There are guidelines at Humboldt which must be followed by departmental personnel and students in response to spills of hazardous materials. SAFETY of individuals must always be the foremost priority in responding to spills, regardless of how insignificant or innocuous the size of the spill or specific hazardous material may seem.

A non-emergency spill at Humboldt is defined as: a release of a hazardous material in a quantity and of a hazard consistent with normal usage by a specific individual in a particular application, e.g. 200 ml of a dilute acid spilled on a bench top with no one contaminated or injured.

An emergency spill at Humboldt is defined as: a spill of a volume and/or hazard that is above and beyond normal usage by a specific individual in a particular application, e.g dropping and breaking a one gallon container of concentrated acid while dispensing a portion for dilution. This includes releases to soil and water (including sinks, floor drains, and storm drains). 

In all spill response situations the steps listed below should be followed:

SAFETY

ISOLATE & DENY ENTRY

NOTIFY

Additional specific information is available in the Cal Poly Humboldt Hazardous Materials Spill Response Guidelines and the Biological Sciences Dept. Spill Response Guidelines.