Biological Spill

Key Contacts

UC Police Department (UCPD) & UCLA Fire:

9-1-1

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S):

(310) 825-9797

Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM):

(310) 825-2200

DGSOM Security:

(310) 267-7100 

Facilities Management (FM):

(310) 825-9236

If you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

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UCLA Campus Status
Prepare 
  • Ensure laboratory contacts for emergencies are up to date
  • A spill kit should be readily available and should include the following items:
    • Chlorine bleach or other Institutional Biosafety Committee-approved disinfectant
    • Package or roll of paper towels, or other disposable absorbent
    • Biohazard labeled red bags and waste containers
    • Latex or Nitrile gloves, lab coat and safety glasses
    • Forceps for picking up broken glass and biohazard sharp containers
  • See the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Plan. 

Respond 

Immediately report all incidents, injuries, and potential exposures to your Principal Investigator (PI) and for compliance purposes, report all chemical, biological, hazardous gas and radioactive incidents using Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) hotline at (310) 825-9797.

  • Remove all contaminated clothing and dispose of it in a biohazard bag or decontaminate using bleach
  • Ensure your shoes are not contaminated with hazardous material to prevent spreading outside of the immediate area
  • Wash the exposed area thoroughly with soap and water for 20 minutes
  • Obtain medical attention, if necessary.
  • Immediately rinse the eyeball and inner surface of eyelid with water for 20 minutes (use faucet or eye wash)
  • Hold eye open so your eyelids are washed thoroughly
  • Obtain medical attention
  • Report incident to your Principal Investigator (PI).
  • Wear disposable gloves, lab coat and safety glasses
  • Cover the spill in paper towels and absorb all the liquid
  • Soak paper towels in 10% bleach or use disinfectant wipes to disinfect affected surfaces
  • Place the materials you used to disinfect spill in a biohazard red bag for disposal
  • Clean spill area once again with fresh towels soaked in 10% bleach or disinfectant wipes.
  • A major spill is one involving an infectious agent that is airborne, or one involving more than 4 liters of an infectious agent culture
  • Alert everyone in immediate area to leave the lab
  • If assistance is needed to clean the spill, call 9-1-1. Notify responders that this is a biohazard spill at UCLA
  • Close doors to affected area, wait 30 minutes to allow aerosols to settle
  • To clean the spill: 
    • Wear disposable gloves, lab coat and safety glasses
    • Cover the spill in paper towels and absorb all the liquid
    • Soak paper towels in 10% bleach or use disinfectant wipes to disinfect affected surfaces
    • Place the materials you used to disinfect spill in a biohazard red bag for disposal
    • Clean spill area once again with fresh towels soaked in 10% bleach or disinfectant wipes.

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