Chemical spills can happen wherever there are stored chemicals, such as a school, workplace or lab environment. Although some chemicals pose little risk, it is good practice to take all leaks and spills seriously. There are two types of spills, minor and major and here we will look more at both types.
Minor Spills
These include any leak or spill that does not involve a significant threat to people or the environment. There is no immediate hazard to health and the spill is simple to contain and doesn’t require intensive decontamination efforts. All businesses should have Chemical Spill Kits available. Find out more by visiting https://hydepark-environmental
Major Spills
As you can imagine, these are incidents that become more complex. It could be an incident that involves an unknown chemical or different chemicals which makes identification for decontamination more complicated. The scale of the spill might be too large for deploying spill kits and specialist decontamination teams might be required.
When dealing with the clean up operation of any type of chemical release, it is essential to have the right equipment to hand. This includes personal protection equipment as well as chemical protection kits that can neutralise the threat of hazardous materials before they are released into the surrounding environment.
Organisations who store and use chemicals should have a response plan and the guidelines to follow in the event of a release of any type of chemical, hazardous or otherwise.
What a pollution incident response plan includes
Whatever the size of a spill, a business responds faster if it has a pollution incident response plan already written. It should start with the basics: the business name and main address, any other sites, a short description of the area, the number of staff on site and the type of work carried out.
List the key contacts with their out of hours numbers, along with the name and details of anyone designated to handle spills. Add the outside organisations you may need to call, such as the local water and sewerage company, the nearest hospital accident department and specialist spill clean up contractors.
The plan should also record every chemical, fuel, gas and hazardous material stored on site, with a product information sheet for each and COSHH assessments for the hazardous ones. Finish with an environmental risk assessment and clear steps for staff, covering both how to prevent accidents and exactly what to do if a spill happens.
Why laboratory spills need special care
Laboratories hold some of the most hazardous materials, so a spill there calls for particular care. Staff usually wear protective equipment such as a lab coat, gloves and face protection, and sometimes rubber boots and respiratory protection. The chemicals involved can include volatile vapours and flammable liquids, and some react with air or water. They can cause serious harm if inhaled or spilled on skin.
Act quickly to contain a spill. Remove any contaminated clothing, ventilate the room, wear protective clothing and avoid breathing in vapours. Everyone working in a lab should be trained to deal with spills and have access to spill kits holding the right protective equipment and clear instructions.
Small spills can usually be cleaned up safely by trained lab staff, but larger ones involving more dangerous chemicals may need dedicated safety personnel and an emergency response plan. The stakes are high. Fumes can make people seriously ill, incompatible chemicals can explode, and burning flammable liquids can produce thick black smoke that spreads through a building.