Lab Incident Response

Emergency and Non-Emergency Procedures

Emergency Shutdown | Fire | Hazardous Material | Power Outage | Chemical Spills | Injury and Incident Reporting

Call 911 in any emergency that requires immediate police, fire, or medical response to preserve life. 

Principal Investigators and supervisors are responsible for ensuring that all lab staff are trained on emergency procedures for their lab. Emergencies can include:

  • Fire
  • Loss of electricity, heat, air conditioning, water, or other essential utilities
  • Failure of mechanical equipment such as HVAC systems and emergency generators
  • Flooding, tornadoes, earthquakes, or other natural disasters
  • Nearby chemical releases of hazardous materials to the environment (e.g. from the lab down the hall or a ruptured tank car one half mile away).
  • Shelter in place

Information about emergency and non-emergency evacuation procedures can be found on the Evacuations webpage. 

Lab Emergency Shutdown Procedures

EHS recommends principal investigators and supervisors conduct emergency evacuation and emergency shutdown drills with lab staff. Find more lab emergency planning resources in the Lab Safety Manual. 

If it is safe to do so, here are some steps to guide a safe lab shutdown:

  • Check that caps are on all bottles of chemicals.
  • Close fume hood sashes.
  • Follow any emergency plans from UO animal facilities to secure experimental animals.
  • Turn off all non-essential electrical devices.
  • Leave refrigerators and freezers on and make sure the doors are closed.
  • Check the disconnects of larger LASERs, radio frequency generators, etc.
  • Turn off all gas cylinders at the tank valves unless the standard operating procedure states otherwise.
  • Check all cryogenic vacuum traps (nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and solvent).
  • Check all containers of cryogenic liquids to ensure they are vented to prevent the buildup of internal pressure.
  • Check all pressure, temperature, air, or moisture sensitive materials and equipment. This includes vacuum work, distillations, glove boxes used for airless/moistureless reactions, and all reactions in progress.
  • Terminate all reactions that are in progress, based on the known scope of the emergency.
  • All non-essential staff/students must leave the building. Depending on the nature of the emergency, some staff may need to stay nearby to communicate with emergency personnel and to facilitate the start-up of essential equipment once the building is reopened. 

Reminder: Some equipment does not shut down automatically - such as large cryogenic magnets, sources of radioactivity, and other pieces of equipment. Check any special operating procedures for your equipment before an emergency occurs.

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Fire Safety

Fire safe work practices are a shared responsibility of lab administrators and supervisors, occupants, and principal investigators. Lab staff should be trained on locations of building fire alarm pull stations, fire extinguisher (and fire blanket, if available) locations, and evacuation routes from the lab. 

Report all fires to UOPD, including those that have been extinguished. The Fire Safety webpage provides more information on general fire emergency procedures. 

Lab staff must take the UO Fire Prevention in Labs training, a one-time online course. This course is available on MyTrack, LinkedIn Learning, and the EHS Community Canvas site.  

Hazardous Material Exposures

Lab staff should be trained on signs and symptoms of exposure and emergency procedures for the hazardous materials in their work environment. This includes the location of first aid supplies, transportation options for accessing medical care, and how to use emergency equipment such as eyewashes and safety showers. The Injury Reporting webpage lists medical transport option information.

EHS webpages include information about emergency procedures and first aid for some hazardous material exposures including:

Power Outage

In a power outage, asses the extent of the outage in the unit's area. 

  • Report the outage to CPFM at 541-346-2319 during business hours. After hours contact the UOPD non-emergency line at 541-346-2919.
  • Assist other building occupants move to safe locations. Loss of power to fume hoods may require the evacuation of labs and surrounding areas.
  • Implement the unit's power outage plan.
  • Evaluate the unit's work areas for hazards created by a power outage.
  • Check and lock lab doors to secure hazardous materials.
  • Take actions to preserve human and animal safety and health.
  • Take actions to preserve research.
  • Turn off and/or unplug non-essential electrical equipment, computer equipment, and appliances. Keep refrigerators and freezers closed throughout the outage to help keep contents cold. 

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Chemical Spills

When a chemical spill occurs alert others in your lab or work area that a spill has occurred. Then determine if you can safely clean up the spill yourself. Contact the EHS Duty Phone for assistance with any spills you are not capable or confident of cleaning up. 

The type of response to a spill will depend on the quantity of the chemical spilled, the severity of the hazards associated with the chemical, and the location of the spill. Many minor chemical spills can be safely cleaned up by lab staff without the help of EHS. 

Only attempt to clean up minor spills if you are trained and have the proper spill cleanup materials available. 

A release to the outside environment may require the university to contact the City of Eugene and/or file a report with Oregon DEQ. Call the UOPD non-emergency number (541-346-2919) to initiate this determination by EHS. 

For spills that occur within a university building:

Emergency/Life Threatening Spills

  • Close all doors.
  • Evacuate the affected area or building
  • Call 911 for emergency assistance.
  • Some buildings have evacuation alarms that can be activated; a fire alarm can also be used for notification. 

Major Spills

A major spill is any chemical spill for which the researcher determines they need outside assistance to safely clean up a spill. EHS has internal resources and relationships with outside vendors equipped to clean up large-scale or particularly hazardous spills. 

If a spill occurs that you are not capable of handling:

  • Alert people in the immediate area of the spill and evacuate the room.
  • If an explosion or hazard is present, do not unplug or turn electrical equipment on or off - doing so can result in a spark and ignition source.
  • Confine the hazard by closing doors as you leave the room.
  • Use eyewashes or safety showers as needed to rinse spilled chemicals off people or yourself.
  • Evacuate any nearby rooms that may be affected. If the hazard could affect the entire building, then evacuate the entire building by pulling the fire alarm.
  • Contact the EHS Duty Phone (541-954-3605). Always call from a safe location.
  • Once outside, notify emergency responders of the location, nature, and size of the spill.
  • Isolate contaminated persons and protect yourself and others from chemical exposure. 

Be prepared to provide first responders with the following information:

  • Where the spill occurred (building and room number).
  • If there are any injuries and medical attention is needed.
  • The identity of the spilled material(s). Be prepared to spell out the chemical names.
  • The approximate amount of material spilled.
  • How the spill occurred (if you know).
  • Any immediate actions you took.
  • Who first observed the spill and the approximate time it occurred.
  • Where you will meet the emergency responders or provide a call back number (if available). 

Minor Spills

A spill is considered minor if all of these are true:

Physical

  • The hazards of the chemical are sufficiently low to enable safe clean up.
  • The spill is a small quantity (<500 mL) of a known chemical.
  • No gases or vapors are present that require respiratory protection. 

Equipment

  • You have the materials and equipment needed to clean up the spill.
  • You have the necessary proper personal protective equipment (PPE) available and are trained on how to use the equipment.

Personal

  • You understand the hazards posed by the spilled chemical.
  • You know how to clean up the spill.
  • You feel comfortable cleaning up the spill. 

Minor Spill Cleanup

  1. Notify other people in the area that a spill has occurred and prevent others from coming in contact with the spill (e.g. walking through the spilled chemical). The first priority is always to protect yourself and others.
  2. Review the safety data sheet for any spilled chemicals to understand the hazards, precautions needed, and necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) .
  3. Put on the proper PPE (such as goggles, gloves, lab coat, etc.) before beginning cleanup. Do not unnecessarily expose yourself to the chemical.
  4. Stop the source of the spill if possible and safe to do so.
  5. Try to prevent the spilled chemicals from entering waterways by building a dike around access points (sinks, cup sinks, and floor drains inside or storm drains outside) with absorbent material, if you can safely do so.
  6. Locate your lab's spill kit and use the appropriate material. More information about spill kits and absorbent materials is on the Emergency Safety Equipment page.
  7. Slowly add absorbent material or pads on and around the spill and allow the chemical to absorb. Apply enough absorbent to completely cover the spilled liquid.
  8. Collect the absorbed spill from the outside towards the middle.
  9. Scoop up and deposit in a leak-proof container or plastic bag.
  10. Label the container/bag using a hazardous waste tag and dispose of through the EHS hazardous waste management program.
  11. If possible mark the area of the spill on the floor with chalk.
  12. Wash the contaminated surface with soapy water. Collect the rinse water and provide to EHS for proper disposal.
  13. Report the spill to your supervisor and fill out the Workplace Injury form.
  14. Restock any spill cleanup supplies that you may have used from any spill kits. 

Laboratory Material Characteristics - Summary Procedures

Mercury Spills

Mercury spills are cleaned up with a special vacuum by EHS. If the spill occurs outside of an exhausted enclosure, exit the affected airspace, close doors, and notify EHS. 

Flammable Spills (flashpoint <140°F)

Extinguish all ignition sources within the common airspace of the spill. Spill cleanup materials should be non-sparking, fire-retardant, and all waste packaged within closed containers in a fume hood or flammable materials cabinet. 

Corrosive Spills (pH<2 or >12) 

Neutralize with appropriate material. Do not attempt to neutralize or cleanup hydrofluoric acid (HF) spills your self. Contact the EHS Duty Phone. 

Toxic Spills

Neutralize with an appropriate material if within an exhausted enclosure. If not within an exhausted enclosure, evacuate the shared airspace and obtain immediate assistance from emergency response professionals. 

Reactive Spills

Neutralize with an appropriate material it within an exhausted enclosure and safe to do so. Incidents outside protective enclosures may require assistance of response professionals. Depending on reaction products, sensitivity, and other characteristics, response procedures vary significantly. 

Biological Spills

Neutralize with an appropriate disinfectant. Incidents outside biosafety cabinets that aerosolize require assistance from response professionals. Refer to the Biosafety Manual and webpage for more details. 

Radiological Spills

Determine extent of affected area, isolate, and clean up from the outside towards the center. Incidents outside of radioactive use areas required assistance from response professionals. Contact the Radiation Safety Officer and refer to the Radiation Safety Manual for details. 

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Injury and Incident Reporting

Notify your supervisor or PI of any incidents or injuries and report all work-related injuries or illnesses to Risk Management within 24 hours. Complete either the online workplace injury report or download and email the pdf version to workinjury@uoregon.edu. Completed online forms are sent to the Work Injury Team. 

Report all incidents or injuries involving individuals who are not university employees to Risk Management. Complete either the online Third Party Incident Report Form or download and submit a completed pdf version to riskmanagement@uoregon.edu. 

More information is available on the Report an Injury page.

Reporting Near Misses

  1. Tell your supervisor about the near miss.
  2. Fill out and submit the Workplace Injury Report . Select "NO" if there was no injury.
  3. If the near miss involves non-employees, visitors, or volunteers, fill out and submit the Third Party Incident Report Form.

Questions?

Contact Environmental Health and Safety