11 March, 2013

SE344 CLASS NOTES

DIVYANG SAXENA 10248

Accidental Response and Chemical Containment In this lecture, standardised emergency measures and protocols in response to accidental spills were discussed. Every industry which is involved in handling of hazardous substances needs to have trained staff, standardised and accepted processes, quality management and inspection teams as well as disaster response groups for containment and safety in case of an accidental spill. Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) It is an important component of occupational safety and health and a legal requirement for most industrial chemicals. It contains, as the name suggests, data related to physical properties of the chemical such as melting point, boiling point, flash point as well as toxicity, health effects, first aid, reactivity, storage, disposal, protective equipment, and spill-handling procedures. It also has instructions for the safe use and potential hazards associated with a particular material or product and is intended to provide workers and emergency personnel with procedures for handling or working with that substance in a safe manner to minimise the risk of injury. However, MSDS formats can vary from country to country, or even source to source within a country depending on the requirements. This system is widely used for cataloguing information on chemicals, chemical compounds, and chemical mixtures. For example, in the U.S., the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires that MSDSs be available to employees for potentially harmful substances handled in the workplace. The MSDS is also required to be made available to local fire departments and local and state emergency planning officials to aid in emergency response. Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) It refers to the many types of hazardous waste operations and emergency response conducted in the United States under Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Standard. Basically, it is a rule to ensure that workers are trained to respond to emergencies and there are various levels of training, depending on how exposed a particular worker is to the hazardous chemical. In the event of a spill, organisations have two options for responding: 1. Evacuate all employees and call professional emergency response personnel; 2. Respond internally through trained in-house staff Companies that opt to respond internally to chemical spills must have an emergency responsive plan that includes comprehensive training for employees as OSHA forbids involvement of untrained employees in responding to an accident. In the event of a chemical spill, depending on its scale, some of the measures taken are to: Alert and evacuate all non-essential personnel Shut off electrical equipment and pause hot work Administer 1st aid to victims Confine the spill

Emergency response personnel who perform spill control work are expected to: Wear protective clothing and equipment Follow established standard operating procedures Be properly trained and experienced in safety drills

So the importance of having standard procedures, trained staff and emergency response plans cannot be stressed enough and is an integral part of any industry. Established protocols need to be followed in order to achieve harmony and prevent accidental loss of life and property.