How to Clean Hazardous Waste Spills

Hazardous waste spills can occur even though stringent regulations are usually in place to reduce the risk. It is important to know what material you are dealing with and the particular hazards associated with that material in order to know the risk of attempting to clean up the spill. Businesses and laboratories have procedures in place to deal with spills of this nature, and many locations will have specially trained personnel to handle the spill in your stead.

Things You'll Need

• Material Safety Data Sheet
• Spill kit
• Disposal bin

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Instructions

• 1

  Evacuate the area. Keep everybody away from the area at a safe distance, especially if the spill is giving off fumes.

• 2

  Ensure that you have the correct training and expertise for cleaning up the spill. If you do not, do not attempt to clear up the spill.

• 3

  Contact the designated hazardous waste team in your company by referring to emergency procedure guidelines posted in the area and calling the emergency number noted on the posted guidelines. Alternatively, contact the authorities at 911 for serious spills.

• 4

  Check to see if anybody has been contaminated by the spill. Refer to the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) of the spilled hazard. The MSDS should be located in or near the area of the hazard. If not, it may be available online on a manufacturer's website. Delegate somebody to print it out. Administer first aid if necessary to the person afflicted, taking into account MSDS instructions. Call 911 for an ambulance if necessary.

• 5

  Find out exactly what is in the spill by asking the people in the vicinity and the person who caused the spill. Be aware that a spill may be made up of more than one substance, especially as waste drums, for example, can contain a mixture of related chemicals for disposal purposes.

• 6

  Refer to your training if you have had training. Put on the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) as designated by the MSDS. For example, this could include eye protection, dust mask, lab coat, nitrile gloves or gas mask as appropriate.

• 7

  Contain the spill using appropriate spill pillows or booms if they are accessible and the hazard is not dangerous to approach, according to the MSDS. Use the available spill accessories in the area to soak up the spill. These could include sand or spill pillows. Be especially sure to prevent the hazard from running down drains into the water system.

• 8

  Place the collected materials, along with the spill pillows and sand, into a hazardous waste bin for appropriate disposal.

• 9

  Remove your PPE and discard it in the hazardous waste bin if it has been contaminated with the chemical or biological hazard.

• 10

  Report the spill to your supervisor if you have the authority over the hazardous clean-up procedure. An accident report may have to be filled in and the causes of the spill investigated.