Emergency Response

Today's article will be all about emergency response within the laboratory if there is an accident.  One source I will be using is information from a packet that I received in class.  However, lets look at a different source to start out with.  According to the site http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK55874/ , there are four main stages to an emergency response plan.  These four stages are the mitigation phase, preparedness phase, response phase and recovery phase.  So, what are each of these?  The mitigation phase is all about making sure something does not happen, or if something.  This includes the proper labeling and storage of materials and chemicals in the lab to make sure they are not being stored dangerously.  The preparedness phase is all about being ready if there is an accident that occurs.  This can include a lot of things, like making sure that there are personnel on site that can help assist in an emergency, and also making sure that there are first aid and spill kits available.  The next phases, response, is all about the efficiency of the staff and outside personnel in case of an emergency.  This may be the accessibility of the equipment on site, as well as the knowledge about the substances involved in order to have a better understanding of how to tackle the situation at hand.  The last step described by this site is the recovery phase.  This is the stage where the quality of the lab can be reviewed to see if there are any areas if improvement in the lab while the lab is being cleaned and washed of the previous accident.  If anything can be done better to prevent something from happening again, this is the phase where that is done.  According to the site http://www.baylor.edu/ehs/index.php?id=97767 ,  the emergency response plan should be located near the entrance/ exit of the lab, or by the lab telephone because also on the emergency plan is a list of emergency contacts.  This up to date plan should also have written down procedures for a variety of different incidents that can happen in the lab and explain what to do.  If there is an spill or accident, try and contain it ONLY if the properties of the chemical have been identified and you are familiar with the hazardous properties of the chemical.  If there is a need for evacuation because of an emergency, there needs to be some way that all employees are contacted.  This could be some sort of alarm or intercom message.  There should also be a procedure for routes to take in case of an evacuation which the employees should already be aware of.  Whoever is the emergency contact, if there is a spill, with the assistance of the waste disposal company will determine the status and category in which the waste will be under in order to determine how it will be disposed of.  I hope this article was helpful in providing some information to you about the emergency response in labs.  It may seem self explanatory, but when there is an accident or emergency it is important for everything to be mapped out, and the plan with the information made available to all employees so that any confusion can be cleared immediately and action can be taken.