Chemical Safety 101: Not Mixing Chemicals and Chemical Spills
This month, in Massachusetts, USA, there was a fatal accident in a restaurant due to the accidental mix of acid and bleach that released a toxic gas, killing one of its employees. A chlorine and bleach-based floor was used to clean the kitchen floor. Unknown to the employee, an acid-based cleaner had spilt on the floor earlier. This mixture turned green, bubbly and released toxic gas, giving the employees burning eyes and breathing issues resulting in one of them dying.
There are two points of Health and Safety in the Workplace issue here:
Chemical Safety Point Number 1: Proper Handling of Chemical Spills
A company needs a proper procedure and training when it comes to handling chemical spills. A company must have a properly written plan to handle cases like this. Depending on the number and the kind of chemicals the company is carrying, it must have the proper equipment and spill kits. The company must also have the correct and updated safety data sheet of the chemicals they are carrying to know what to do in case of spills. The information on what to do in case of chemical spills can be found under section 6 of our Safety Data Sheets under Accidental Release Measures.
Handling chemical spills can be dangerous! Prioritise your safety and the safety of others before you deal with the spill. Assess the situation. If there is any danger or if you are unsure, call 111 or emergency services right away. If there is no danger, prepare to properly contain, collect, clean and dispose of the chemical. Finally, write a report of what happened and file under your health and safety folder. Discuss with your team the measures you can take to prevent this from happening again.
In the case of the above, the acid-based cleaner that had spilt on the floor was not properly cleaned up, disposed and communicated to the whole team.
Chemical Safety Point Number 2: Don’t mix chemicals together!
In the cleaning industry, we are always confronted with a lot of different chemicals with their own specific purpose and function. If you think that mixing chemicals together will produce a better result, think again! Mixing two or more cleaning chemicals together is always a big NO! Here is the reason why.
This is a very important rule to remember when handling cleaning chemicals. It can produce toxic gas or fumes, it can be carcinogenic when