Hazardous Material Spills

A hazardous material spill is an uncontrolled release of a substance that is potentially hazardous to humans, animals and/or the environment. University personnel and students working with hazardous materials should be prepared to respond in the event a spill occurs.

Emergency spill response

If you witness a hazardous material spill that endangers people or may lead to a fire, follow these emergency procedures:

Activate the fire alarm system. Pull the nearest fire alarm to evacuate the building.
Call 9-1-1 as soon as you are safe. Report any details you know about the spill, such as location, material and physical state (e.g., liquid, powder), quantity spilled, and any known hazardous characteristics.
Provide information such as the safety data sheet (SDS) or a chemical inventory to the local fire department once they arrive. The fire department will stabilize the spill but might not clean it up.
Contact the Environmental Health & Safety Spill Line at 206.543.0467 for assistance with contacting a spill cleanup contractor. Outside of business hours or on weekends, contact the UW Police Department at 206.685.8973 from any campus and ask the dispatcher to contact the EH&S Staff On-Call.

Follow the instructions on the Spill Response Poster for biological, chemical and radiological releases.

Follow the instructions on the Exposure Response Poster if an exposure has occurred.

Non-emergency spill response

S.W.I.M. for all spills

S: Stop the spill. Cover with absorbent material.

W: Warn others. Alert people in the immediate area of the spill.

I: Isolate the spill and secure the area. Close doors if possible.

M: Minimize your exposure by wearing PPE and avoiding contact, inhalation or ingestion. Vacate the area if necessary. Wash hands after handling spill materials.

Report any damage to building materials, such as walls, ceiling and floor tiles, light fixtures, stonework, plaster, caulk, paint, insulation and fireproofing that may have released asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), crystalline silica or other regulated building materials. These materials pose no health risk when left alone and intact, but if disturbed, they can pose a health risk to building occupants.

Report any disturbed materials to your facilities manager. On the Seattle campus, report it to the UW Facilities Regulated Materials Management Office at asbestos@uw.edu.

Visit the Asbestos and Other Regulated Building Materials webpage for more information.

Take the following steps when responding to a small, non-emergency spill of biohazardous materials:

Cover the spill with paper towels or absorbent material.
Pour freshly prepared 10% bleach around the spill and allow to flow into spill.
After 30 minutes of contact time, wipe up and dispose of as biohazard waste.

If spill contains recombinant nucleic acids, notify EH&S Biosafety as soon as possible at 206.221.7770.

Refer to the Biohazardous Spills guide for detailed instructions on cleaning up small and large spills inside and/or outside a biological safety cabinet (BSC), spills in public spaces and radioactive biohazardous spills.

If exposed, use the eye wash or safety shower for 15 minutes.

Large spills: Pull the fire alarm and evacuate. EH&S can arrange for hazardous spill cleanup at the lab's expense.

Small spills: Trained personnel familiar with the chemical should use a spill kit for cleanup.

Staff must protect themselves from skin, eye and respiratory hazards by using personal protective equipment (PPE) during cleanup.

Cleaning up a chemical spill:

EH&S is available to consult on chemical spills and emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Call the Chemical Spill Line at 206.543.0467 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Outside of business hours call 9-1-1 on the Seattle campus (call 206.685.8973 if you are not on the Seattle campus). UW Police Department will put you in contact with EH&S.

For chemical spills that occur in laboratories, EH&S can arrange for a hazardous materials spill cleanup contractor at the lab’s expense if the spill is large, involves a risk of exposure or injury, or the cleanup otherwise exceeds your lab’s abilities. Visit the Chemical Spills in Laboratories webpage for more information.

The resources listed below provide additional information for specific chemical hazards:

Hydrofluoric acid
Formaldehyde
Mercury spill cleanup and Mercury-containing lamps
Nitric acid
Metallic lead

Hazardous material spills that do not endanger anyone may be cleaned up by employees who are properly equipped and trained to do so.

Hazardous material spills that cannot be safely cleaned by staff must be cleaned up by a contractor. Call the EH&S Spill Advice Line at 206.543.0467 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday with any questions about cleaning up spills or arrange for a cleanup contractor.

If you need assistance from the spill contractor outside of business hours or on weekends, contact the UW Police Department at 206.685.8973 and ask the dispatcher to contact the EH&S Staff on-Call.

When in doubt about whether you need help, contact your supervisor or call EH&S.

Review the Chemical Waste Guide for information on spill preparedness, emergencies and exposures.

If you see a spill on a UW campus, including soap, cleaners, chemicals, grease, oil, food or paint, call 206.543.0467 between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Outside of business hours call the UW Police Department at 206.685.UWPD and ask the dispatcher to contact the EH&S Staff on Call.

Anyone can anonymously report a potential environmental issue. You can also take a photo and send it to epenviro@uw.edu.

EH&S will respond to and investigate reports in accordance with applicable regulations and policies. There is no penalty for reporting a spill.

Visit the Stormwater Pollution Prevention webpage for more information about the impacts of a spill on campus.

Report spills

Report all spills within 24 hours via the Online Accident Reporting System (OARS).

Prevent and prepare for spills

University units that use, store, handle and/or transport hazardous materials should prevent and be prepared to respond to a spill by doing all of the following:

Get a spill kit. General chemical spill kits are available from Chemistry Stockroom, Biochemistry Stores and through Procurement Services.
Place the Spill Response and Exposure Response posters in a visible location.
Follow standard operating procedures for all hazardous materials that include procedures for safe handing, use, storage, transport, disposal and spill response.
Make safety data sheets available to all individuals working in or near the area where hazardous materials are used or stored.
Properly label and store hazardous materials and hazardous waste.
Safely dispose of chemicals, biohazardous waste, radioactive waste and other hazardous materials and equipment.
Contact EH&S before pouring anything, including soaps, cleaners, chemicals, grease, oil, food waste and paint into or near a sewer or stormwater drain.

Services available

EH&S is available to help University personnel and students prevent accidental spills and releases while handling, storing, and transporting hazardous materials.

EH&S is available for consultation on:

Ordering a spill kit
Developing SOPs that include safe handling, transport, and storage of hazardous materials
Hazardous material spill response and clean-up

In addition, contact EH&S if you will be doing any of the following activities at any UW location; these activities could lead to pollution ending up in stormwater drains:

Painting or staining
Pressure washing
Changing oil in a vehicle or heavy equipment
Washing a vehicle or heavy equipment
Snow removal, de-icing or anti-icing
Applying fertilizer, pesticides or herbicides
Moving or digging large amounts of dirt
Removing vegetation
Cleaning up after an outdoor event where food and beverages were served
Throwing or spreading confetti, glitter or powdered pigments

Training

If you are working with hazardous chemicals, take the Managing Laboratory Chemicals-Online training course, which covers essential chemical spill prevention and response information. This course is required for all UW faculty, staff, and students who work in laboratories where hazardous chemicals are present.