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Home > Departments > Environment, Health & Safety > EH&S Programs > Chemical Safety > Chemical Spills > Spill Procedures

Spill Procedures

Generally, spills can be broken down into two categories, large and small.

Small Spills:

  • Usually less than 1 liter of liquid
  • Less than the amount of mercury in one standard thermometer.

Any spills not meeting the above criteria are considered to be large in nature and require a response from UB EHS, UB police, local Hazmat crews or a combination of each. If a large spill of occurs in a University building on North or South campus, follow these procedures:

  • Alert people in the immediate area and evacuate them to a safe distance.
  • If it is an emergency situation or the spill occurs during evening hours or weekends, call UB police at 645-2222. Do not call 911 as the emergency dispatcher will reroute call to UB police. Identify yourself, your exact location and the nature of the spill. The police will alert UB EHS and local outside Hazmat crews if needed.
  • If a spill occurs during business hours contact UB EHS at 829-2401, again be prepared to identify your location and the nature of the spill.
  • If anyone requires first aid, see to them first
  • Confine the area by closing doors if possible and prevent others from entering. Secure the area until proper response personnel arrive.
  • Determine the chemical nature of the spill by referencing the MSDS. Be prepared to relay this information to first responders on arrival.

Cleaning up small spills (typically 1 liter or less of material): Small spill can be cleaned up using universal spill kits. These kits should be placed in every lab where chemicals are located and are available through UB EHS for a nominal fee.

If a small spill occurs and you have been trained in the use of a spill kit, proceed with the cleanup.

  • Remove people from the affected area. If anyone requires first aid assistance, see to them first and contact UB police
  • Isolate and secure the spill area. Signs or barriers should be used where appropriate
  • If applicable, open any windows to ventilate the area if volatile chemical spilled
  • Wear protective equipment found in spill kit. This includes at a minimum goggles and gloves, and lab coat. The kit also contains a tyvek protective suit if needed.
  • Proceed to clean up spill using universal spill pads in kit. Collect all spill residuals including pads, debris, ppe, etc. and place them in plastic trash bag from kit. Place a completed hazardous waste label found in the kit on the bag and contact UB EHS for collection.

Mercury Spills:

Mercury can be found in almost any lab mostly in thermometers along with other devices and apparatus. UB EHS recommends where possible to eliminate the use of mercury thermometers and use mercury-free units. The small quantity of mercury contained in a typical thermometer does not present a health hazard if immediate action is taken when the thermometer breaks. If your lab should have a mercury release due to a broken thermometer please follow these guidelines for spill cleanup. These guidelines apply to small releases only. If more mercury is spilled than what is typically contained in a standard size thermometer or if you don not feel comfortable cleaning up a small spill, contact EHS at 829-2401 for assistance. Do not attempt at any time to clean up a mercury spill using a standard vacuum cleaner. Only a vacuum with special HEPA filters, which UB EHS possesses, can be used.

  • Notify any people in the immediate vicinity that a mercury spill has occurred and isolate the location to prevent other areas being contaminated
  • If the spill has occurred on the ground, mark off the boundary of the release. It is a good practice to ask others to vacate the lab until the spill is cleaned up.
  • Put on nitrile gloves along with a lab coat and using a 3” x 5” index card or equivalent, gather the mercury beads into a pile. Make sure areas surrounding spill are checked for runaway beads or droplets. Use a flashlight if necessary to see under cabinets. Using two additional 3” x 5” cards collect the mercury into a small plastic bottle.
  • For those droplets that cannot be picked up using this method, try using a needleless syringe, or eye dropper.
  • Once collected, place the mercury along with all debris, broken glass, the cards, syringes, nitrile gloves and any/all materials that have been contaminated with mercury into a sealable non metallic container. Place a completed UB hazardous waste label on the container and contact EHS for pickup.