Introduction
This procedure outlines the steps to be taken in the event of an emergency in the laboratory. This includes, but is not limited to, fire and chemical spills. All laboratory personnel must be familiar with this procedure and know what to do in an emergency.
Visitor requirements
Any employees bringing new visitors onto the laboratory sites, such as customers or suppliers, will be required to show the company safety video including what to do in the event of a fire as well as general good laboratory safety practices.
Fire
- If you discover an unintended fire, push the nearest fire alarm to alert others and evacuate the building immediately.
- If you can do so safely, use a fire extinguisher to put out the fire or deploy the instrument’s dedicated fire safety feature e.g. lid closures to starve the fire of oxygen.
- If the fire is not able to be extinguished safely with e.g. a fire extinguisher call 999 and provide them with the location of the fire and any relevant information about the materials involved.
- Do not attempt to fight a fire if it is too large or if you are not trained to do so.
- Once outside, move to a safe distance from the building (the back wall of the laboratory car park is the designated assembly point) and wait for instructions.
- The site attendees register is electronic and can be accessed remotely, so there is no need to carry the sign in tablet out of the building if it is not safe to do so.
- All mains powered instruments can be shutdown remotely, hence, the laboratory can turn off any heat sources when safely outside the building to remove heat from the fire triangle.
Chemical Spill:
If a chemical spill occurs, immediately evacuate the area and alert others to do the same. If the chemical spill is small and contained and or prevented from leaking by bunded spill areas, use appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and materials to clean up the spill. If the chemical spill is large or spreading, do not attempt to clean it up yourself. Call 999 or the appropriate emergency response team and provide them with the location of the spill and any relevant information about the materials involved. Once outside, move to a safe distance from the building and wait for instructions from emergency personnel.
Medical Emergencies
In the event of a medical emergency, the company’s duty first aider should be notified. A defibrillator and first aid kit are available in the staff canteen in case of a medical emergency.
The environment should be monitored for any dangers before assisting anyone for a medical emergency to ensure you do not become the casualty too.
In any emergency, always call 999 and follow any instructions by the operator whilst delivering any care to ensure the emergency is alerted soonest.
Other Emergencies
In the event of any other emergency, such as severe weather, police or terrorist incidents, follow the appropriate emergency procedures and evacuate the building if necessary. In any emergency, always listen to and follow the instructions of emergency personnel and designated laboratory personnel.
Conclusion
It is important to stay calm and act quickly in the event of an emergency in the laboratory. Familiarize yourself with this procedure and the location of emergency exits, fire extinguishers, and emergency response teams. Regularly participate in emergency drills and feed back to the management team any potential improvements to update this procedure as necessary.
Policy last issued and owned by Mr. Cutler 20/4/2023. Latest version can always be found at oilanalysislab.com. Any other versions including paper copies are to be treated as uncontrolled.