Emergency chemical removal

Once the immediate danger has passed, or if a hazard is stable but cannot stay where it is, we can look at how it can be removed. That may include:

• unstable or degraded stock requiring expert assessment
• damaged, leaking or overpacked containers that have been made safe
• contaminated absorbents, debris and clean-up materials
• undamaged stock from the same store that now needs to leave

Radioactive sources, explosives, compressed gas cylinders, asbestos and controlled drugs require individual assessment, and some may need to be dealt with by other authorities.

Our phone line, 0208 088 8371, is open Monday to Friday from 9:30am to 5:30pm. It is not an emergency line. When you call, have these to hand:

• what the chemical is, as far as you know, and what the label says
• how much there is, and what it is in
• what you can see, without going any closer: crystals, leakage, bulging or fumes
• where it is, and whether the room is closed and secure
• whether emergency services attended, and any instructions or reference they gave
• your site address and the person responsible for the area

Photographs help only if they were taken before people left the area, or by someone the emergency services have allowed in. Nobody should go back into a room to get one.

Work through these steps in order, and do not skip any to get to the waste question.

• Get people out. Evacuate the room, and the building if your plan says so. Close the door behind you if you can do it safely, and stop anyone going back in.
• Call 999 where there is danger. That means fire, smoke, an explosion risk, a release of gas or fumes, or anyone hurt or unwell. Say what you believe the chemical is, and where it is.
• Do not touch it. Do not move, open, clean up, neutralise or dilute anything that may be unstable or that you cannot identify.
• Give first aid only if it is safe. Follow your own arrangements and the safety data sheet, and tell the medical team what was involved.
• Hand over the information. Give the emergency services your chemical inventory and tell them who knows the store. DfE guidance notes that the fire service needs this in a fire.
• Protect drains if you can do so safely. If chemicals have reached a drain or watercourse, tell the emergency services, and report it to the regulator.

In England, the Environment Agency incident hotline is 0800 80 70 60, at any hour. In Wales, Natural Resources Wales takes incident reports. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, use SEPA or the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.

An emergency has something happening now, or about to happen. An urgent collection has a known problem that is contained and not changing, although nobody wants it there any longer.

The difference decides who you call. Crystals found on an old ether bottle during a stock check may not be doing anything at this moment, but they could be shock-sensitive, and no one should move that bottle. Treat that as a reason to clear and secure the room, then seek expert advice straight away. If you believe there is an explosion risk, that means 999. A slowly weeping bottle of hydrochloric acid in a tray, in a closed store, is serious but can often be managed by your own trained staff until it is collected. A puddle of unknown liquid giving off fumes in a corridor is an emergency, even if the quantity looks small.

If you are not sure, treat it as the more serious of the two. The emergency services would rather be called out to something that proves to be manageable than arrive after someone has tried to carry it outside.

Dried picric acid or other dried explosives. Picric acid and 2,4-DNPH need to stay wet, and DfE guidance lists them among chemicals that need specialist disposal if they have not been stored correctly. Crystals around a lid are the particular concern, because the action of opening can set them off. Do not open, wet down or move the bottle. Clear the area, secure it and call 999 if you believe there is a risk. These need individual assessment before removal can be arranged, and HSE's explosives rules may affect how they can be carried.

Peroxide formers. Old ethers, tetrahydrofuran and similar solvents with crystals, a viscous layer or a stuck cap get the same treatment. Do not twist the cap to see whether it will move.

Alkali metals. A tin of sodium or potassium whose oil has gone, or a bottle with an orange or yellow crust, should not be touched. Keep water away from the area and tell the emergency services if you call them.

Leaking corrosives. Keep people away from the area and check that the leak is not reaching anything incompatible. Trained staff with the correct spill kit may be able to contain a small, known spill under your own procedures. Hydrofluoric acid is the exception: treat any exposure as a medical emergency, and do not try to deal with a spill unless you are specifically trained and equipped for it.

Mercury. Keep people off the affected area and open windows if it is safe to do so. UK Health Security Agency guidance warns never to use a vacuum cleaner on mercury, since it can increase exposure by inhalation. A large spill needs specialist advice.

Unknown containers. A bulging bottle, a hissing or warm container or an unexplained smell is an unknown hazard, and that should be treated with the greatest caution. Clear the room and take advice from the emergency services.

Emergency services deal with immediate danger. What they leave behind is often a contained mess that remains your responsibility. That may include recovered liquid, soaked absorbents, damaged stock and contaminated equipment, and you remain the waste producer. Each of these may need a different description.

Removal has its own requirements, even after an incident. Waste still has to be identified and described on a consignment note, packed in a way that is safe for transport, and accepted by a suitable site. Damaged containers may need overpacking. Unstable items may need specialist authorisation before they can travel. This takes as long as it takes to do correctly, and a carrier will refuse a load that cannot be moved safely.

Removing the waste also does not prove the room is clean. Surfaces, floor coverings, fume cupboard ducts or drains may still need attention from someone with the right expertise. Mercury in particular can continue giving off vapour from gaps in a floor.

Some incidents must be reported. HSE's RIDDOR guidance lists dangerous occurrences, and they include specified fires, explosions and releases. Injuries to people at work may be reportable too. Your competent person or safety adviser should make that decision, and your employer or insurer may have its own requirements. Keep a note of what happened, who did what and when. Also take the chance to update your COSHH emergency arrangements, which should cover equipment, procedures, trained people and how information reaches the emergency services.