Incidents arising from work with chemicals

In the event of an incident involving chemicals during laboratory work, the necessary measures can be divided into three categories: First aid for injuries; Raising the alarm in the event of major spills and escapes; Decontamination of small spills.

First aid

First aid can be divided into four main areas: inhalation, eye contact, skin contact and ingestion.

Inhalation

Try to get the victim into fresh air as soon as possible. Then get them into a comfortable half sitting position. If the person is pale and cold sweating, keep them warm by covering them up, e.g. with a blanket.  If the person is semi-conscious or unconscious, arrange transport to hospital. Put the person in the recovery position or perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Bear in mind that the inhaled gas may be dangerous to the person performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Persons exposed to nitrous gases (nitric oxides) should always be taken to hospital.

Eye contact

Rinse with water. Eye wash equipment must always be available at the workplace. There is usually an eye wash station, which is a fixed device connected to the drinking water system. Sometimes portable eye wash bottles are also available.

In the event of eye contact with strong acids and bases, rinse the victim’s eyes for at least 15 minutes and then take them to hospital. An eye wash bottle can be used during transport.

For substances classified as irritating, rinse eyes for about 5 minutes.  Remove any contact lenses for a while after starting rinsing.

Things to bear in mind: If a solution containing silver ions comes into contact with the eyes, tap water must be used to rinse the eyes. This is because the solution in eye wash bottles usually contains some form of salt (usually NaCl) and the positively charged silver ions can easily form insoluble precipitates with the negative chloride ions.

Skin contact

If chemicals come into contact with the skin, they should be rinsed off as soon as possible. In case of extensive skin contact with corrosive, irritating, allergenic or toxic chemical solutions, use an emergency shower. The person should start showering with their clothes on, and then remove their clothes, shoes and any jewellery, watches, etc. while continuing to shower.

Ingestion

If the victim has ingested hazardous chemicals or shows significant symptoms, call 112 immediately and ask for Poisons Information (Giftinformation). In less urgent cases, call the Poisons Information Centre (Giftinformation) (+46 10 456 6700) or the Medical Advice Service (Sjukvårdsrådgivningen) (1177) for advice.

In many cases it may be best to induce vomiting, e.g. if toxic metals or arsenic have been ingested. If the victim has ingested corrosive substances or low-viscosity petroleum compounds (petrol, lighter fluid, lamp oil), vomiting should be avoided. In cases of corrosive substances, water or milk should be drunk. In cases of petroleum compounds, drink milk, cream or cooking oil without risking vomiting.

Raising the alarm in the event of major spills and escapes

If the spill or escape too large to clean up yourself, or if it is deemed likely to have a harmful or negative impact on staff, the premises or the environment, you must raise the alarm.

In an emergency situation with risk of bodily injury or serious environmental damage, call the Emergency Services (Räddningstjänsten) on 112.

If the situation is not urgent but still poses a risk to the environment or surroundings, or if there is significant leakage into drains or storm water which could affect sewage systems, water treatment plants, etc., contact Örebro University’s Security Office immediately (sakerhet@oru.se).

Decontamination of small spills

In case of minor spills, use appropriate protective equipment and protective devices. Put solids in a plastic bag or bucket. Wipe up liquid spills with absorbent material (vermiculite) and place the material in a plastic bag or bucket. Then wipe up any residue with paper moistened with soap solution. Dispose of the waste according to the rules for chemical waste. In other words, if the spilled substance is considered hazardous waste, the absorbent material, paper, etc. should be disposed of as hazardous waste.