Chemical 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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Prepare 
  • Ensure laboratory contacts for emergencies are up to date
  • Know when a spill is safe to clean up
  • Keep a sufficient reserve of materials to clean up spills near experimental areas (PPE, spill absorbents compatible with the chemicals in use, brushes, scoops, sealable containers etc.)
  • Create a spill response plan with the following:
    • Names and telephone numbers of who should be contacted
    • Evacuation plans
    • Instructions to contain spilled materials, such as potential escapes to the environment
    • Inventory of all spill control materials and PPE
    • Means for proper disposal of cleanup materials and affected clothing (in most cases, as hazardous waste)
  • Review the UCLA Chemical Hygiene Plan for spill clean-up procedures
  • For more information, follow EH&S Chemical Safety.

 

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 the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) hotline at (310) 825-9797.

If you find an unsupervised container emitting an odor or leaking in any way (i.e. bulging, collapsing, crystal formation), immediately call 911 to report this situation.

  • Remove all contaminated clothing, dispose 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
  • Report incident to Principal Investigator (PI) and EH&S Hotline Option +1 (310) 825-9797.
  • 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).
  • Alert those in immediate area
  • Wear PPE to clean (safety goggles, gloves, shoe covers and long-sleeve laboratory coat)
  • Only clean spills where there is no danger to your breathing or risk of ignition
  • Confine spill as much as possible
  • Use appropriate kits for neutralizing and absorbing both inorganic acids and bases. Place in a secure container and dispose as chemical waste
  • For other chemicals, use appropriate kit or absorb spill with vermiculite, dry sand or diatomaceous earth. Place in secure container and dispose as chemical waste.
  • Alert people in the vicinity to evacuate
  • Attend to any injured and contaminated persons; remove them from exposure
  • If spilled chemical is flammable, turn off all ignition and heat sources if it is safe to do so
  • Call 9-1-1, let the responder know this is a spill in a UCLA laboratory
  • Close doors to affected area to keep spill area confined
  • Post “Do Not Enter” signs or prevent entry into the spill area
  • Have a person knowledgeable of the incident available to provide information to responders about the spill.