Worksheet: Dealing with a chemical spill

Here is an unforseen situation that requires immediate action—an emergency. Read the scenario and jot down your ideas. In the Feedback section at the end of this Worksheet you will find some suggestions to compare your answers with.

Scenario

You walk into the room and see a bottle containing formaldehyde lying on the floor, and some of the chemical has spilled on the floor. There are several other people in the room.

How would you respond?

1 Identify the types of hazards that might occur from this situation.

2 Assess the risk involved. Describe the risks to bystanders, the public and animals.

3 What action can you take to reduce or eliminate these risks?

4 What type of workplace documents or instructions may be already available for dealing with this emergency?

5 Which workplace person you would report this emergency to?

6 List the types of equipment you might need to deal with this emergency.

7 List the steps you would take to deal with this emergency safely.

8  Are there any manual handling risks associated with this type of emergency?

9 What other workplace emergency procedures may be associated with this emergency?


Feedback

Question 1

The main hazard is the Chemical hazard associated with toxic chemicals and fumes. There is also a possible slip hazard from the wet floor.

Question 2

There is potential for chemical poisoning from skin absorption or inhalation. Slipping on wet floor is also possible.

Question 3

Remove unnecessary people from the room. Clean up the chemical spill safely, wearing PPE, ‘Slippery when wet’ signage, ensure staff have received training on how to deal with this type of emergency.

Question 4

Check any workplace protocols for dealing with chemical spills and instructions on the relevant Material Safety Data Sheets.

Question 5

Supervisor/employer

Question 6

Equipment should include:

·  Material Safety Data Sheet for formaldehyde

·  PPE—chemical gloves, goggles, protective clothing, covered shoes, chemical mask/respirator/self-contained breathing apparatus

·  chemical spill kit (sand etc)

·  Slippery when wet sign

·  mop and bucket.

Question 7

Your answer should be taken directly from the Material Safety Data Sheet for formaldehyde:

·  Avoid contact with skin and eyes.

·  Avoid inhalation.

·  Wash thoroughly after handling.

·  Spills and disposal: Wear self-contained breathing, rubber boots and gloves. Absorb on sand, vermiculite, sawdust and put in a container for disposal. Wash and ventilate spill site after pickup is complete.

Question 8

The boxes or bags of sand/sawdust could be heavy. Buckets of water can also be heavy.

Question 9

·  chemical spills protocol

·  evacuation of area protocols

·  Incident reporting book.

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© NSW DET 2007