Spills Management

Emergency contacts Exposure assessment Spills cleanup Spills preparedness Accident reporting

Emergency Contacts

Major Spills

If you have a spill, and the spill

• is uncontained and endangering other people and/or
• has the immediate potential to cause a fire

pull the nearest fire alarm to evacuate the building and alert the local Fire Department. The fire alarm is the fastest way to evacuate the building and get help.

Minor Spills

If the spill is contained and there is no potential for fire, but the spill has caused or will likely cause injury, call emergency personnel using the numbers below.

You will be asked about your location, the size, type and risks of the spill, and the details of the injury.

Exposure Assessment

If you have been exposed to a spill and are not sure whether or not you should seek medical attention, you should request an exposure assessment from Hall Health.

Spills cleanup

If the spill is contained and there is no immediate risk of injury, then decide whether or not you will be able to clean up the spill yourself by visiting the following webpages:

• Chemical spills
• Radioactive spills
• Biohazardous spills
• Mercury spills
• Oil spills

Spills preparedness

Save yourself time and money and prevent exposures and injuries.

Prevent spills by practicing good housekeeping and using secondary containment where possible. Stay alert. Whenever possible, do not work with hazardous materials when you are tired. Prevent exposures by wearing gloves, protective gowns or outerwear, goggles or face mask, and anything else that will keep the spilled material from reaching you. Work in a fume hood with the sash as low as possible.

Be ready to clean up spills. Write spills cleanup procedures as a part of your Standard Operating Procedures. Have appropriate spill kits accessible (see the spills cleanup pages above for more about spill kits.) Know their location and how to use them. Your UW Laboratory Safety Manual has information about writing SOPs. See

• Section 4. Laboratory Equipment and Facilities eye washes, showers and chemical spill kits
• Section 6. Standard Operating Procedures what emergency procedures should be included in an SOP

Call the following numbers for assistance in writing spill procedures:

Finally, don't work alone if possible, especially on weekends when no one else is there to help you in the event of an emergency.

Accident reporting