Chemical spill campus safety and security
Chemical spills are a concern with campus safety and security. Chemicals are in abundance on some campuses, and some organizations will encounter a chemical spill at some point. Your safety and the safety of others depends on your assessment and response. Proper spill control and personal protective equipment should be used to handle any harmful chemicals.
If a spill occurs on campus, the following steps should be taken:
When a chemical spill occurs on campus, look for symptoms of toxic poisoning.
- Difficulty breathing
- Irritation of the eyes, skin, throat, or respiratory tract
- Headache or blurred vision
- Changes in skin color
- Dizziness, clumsiness, or lack of concentration
- Diarrhea or cramps
If someone displays symptoms of poisoning or has been exposed to a potentially toxic chemical, collect any containers of the substance that are safely and readily available. Labels may list ingredients or contain other helpful information for medical personnel.
The National Poison Control Center may be reached at 1-800-222-1222.
Chemical Safety and Spill Prevention
- Keep products containing chemical spills in their original containers and never remove the labels unless the container is corroding. Corroding containers should be repackaged and clearly labeled.
- Never store hazardous products in food containers.
- Never mix household hazardous chemicals or waste with other products. Incompatibles, such as chlorine bleach and ammonia, may react, ignite, or explode.
IDentifyED is the solution for notifying campus personnel to receiving assistance quickly.
1Do not put yourself in harm’s way for any reason.
2Typically, but not always you will be told to shelter in place. To cover or tape all doors and windows so that you are not exposed to any chemical spills.
3Chemical spills can come from many different sources. Like a truck or train accident, a spill in chemistry lab or perhaps some community incident. Chemical spills are more common than you think.
4If you witness or experience a chemical spill make a help request immediately, if possible add text and a picture. Do not put yourself in harm’s way for any reason.
5Swipe up on your IDentifyED app to find you school’s chemical spill procedures.
6Swipe left on the ID screen of IDentifyed and you will come to your Campuses’ custom app, the campus/school may have added additional links there as well as potential systems or sources of information.
7Chemical spills may affect only a small area or a large community. The IDentifyED system has integration into the I Love U Guys Foundation’s standard response procedures, these procedures will tell people how you need to respond and reduce panic during a chemical spill or your organization may have specific instructions, read and follow the instructions.
8If you need help use the IDentifyED 911 feature on the help request this will direct you to specific campus response personnel on IDentifyED and explain to the dispatcher the issue. Campus resources might be the best place to call for help on your campus. If for any reason you are not able to get in touch with campus resources, do not hesitate to dial 911 on your phone app.
9Emergency personnel during a chemical spill with IDentifyED can also involve or escalate to additional personnel as well as any emergency responders.
10Emergency responders will also maintain and update critical event message boards about the chemical spill, that will allow everyone in the campus to get the most critical and up-to-date information.
11If you need help or others need help during the chemical spill, you can make additional help requests that might document additional assistance and additional people who might be injured during the chemical spill.
12For Schools: During a chemical spill, if you are in a class it is possible that you will be in class make certain that attendance is taken by the teacher.
13It is important to report your location during a chemical still, to checkin into a location, class, event, group or transportation so that emergency responders know where everyone is.
14Look for updates to the locations as well, perhaps your organization will add shelter locations so that you can accurately share your location with members of your organization, friends, family and of course emergency responders.
15If you check-in, and then need help — emergency responders will be able to respond to your specific location with much better detail. For example, during a chemical spill it is possible that you are on the 6th floor in room 601 of a 20-story building and the event is on the 5th floor. If you need assistance, your IDentifyED reported longitude and latitude will only tell the responders what building you are in, a good check-in will help them narrow it down the floor and room, so that they can find you.
16If you are handicapped during a chemical spill, in any way and the elevators are disabled or there is a power outage. Make a handicapped help request with your specific checked in location (many organizations have designated handicapped assistance areas for you to check into.)
17Once the chemical spill is not a threat — emergency personnel will either broadcast out an all clear or begin reunification procedures.
18If an all clear is sent during a chemical spill assume that there will be additional information that may need to be shared, stay sheltered until you are able to get assurance that it is safe.
19After a chemical spill please report any and all personal injury or other issues through IDentifyED.
20After a chemical spill please report any damage to property or safety concerns via the IDentifyED Help request.
21For schools with a reunification process, if a reunification process is called for after a chemical spill, monitor the IDentifyED critical event message boards as well as all emergency broadcasts.
22For schools with a reunification process Follow the instructions from emergency responders.
23For schools with a reunification process, during a chemical spill reunification you should be told where to report to. It is possible that traditional/anticipated buildings or rally points are not safe to shelter or meet at so it is important to listen to and follow the directions of emergency responders.
24For schools with a reunification process, when arriving at a reunification area, make certain you check-in or are checked in to that location.
25For schools with a reunification process, parents should follow reunification procedures during a chemical spill reunification. Parents should be instructed as to what will occur by school personnel please follow the directions you are being given.
26After a chemical spill, you may experience power outages and damage that may result in the campus being closed. IDentifyEd is housed offsite from your campus so IDentifyED should remain online during any and all emergencies. As long as you can get to internet services you should be able to get to IDentifyED. For this reason, during an emergency it is very likely that IDentifyED will be your organizations best means to communicate.
27Continue to monitor IDentifyED emergency broadcasts, news and alerts as well as critical event boards after the chemical spill because organizations will need to update you on when school will resume and any other additional information.
28Also after a chemical spill, IDentifyed may also be used to update everyone on calendar events and any group activities in terms of events, meetings and campus openings, look for these updates on IDentifyED first in order to minimize and optimize communications. It is likely that many parties update calendars, message boards, send messages and provide additional updates via messaging, message boards, chat, calendars, and portfolios.
29IDentifyED’s many communication resources like user portfolios, messaging, message boards, calendars, chat, group chat, emergency broadcast, organization-wide news and alerts will all be used during and after a chemical spill. So, monitor IDentifyED and use IDentifyED as your primary source of information.