Custodians are not permitted to clean up spills of hazardous materials. The Environmental Medical Service, Safety Office, and Campus Police will provide technical advice, but are not responsible for the spill clean up. Outlined below are some general guidelines for handling several common spill situations. Materials of low flammability which are not volatile or which have low toxicity. Absorb the material with inert clay or vermiculite, scoop it up, and dispose of it according to the appropriate procedures detailed in the Chemical Hygiene Plan.
Fast action is crucial in the event that a flammable solvent of relatively low toxicity is spilled.
This category includes pet ether, hexane, pentane, diethyl ether, dimethoxyethane, and tetrahydrofuran. Immediately alert other workers in the laboratory, extinguish all flames, and turn off any spark-producing equipment. In some cases the power to the lab should be shut off with the circuit-breaker. As quickly as possible, the spilled solvent should be soaked up using spill control pillows. These should be sealed in containers and disposed of properly.