will avoidusing tools that spark. Corrosion-resistant tools must

 be used with corrosive substances.

securing a valve, closing a pump, plugging a hole in aleaking container or shifting a container to stop theflow.A barrel may be placed under the leak, or theleaking container may be placed in a larger containeror a bag.

Meanwhile, team members work to keep the spillfrom spreading, putting dikes around drains or reac-tive chemicals. Once the spill isunder control, workerscan use a variety of cleanup methods. Absorbent

 pillows, pads or substances such as clay andvermiculite absorb small spills. Workers may usea vacuum truck or a specially designed squeegeeto move the spill to a chemical drain or to specialdrums for disposal.

The first step is to try to stop the leak or spill by

 AfterwardFollowing cleanup of a spill, clothing and equipmentinvolved in the cleanup must be decontaminated

require each spill to be reviewed and reported. You can

do your part by discussing with your co-workers howthe spill could have been prevented and what stepsmight be taken to keep such spills from happening inthe future. By learning from accidents, you can help

according to company procedures. OSHA regulations ..

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.. prevent them.