What are the three most common types of laboratory emergencies?

The three most common laboratory emergencies are chemical spills, fires and explosions, and personnel injuries. Chemical spills occur most frequently, while fires and explosions typically result from overheating, flammable chemical spillage, or gases exposed to heat, flames, or electric sparks. Personnel injuries include electric shock, burns, wounds, or chemical exposure caused by not following guidelines or equipment malfunction.

What should you do immediately if someone's clothing catches fire in the lab?

Never run, as this accelerates the fire. Instead, stop and drop to the ground with hands covering your face, then roll to extinguish the flames. If available, use a safety shower to extinguish the fire. Always remain calm and prioritize stopping the fire's spread before seeking additional help.

How do you respond to a lab fire or explosion?

Ensure your personal safety first, then call emergency responders immediately. If possible, shut down electric power before evacuating. Use a wet towel to protect against heavy smoke, pull fire alarms, and evacuate using stairs rather than elevators. Small fires can be contained with the correct fire extinguisher type matched to the fire class.

What are the different classes of fires and their causes?

Class A fires involve ordinary combustible solids like paper or clothes. Class B fires include flammable liquids and gases such as gasoline or butane. Class C fires are caused by electrical equipment, Class D fires involve combustible metals like sodium, and Class K fires are grease fires. Matching the correct extinguisher type to each fire class prevents flame spread and aggravation.

What is the first step when responding to an unconscious or injured person in the lab?

Assess the situation before taking action. If the person is conscious, ask what happened. If unconscious or unresponsive, look for visible signs of injury. If they appear to be in danger, call local emergency immediately. Do not move the injured person unless they need removal from a serious threat like ongoing fire or chemical exposure.

How should you handle someone who has received an electrical shock?

First, shut down the power if possible. Use non-conductive material such as wood, glass, or rubber to pull the person away from electrical contact. Avoid direct contact with the victim. Once safely separated from the electrical source, assess for injuries and call emergency responders if needed. Keep the person warm and calm while waiting for assistance.

What first aid steps should you take for bleeding injuries in the laboratory?

For minor cuts or abrasions, flush the wound with water to prevent contamination and treat with first aid supplies. For serious cuts, call for medical assistance immediately. While waiting for help, keep the injured person warm and calm. If you have first aid knowledge and are willing to help, initiate appropriate first aid measures to stabilize the person.

Guidelines in Case of a Laboratory Emergency

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1. General Emergency

Depending on the type of the emergency, there are specific guidelines to follow; however, there are a few general principles to follow for any type of emergency:
Keep yourself safe first and remain calm.
Call local emergency responders or a safety department (i.e., Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)), when possible, to report the emergency.
Inform people nearby of what happened and pull the emergency alarm, when and if necessary.

2. Chemical Spills

Chemical spills are the most common accidents when working in a laboratory requiring chemicals. Improper or careless opening, handling, or storage of chemicals might lead to chemical spills. Large-volume spills of a non-hazardous chemical or even a small-quantity spill of a hazardous chemical spill might threaten the lives of laboratory personnel. Therefore, caution needs to be taken when working with chemicals and always wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent bodily exposure in the case of a spill.

Chemical spilling onto surroundings
1. Identify the area of the chemical spill and inform your laboratory co-workers of the spill. Evacuate the location and areas surrounding the spill, when necessary.
2. Identify the spilled chemicals and the amount of chemical that has spilled. Depending on the hazardous properties and quantities of the spilled chemicals, proper actions need to be taken. Refer to the chemical's safety data sheet (SDS) for hazard assessments.
3. Minor spills refer to spills of less than 1 gallon of low-hazard chemicals or less than 20 mL of hazardous chemicals:
  1. Wear proper PPE first before taking any action. Care should be taken to avoid bodily exposure to chemicals.
  2. If possible, modify the spill source to avoid further issues.
  3. If possible, turn off any nearby heat or ignition source if the chemical is flammable.
  4. Avoid breathing any vapors from spilled chemicals. This applies especially to chemicals that are toxic and volatile.
  5. Locate the spill kit and use appropriate kit tools to confine and contain the spill area.
  6. Use suitable adsorbent to cover the spill and neutralize the spill, if the chemicals are acidic or basic in nature.
  7. Collect the residues and place them into in a suitable container.
  8. Report to EHS to dispose of any chemical spill waste.
  9. Refill the spill kit.
4. Major spills refer to spills of larger than 1 gallon of low-hazard chemicals or larger than 20 mL of high-hazardous chemicals. If a major spill occurs:
  1. Secure and evacuate the spilled area immediately.
  2. Make sure all nearby personnel are aware that a major spill has occurred.
  3. Call emergency responders or EHS for help.
  4. Never attempt to clean up a major spill even when wearing PPE.
  5. If possible, without exposure to the spill, shut down the power to any heat source if the spilled chemical is flammable.
  6. Help the emergency personnel identify the spilled area when they arrive.
Chemical spills onto the body
1. Wash off all chemicals spilled on a body immediately using a safety shower for at least 15 min. If clothes are saturated with spilled chemical, remove clothing immediately.
2. If the spill splashed into eyes, use an eyewash right away for at least 15 min. Open the eyes to allow complete washing. Only attempt to remove contact lenses after eye washing has commenced.
3. If the spilled chemical is a strong acid, wipe out the residues first before washing to avoid excessive or painful burning.
4. Remove contaminated clothing immediately to avoid further exposure to chemicals.
5. Call local responders or EHS for emergency assistance and alert people in the vicinity of the spill.

3. Fire or Explosion

Fire or explosion may occur from overheating, leakage, or spillage of flammable chemicals, or gases exposed to excessive heat, an open flame, or electric sparks in the laboratory. Be careful when working with flammable or explosive chemicals and avoid heat or electric sparks nearby. Safely operate electric equipment and any source of heat to prevent fire or explosion.
In case of a fire involving an individual's clothing, do not run since it might accelerate the fire. Stop, drop onto the ground with hands covering the face, and roll to extinguish the fire. If possible, use the safety shower to extinguish the fire.
In case of a lab fire or explosion, ensure your safety first and call emergency responders immediately for help.
Evacuate the building safely and pull fire alarms or notify nearby people, if possible.
Don't use elevators. Use stairs and locate the nearest exit.
If possible, shut down the electric power before evacuating.
Use a wet towel to cover the mouth and nose, if there is heavy smoke.
In case of a small fire, use a proper fire extinguisher and make sure an easy exit is available if you fail in extinguishing the fire. Here we listed the types of extinguisher and discussed the circumstances in which each extinguisher type should be used.
1. Types of fire.
  Class A: Ordinary combustible solids such as paper, wood, clothes.
  Class B: Flammable liquids such as gasoline, petroleum oil and paint and flammable gases such propane, methane and butane.
  Class C: Electrical equipment such as appliances, motors.
  Class D: Combustible metals such as sodium, aluminum and potassium.
  Class K: Cooling oil and greases such as animal or vegetable fats.
2. Types of extinguisher.
  1. Water and Foam: for Class A fires only. Not suitable for class B or C fires. Water and foam extinguish fire by reducing the heat and the foam helps to separate oxygen from the objects.
  2. Carbon Dioxide: for Class B and C fires. Not effective for Class A fire. Carbon dioxide extinguishes fire by separating oxygen from the object and removing heat.
  3. Dry Chemical: multipurpose dry chemical works for Class A, B and C and ordinary dry chemicals works for Class B and C only. Dry chemical extinguishes fire by interrupting the chemical reaction.
  4. Wet Chemical: for Class K fire only. Wet chemical extinguishes fire by removing heat and separates oxygen from fuel elements.
  5. Clean agent: for Class B and C. Clean extinguishers used halon or halocarbon agents to interrupt the chemical reactions.
  6. Dry Power: for Class D only. Dry power takes away heat and separates oxygen to extinguish fire.
Be safe first and help others if possible.
Be aware of a second fire or explosion.

4. Personnel Injuries

Besides chemical spills, fire, or explosion, there are many other accidents that might happen in the lab, such as electric shock, heat burn, bleeding, or poisoning. Here are some general principles to follow for personnel injuries.
1. Assess the situation before taking any actions.
2. Ask the person what happened to them first, if they are conscious. Look for possible signs of injury if the person is unconscious and/or unresponsive.
3. Call local emergency responders immediately if the person is in danger.
4. Don't move the injured personnel unless imminent danger is present.
5. If an individual has received an electrical shock, shut down the power first, if possible. Do not touch the person with bare hands. Use non-conductive material such as wood, glass, or rubber to pull the person away from the electric contact.
6. If bleeding from minor cuts, flush with water to avoid contamination and treat with first aid supplies. If cuts are more serious, call for medical assistance.
7. Initiate first aid to help, if possible.