Important steps to take when a spill occurs

by | Apr 12, 2019 | Firm News |

When you go to work in the morning, you usually aren’t thinking about being involved in an incident that can lead to toxic exposure. Working with chemicals is a dangerous job, but there are precautions you can take to make sure you don’t end up injured. If you are involved in a chemical spill, here are the important steps you need to take to avoid an injury.

The first thing you must do is determine the risk associated with the spill, and identify the substance that has spilled. If you determine that the spill is life-threatening, you need to call 911 immediately.

If it has been determined that the spill is not life-threatening, make sure you don your personal protective equipment (PPE) before cleaning the spill. The same goes for anyone who will help you clean the spill.

Once you have donned your PPE, you need to stop the spill. Don’t do anything else until you stop the source of the spill. Use a leak stopper, turn off a valve that is leaking or turn a drum back to the upright position.

You can now begin to clean the area affected by the spill. Remove the liquid from the floor or table using various products. Once all of the liquid has been removed, you should decontaminate the area, so it is safe to work on it again.

By following the steps outlined in this post, you should be able to avoid suffering an injury when a chemical spill occurs at work or at school. Make sure you document the incident and report it through the proper channels so that it can be prevented from happening again.

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