New Mexico State University

An accidental release of chemicals can occur at any time. The release could result in either an harmful exposure to a person or a chemical spill to work areas or the environment.

Chemical exposures can be a very serious incident and cause significant harm to a person or the environment, depending on the type and quantity of the chemical released. The following sections provide general guidelines on how to respond to a chemical exposure or a chemical spill. 

If you have any doubts about your ability to handle a chemical exposure or spill, STOP and call 911.

Chemical Exposure to a Person

1. Remove person from exposure, if you can safely do so. Avoid breathing the vapors of spilled substances.

2. Alert people in the immediate area to evacuate.

3. If medical assistance is needed, call 911 immediately and request emergency and medical responders.

   1. Provide as much information known about the incident including specific location, nature and extent of injuries, name and quantity of chemical involved, any control measures taken and possible health hazards associated with the spill.

   2. Provide your name and phone number and remain available.

4. Use eyewash or safety showers (in a safe area away from the spill) to rinse chemicals off the contaminated person.

   1. For exposure affecting small portions of skin, immediately flush with flowing water for at least 15 minutes. If pain returns after 15 minutes of flushing, resume flushing the area.  Seek medical attention, if needed.

   2. For splashes in the eye, use eyewash and immediately flush for 15 minutes. Hold the eyelids away from the eyeball, moving eye in all directions to wash thoroughly behind the eyelids.  Seek follow-up medical attention as soon as possible.

   3. For spills on clothes, remove all contaminated clothing, shoes and jewelry while showering. It may be necessary to cut clothes off in some instances to prevent contamination of eyes. Contaminated clothes should be discarded or laundered separately from other clothing.  Blankets or uncontaminated clothing should be provided to the victim when done showering.

5. Consult the chemical safety data sheet (SDS) for any potential delayed effects. Keep the SDS with the victim.

6. Obtain a medical evaluation and necessary treatment, if needed.

7. Las Cruces campus students and employees should contact Aggie Health and Wellness at 646-1512 for follow-up evaluation and treatment.

8. Students and employees at remote campuses or facilities should contact the medical provider specified in the site Emergency Action Plan.

All injuries must be reported promptly after initial response actions are complete using the procedures on the Reporting Injuries and Illnesses web page.

Chemical Spill Response

The chart below is for liquid spills and information below the chart is a general guide that will help determine the appropriate response to a chemical spill.  However, some chemicals are considerably more hazardous than others so each spill must be evaluated individually to determine the appropriate actions.

Chemical spills can broken down into three broad categories.

Immediately Dangerous to Life or Health (IDLH) Spills / Releases

These spills, in the opinion of the area supervisor or other knowledgeable person pose an immediate health threat to individuals in the immediate area or other occupants in the building.  DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN UP THESE SPILLS BY YOURSELF.  Instead,

1. Sound the fire alarm to notify others in the area for evacuation.

2. Call 911 from a safe location and provide the following information to the dispatcher:

   1. Nature of emergency (chemical spill).

   2. Chemical type and quantity spilled.

   3. NMSU building name and room number or nearest building location if outdoors.

   4. If calling from a cell phone and on Las Cruces campus, report location as on the NMSU campus.

3. Remain on scene at a safe distance to meet response personnel and provide additional information.

Spills/Releases That Are Not IDLH, But Require Technical Assistance

1. Individuals are not familiar with the hazards of the material or not comfortable performing clean-up.

2. Individuals do not have proper training to perform clean-up.

3. Special equipment / materials are needed for clean-up but is not available or specialized monitoring equipment is needed.

If any of these are true, then contact EHS&RM at (575) 646-3327 during normal business hours or the NMSU Police Department dispatch at (575) 646-3311, after hours for assistance.

Spill/Releases That Can Be Cleaned Up By Knowledgeable Area Personnel

Spill/release that individuals or a supervisor feel is not an immediate threat to personnel or the environment and is small enough that trained, knowledgeable area personnel can safely clean-up.  Guidelines include the following:

1. Individuals must be thoroughly familiar with the hazards of the material. (Refer to chemical SDS)

2. Individuals must be trained to deal with chemical spills of the size in question.

3. Individuals must have the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) needed for spill clean-up.

4. The appropriate absorbent/neutralizers must be readily available (see Chemical Spill Kits).

5. Confine the spill and limit the area impacted as much as possible, without taking risks.

6. Clean-up spill using appropriate equipment and procedures.

7. All spill clean-up waste MUST be properly disposed

   1. Do not place used spill clean-up materials in or around the regular trash.

   2. Place the spill clean-up waste in a closed container and attach a NMSU Waste/Material Tracking Form or a label the container with the words HAZARDOUS WASTE and the hazard class of chemical (i.e toxic, corrosive, flammable liquid, etc.)

8. Contact EHS&RM at 575-646-3327 for a waste pick-up.

Spill Clean-Up Preparation

Hazardous chemical spills must be dealt with promptly, however, due to the range in types and quantities of chemicals used within laboratories and shops of NMSU, spill response procedures must be tailored to the hazards in the area before work commences.

Knowledge and preparedness are keys to minimizing potential problems and enhance personnel’s ability to deal with routine spills effectively. Personnel should working with hazardous chemicals must know:

1. Location and knowledge of the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the chemicals used and stored in the work area.

2. Location of emergency equipment (fire extinguishers, safety shower and eyewash).

3. Location of appropriate personal protective equipment

4. Location of spill control equipment (see Spill Kit contents).

5. Location of nearest exits.

6. Location and content of department Emergency Action Plan and Chemical Hygiene Plan (applicable to laboratories).

7. How and when to report a spill.

8. Names and phone numbers of area supervisor and emergency numbers.

Chemical Spill Kits

Appropriate chemical spill materials must be situated within easy reach of the chemical storage and use areas, including hazardous waste accumulation points. Spill kit should contain appropriate absorbent, adsorbent, neutralizers and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the chemicals in the area.  EHS&RM will provide a generic chemical spill kit for small spills upon request.  Some chemicals require specialty spill kits.  The department / PI is responsible for providing specialty spill kit supplies. Items in the small EHS&RM spill kit include

Spill Reporting Procedures

A chemical spill report (Spill Report Form) must be completed and forwarded to EHS&RM at ehs@nmsu.edu whenever a hazardous chemical spill occurs that is large enough it impacts adjoining work areas or resulted in a release to the environment.  The information in the report will be used by EHS&RM to help determine whether any follow-up reporting to external regulatory agencies is needed; root cause of the spill; identifying and communicating preventative actions that can be implemented to avoid future spills and whether there were any problems or actions needed that could improve spill clean-up response activities.  The Spill Response Report is in addition to any injury reporting needed for exposed personnel.

Spills to Drains and Sanitary Sewers

All spills that involve hazardous materials which have or are likely to be released to the sanitary sewers (sink or floor drain) must be reported to NMSU Police Department at 911 or (575) 646-3311.  This is so the city (or country) can be notified as soon as possible to help prevent damage to the city/county wastewater systems.  For additional information, see the NMSU Spill / Slug Control Plan.

Special Hazard Spill Response Procedures

In addition to the general guidance for chemical spill response described above, EHS&RM has developed spill response procedures for some specific types of hazardous materials.

• Mercury Spills

• Biohazardous Material Spills (in NMSU Biological Safety Manual)

• Radioactive Material Spills (in NMSU Radiation Control Manual)

• Microblaze: Bio-digestion of Organic Spills