¶®É«µÛ

Locate emergency showers in nearby buildings

Summary

A student in the lab was conducting a hot solvent recrystallization experiment when the emergency evacuation alarm activated. The alarm startled the student, who spilled the hot solvent solution onto their wrist. As the evacuation alarm was ongoing, the student did a cursory rinse of their wrist and evacuated the building. As there were no immediate symptoms, the student did not report the spill/exposure to their supervisor or seek immediate medical attention.

Consequences

The student began showing signs of thermal burn injuries by the evening but waited until the next day to seek medical care. Ultimately, the student suffered painful blistering in the area of the burn. 

Several factors are likely to have contributed to the magnitude of the consequences:

• The hazard assessment for the lab did not identify hot solutions as a burn hazard.
• The student did a cursory rinse of the exposed skin, rather than the recommended 15 minute rinse.
• The student did not report the incident or seek medical attention until the day after the incident.

This incident highlights the competing priorities that need to be considered when controlling hazards and planning for emergencies. Evacuating the building took precedence in this case, but decontamination was still required to prevent harm from the chemical exposure.

Culture of Care

The Culture of Care Safety Action Plan calls for a work environment where hazards are identified, assessed and controlled. All employees are responsible for knowing the emergency response plans and the actions associated with them, including emergency decontamination and incident reporting.

Call to Action

When working with hazardous substances in the lab, it is important to be prepared and have appropriate controls and response plans in place. All staff working with hazardous materials should do the following:

• Review hazard assessments for the materials you are working with and assign controls to eliminate or reduce risks. 
• Ensure you have an in place for injuries and spills and that students and staff are fully aware of their reporting responsibilities in such an event.
• Plan for a secondary decontamination method for when decontamination is required but there is an active evacuation alarm. This could be an emergency shower in an adjacent building.

The ¶®É«µÛ is committed to the safety, health and well-being of our faculty, staff and students. Every day, we advance this commitment to safety through the Culture of Care: Safety Action Plan.