Hazardous Materials Emergencies and Spills

Call 711 in an Emergency

All emergency response operations regarding releases of (or substantial threats or releases of ) hazardous substances, without regard to the location of the incident, must be carried out in accordance with OSHA regulation 29 CFR 1910.120 which covers Emergency Response Operations. This regulation and SU policy require that only properly trained personnel will respond to hazardous material incidents. In the event of a chemical spill or release of toxic or hazardous material in a laboratory or other setting on campus, proceed as follows:

Immediately notify all personnel in the area of the spill or release.
If the spill or release presents a potential for personal injury, chemical overexposure, or exposure to a chemical of unknown health risk or any other situation immediately dangerous to life, health or propertyImmediately evacuate all personnel from the area and bring the MSDS binder (only if easily accessible)
call Public Safety at 711 from a secure location
Stay in a safe area to meet emergency responders and provide detailed information upon request.
DO NOT perform rescue operations or re-enter the spill area.
DO NOT expose yourself or allow personnel to be exposed to any unknown substances.
Use caution and remember that toxic substances may have no odor or other warning properties at air concentrations that can cause severe health damage.

All supervisors and other personnel are expected to be prepared to take these appropriate actions in emergencies.

The Appendix "Chemical Spill S.O.P.'s" in the SU Chemical Hygiene Plan outlines this procedure in detail . It also includes the accepted non-emergency spill protocol to be used for small or non-hazardous material spill. Prevention of spills and effective spill response requires pre-planning by affected personnel.

See Radiation section and Bloodborne Pathogens section for review of procedures for spills of these hazardous materials.

Last modified on 06/16/05

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