Spill Cleanup Kit

Exposures to the chemical carbon monoxide (CO) can be very significant in a warehouse environment. Carbon monoxide is the by-product of the incomplete combustion of any material containing carbon such as gasoline, natural gas, oil, propane, coal, or wood. CO is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that can cause harm without warning. Unintended exposure to CO in the United States claims more than 800 lives each year. The Centers for Disease Control identified 11,547 CO deaths from 1979 to 1988. Some 40 percent of all CO poisonings occur at work sites, may of which are warehouses, states the National Safety Council. 

There are numerous articles and research papers regarding the effects of CO in industrial workers. In many cases, a powered industrial truck using propane, gasoline, or diesel fuel to power it has caused CO poisoning. 

In a suburban Chicago factory two teens working part-time to pay for college expenses were overcome by carbon monoxide and found dead. The youths were using a propane-powered forklift to perform their duties at the plant. The authorities stated that a combination of Samr-day morning stagnant air, humidity, and a temperature inversion apparently caused the lethal carbon monoxide concentration. 

In another plant on the south side of Chicago, some fifty enq)loyees complained of headaches and nausea that sent twenty-two others to a nearby hospital. The cause of the CO poisoning was 

A small manufacturing plant in a suburb of Toronto, Canada, had twenty-four employees overcome by carbon monoxide gas. A heating contractor was called in to check the heaters. This evaluation determined they were not the source of the problem. A forklift was discovered to be the source of the CO poisoning. The Canadian Ministry of Labor recommends a limit of only 1 percent CO in forklift truck exhaust this particular forklift was measured at 11 percent. 

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Store only pesticides, pesticide containers, pesticide equipment, and a spill cleanup kit at the storage site. Do not keep food, drinks, tobacco, feed, medical or veterinary supplies or medication, seeds, clothing, or personal protective equipment (other than personal protective equipment necessary for emergency response) at the site. These could be contaminated by vapors, dusts, or spills and cause accidental exposure to people or animals. 

All laboratories that handle hazardous chemicals shall have an appropriate supply of spill cleanup kits. The supply must be capable of containing or cleaning up small, known chemical releases. Laboratory personnel should not attempt to clean up a spill of hazardous chemicals if appropriate spill cleanup supplies and protective equipment are not available or if the chemical or level of exposure hazard is unknown. In these cases, contact ESD for assistance. Laboratory sinks should be periodically inspected for leaks, and traps should be kept full of water to prevent drain vapors from entering the laboratory. 

Know the location of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, chemical spill cleanup kits, and emergency evacuation maps. 

Know the locations of chemical spill cleanup kits. Training is necessary in spill cleanup to protect the worker and environment. 

Spill cleanup is essential if there is an incident. Figures 14-3 and 14-4 illustrate the preparations in this warehouse. Several different types of spill cleanup kits are available. Also, special containers are made available for containing leaking 5-gallon buckets. 

Locate a spill control kit or other appropriate absorbent and cleanup supplies. 

If the spilled material is an acid or a base, use a neutralizing material sodium bicarbonate is commonly used for acids, and sodium bisulfate for bases. Spill control kits are commercially available for the cleanup of many kinds of chemical spills. (Chapter 6, section 6.F.2.1, has further information on spill control kits and spill absorbents.)... 

A Hazardous materials cleanup kits and equipment A Decontamination equipment A Chemical protective suits for cleanup and recovery A Facility warning systems, alarms, signs A Spill absorbents... 

Kits for cleaning up spills should be installed throughout the facility for use in the event of a chemical spill. The absorbents should be selected for the chemicals being used or stored in that particular area. The kits must be readily available in all areas access must not be blocked by product, debris, machinery, etc. Employees must be trained in the proper use of cleanup materials, the protective equipment they will wear, and the proper disposal techniques. Programmed inspections in the warehouse should include an evaluation of the cleanup kits. 

When mercury does spill, a thorough cleanup is necessary, and various commercial spill kits are available. Scrubbing with an aqueous solution of sodium thiosulfate has been reported to work well. A written set of work procedures and personal protective equipment should be considered in situations where mercury spills can occur. 

Laboratory persoimel should be trained to quickly limit the area affected by a spill, and the necessary supplies to enable them to do so should be immediately available within the laboratory. Kits containing absorbent pillows, neutral absorbent materials, or neutralizing materials are commercially available and wiU enable knowledgeable persons to safely contain most small accidents, such as spills of the contents of a single bottle of reagent, until a final cleanup in which the materials in the container as weU as the materials used to contain the spiU can be disposed of, usuaUy as hazardous waste. 

Many laboratories have buckets or cabinets with supplies for cleaning up chemical spills. These are often called chemical spill kits (see Figures 2.2.2.1 Figure 2.2.2.2). While these kits are likely to contain written instmctions and needed supplies and protective equipment, you should not attempt to clean up a spill unless you have received some instruction and demonstration about carrying out a cleanup operation. Depending on the nature of the chemical, it may be possible to clean up a spill with only a few paper towels that are then disposed of in an appropriate manner (ask what is appropriate). For larger spills you should seek assistance, which often comes from the institution s health and safety department. 

When you do clean up a spill, follow the instructions provided in the spill kit. You should ask for assistance or for others to observe you doing this cleanup. Dispose of cleanup materials used for the spill as hazardous waste with the appropriate label. 

Use. This information can be used in developing a safety plan. Laboratories are sometimes equipped with spill kits and you may be able to take care of small spills. As part of your plan you may need to identify special materials for the cleanup, and prepare for that potential event. Larger spills probably need to be managed by safety professionals or emergency response personnel. 

The following is a list of materials that could be included in a sorption kit for chemical spills. The list is by no means comprehensive or specific this can only be achieved by a thorough analysis of the MSD sheets for all the chemicals on site. Many other items are needed in a sorbent-based spill kit, but they are not specific to sorption cleanup and are covered elsewhere in this Handbook. 

Small-scale spills of hazardous chemicals can occur in laboratories in educational institutions, quality control and testing laboratories, hospitals, greenhouses, and wherever small quantities of hazardous chemicals are handled. Such spills have less potential to cause widespread problems than spills on an industrial scale. However, they pose a risk to the health of workers in the laboratory or at the site of the spill from the inhalation of fumes, from the potential hazards of reactive chemicals, and, in the case of liquids, from slipping on wet floors. It is recognized that small spills should be cleaned up as quickly, responsibly, and efficiently as possible. Workplaces must have a protocol for handling spills and provide spill kits in appropriate locations. It is important that such kits be readily available in locations where they are easily accessed when needed. Furthermore, a plan needs to be in place to guide what is to be done with the residues from cleanup of the spills (National Research Council, 1995). 

The general procedure for using spill mix is to pour the spill mix onto the spill of liquid or reactive solid so that all of the liquid is absorbed or all of the reactive solid is completely covered. The residue is scooped up using a plastic scoop and placed in a plastic pail. For off-site disposal, the residue is packaged, labeled appropriately, and sent for disposal. In many cases the residue can be converted at the laboratory bench to nontoxic and nonhazard-ous residues for easier disposal. Some of the methods developed and tested in the laboratory to facilitate on-site disposal are described in Section 29.3. To ensure a fast cleanup, spill kits including gloves, goggles, plastic pail, plastic scoop, and step-by-step cleanup procedures should be readily available. 

Hazardous Material (Hazmat) Products. Hazardous-waste disposal is not always carried out effectively, so an entire industry has grown out of spills that need to be cleaned up. Hazmat team members will wear differing types of hazmat suits, often with ventilators, depending on the characteristics of the hazardous material to be cleaned up. Specially manufactured boots, gloves, and socks are also part of the necessary clothing. Those involved in hazmat-cleanup applications will use spill kits that enable first... 

Emergency equipment appropriate to the facility (including sprinkler systems, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, fire blankets, safety showers and eye washes, emergency respirators, protective clothing, spill control and cleanup material, chemical release computer modeling, etc.) is installed or available. 

A bloodborne pathogen spill kit or clean-up kit is not required. However, a kit containing certain items may help the employer ensure workers have the proper items necessary for safe and effective cleanup of incidents involving blood or other potentially infectious materials. These items could include (but are not limited to) ... 

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