Index

1. General
2. Explanations
   1. Exit Pathways
   2. Rallly Point
   3. Emergency or Evacuation Coordinator
   4. Fire Emergencies
   5. Personal Injury Emergencies
   6. Chemical Spills
   7. Spill Kits
3. Responsibility

A. General

The major hazards in Aubert Hall are:

The emergency evacuation alarm consists of horns and strobe lights, and is sounded from pull stations near the exits or automatically by heat sensors in the ceilings of each room.

In the event that:

1. You discover a fire or chemical spill emergency (defined below); or

2. You smell smoke or the odor of burning or hot material from undetermined sources; or

3. The alarm sounds.

Take such of the following steps as are appropriate to your situation:

1. Orally warn others in your vicinity of the hazard.

2. Activate the alarm system.

3. If you can do so safely: turn off equipment, close any open windows and close and lock the door behind you. Do not delay evacuation more than momentarily to take these steps.

4. Leave the building directly by the nearest stairway (see below), warning anyone you pass on the way out. Do not attempt to use the elevator.

5. If you discovered the emergency, call 911 from a safe location and inform the dispatcher of the situation (see below). Be prepared to brief Department safety personnel and the Fire Department regarding the emergency.

6. Proceed to the designated rally point (see below).

7. Remain outside the building until emergency personnel signal that you may re-enter; do not leave the rally point without informing the Department Emergency Coordinator.

B. Explanations

1. Exit Pathways. Recommended exit pathways for emergencies are posted in each laboratory and at several points in each hallway. In general, use the nearest pathway that leads directly outside the building.

2. Rally Point. A "rally point" is designated so that the Emergency Coordinator may attempt to determine if everyone has safely evacuated the building.

   Because of the construction fences blocking passaage around Aubert Hall, we must temporarily designate two rally points:

   • Those in the west (old) wing, will gather in front of Wingate Hall on the west side of Munson Road (inside in the event of inclement weather)

   • Those in the east (new) wing gather near the bench on the edge of the Mall (inside Little Hall in inclement weather)

3. Emergency or Evacuation Coordinator. The Evacuation Coordinator is Ray Fort, Chair of the Chemistry Safety Committee. In his absence responsibility passes to the Department Chairperson, the most senior faculty member present, or Cindy Commeau, Department Safety Officer, in that order.

   At the rally point, the Coordinator will attempt to account for personnel who are known to have been in the building; if individuals cannot be accounted for, the Coordinator shall inform the emergency personnel.

4. Fire Emergencies. The basic policy in case of a fire is that the individual discovering the fire shall proceed as described above to report the emergency and evacuate the building. You should NOT choose to fight the fire unless:
   • You have had hands-on training in the use of a fire extinguisher within the past year;

   • You are able to maintain an open path of escape at all times;

   • You are confident that the fire can be rapidly and completely extinguished without endangering others.

   Clearly this response requires quick and accurate judgement on the part of the individual discovering the emergency. Anyone who is at all uncomfortable about making such judgements should simply follow the basic policy.

5. Personal Injury Emergencies. Three situations are possible:
   1. You are injured;

   2. You discover or respond to a call from an injured person;

   3. You discover what appears to be blood or other body fluids, but no accident victim is present.

   In situation (a), if the injury is serious enough that you cannot deal with it yourself, call 911 if you are able, or shout for assistance from lab mates.

   In situation (b), call 911 and describe the emergency to the dispatcher. Administer first aid ONLY if you have current Red Cross first aid training and have available personal protective equipment to prevent coming in contact with blood or other body fluids (minimum: goggles and disposable gloves; lab coat preferred).

   In situation (c), call 911 and inform the dispatcher of your discovery. Do not attempt to clean up the fluids yourself, to avoid possible infection.

   Once the personal injury emergency situation has been resolved, the injury must be reported by the individual injured (if possible) or the discoverer to the Chemistry Safety Committee, so that an investigation can be conducted and measures implemented to prevent a recurrence of the problem. Unless the injury is severe, requiring hospitalization, the form on our Safety Web page may be used for reporting. The Safety Committee will notify the University Environmental Health and Safety Office if necessary, as well as the Human Resources Office.

6. Chemical Spills.

   All workers in a laboratory must be aware of the location of, and know how to use, the following equipment which may be needed in a chemical emergency:

   • Emergency eyewash

   • Emergency shower

   • Spill kit

   • Fire alarm system

   Chemical spills may or may not be emergencies, depending upon a variety of factors that are discussed below in more detail. Emergency spills must be reported by calling 911, and no clean-up should be attempted. Non-emergency spills can be cleaned up by laboratory workers, provided that proper procedures are followed.

   1. Whether an emergency exists is a judgement call on the part of the person who creates or discovers the spill. In general, the spill IS an emergency under any of the following circumstances:
      • Someone received more than a minor injury from the spill.

      • The spill involves more of the building than just the room in which it occurred.

      • The spill is in a public area, such as a hallway or stairwell, and a knowledgeable person is not available.

      • An appropriate spill kit and personal protective equipment (PPE) are not available.

      • The individual involved doesn't know what was spilled or what PPE is required for cleanup.

      • The spill is too large for the available spill kit. Our typical 5 gal. pail of kitty litter will handle about 4 L of liquid.

      • The individual involved is frightened or uncertain about the hazards involved.

   2. If you determine that the situation is an emergency, you should take the following steps:
      1. If you have been splashed by the spill, take immediate first aid action:
         • Use the eyewash station or emergency shower; rinsing the affected area thoroughly; usually this means for a minimum of 15 minutes.

         • Shout for help and to alert others of the spill.

         • Once help has arrived, seek immediate medical attention.

      2. If another person is the victim, administer first aid only if you have recent first aid training and the proper personal protective equipment.
         • At the first opportunity, call 911 or shout for someone else to do so.

      3. If no personal injury is involved, leave the room, close the door, and warn others to stay away.

      4. Activate the emergency alarm, and evacuate the building.

      5. After evacuation, call 911 and explain to the dispatcher the nature of the emergency, including the following information:
         • The location of the spill: building, room number, location within the room;

         • The identity of the material spilled, if known;

         • Your name and where you can be reached.

      6. Meet the emergency response personnel and identify yourself as the person who reported the spill; remain available until the commander of the emergency response team tells you your help is no longer needed.

      7. Do not reenter the building until the emergency personnel have indicated that it is safe to do so.

   3. Each laboratory should develop its own procedures for cleaning up non-emergency spills of the materials most frequently used in that laboratory. Factors that should be considered in developing such procedures include:
      • The location of the spill; a spill in a hood, for example, poses little inhalation hazard, whereas the same material on the floor may be more hazardous.

      • The toxicity of the material, and the PPE required to ensure the safety of the workers.

      • Whether the spill can simply be absorbed or should be neutralized first?

      • Any special precautions, such as might be needed to prevent ignition of a flammable material.

      Here is an example of a protocol, which should be written down and placed in the notebook containing other local safety materials:

      1. Determine what was spilled.

      2. Determine if an emergency exists (see above).

      3. If the substance is flammable, turn off potential ignition sources, such as Bunsen burners and hot plates.

      4. Warn others in the area and request assistance if needed.

      5. Equip yourself with appropriate PPE.

      6. Surround a liquid spill with absorbent to limit its spread.

      7. Neutralize if appropriate; for example, by adding sodium bicarbonate to an acid spill.

      8. Cover the spill with absorbent.

      9. Use a scoop and scraper or brush to gather waste into a suitable container.

      10. Notify the Chemistry Safety Committee of the spill and request an inspection; the form on the Safety Web page may be used.

      11. Notify the University Environmental Health and Safety Office of the spill and request pickup of the waste; EH&S will notify the EPA, if necessary.

7. Spill Kits. Each laboratory must have a spill kit, which can either be purchased from a laboratory supply house or assembled in the laboratory. A spill kit should include the following parts:
   • A five gallon plastic pail with a tight fitting lid, to hold absorbent material and waste;

   • Absorbent, such as kitty litter or Speedi-Dri (available from Central Supply); the pail should be nearly full.

   • A plastic scoop and scraper or brush for dispensing and picking up the absorbent;

   • A heavy-duty plastic bag to contain any additional waste generated by cleanup;

   • Neutralization materials, such as sodium bicarbonate for acid spills and citric acid for bases (many times these are not necessary);

   • Decontamination supplies - usually, detergent and water.

   • A brightly colored label, carrying the legend, "SPILL KIT: Useful for spills of up to 4 L of any substance except hydrofluoric acid

   Personal protective equipment also is required, to include goggles, gloves, and an apron or lab coat. These items should always be available in the laboratory in the normal course of events.

C. Once the emergency has been declared by calling 911, or by pulling a building alarm, and the emergency response team (firefighters, police, University EH&S) has arrived, the Incident Commander is in charge of the building, and is required by law to follow specific procedures for ensuring the safety of the building. Accurate and timely information from the persons involved in the incident can greatly facilitate this process.