Controlling toxic spills

Body shops have potential

Figure 1

hazards at nearly every turn: lifts; hydraulic pulling machines; ripped and damaged steel; broken glass; grease and oil; high voltage welders; batteries with both acid and alkaline; cleaning compounds; acid etch primers; chemicals that can potentially damage blood, liver, lung, and nerves; and irritants that expose workers to allergenic reactions, lung damage and worse yet, cancer (Fig 1). But the hazard that may cause the most concern is the toxic spill.

Though it could be argued that all accidents can be prevented, shops should certainly try to prevent spills before they occur. Even though not all spills can be prevented, shops should have a plan to deal with them. Procedures should be in place to try and prevent the toxic spill, but a plan for containment and cleanup is also needed in case this type of emergency does occur.

And it may occur — even with all the correct training and planning, a toxic spill may happen. Hopefully it will be small, such as the recycler container overflowing and a quart or two spilling before you notice it. Or while a technician is mixing material, perhaps it spills onto the mixing room table and then onto the floor. Or perhaps you trip on the hose and pull the spray gun off the paint booth wall; and as the gun falls to the paint booth floor, the disposable cup breaks off and 28 ounces of clear spills all over the booth floor. Each of these situations is unfortunate, but manageable.

Figure 2

But what happens if while you are moving a 55-gallon drum, it falls and spills onto the floor?

Figure 13

Though communities have hazardous materials spill response teams that can be called in the case of a spill (or could be required by local law to be called), the shop should still have a plan and the equipment needed to at least contain the spill until the Hazardous Material (Hazmat) team can arrive (Fig 2). Every shop should have a written plan to prevent, react, contain and cleanup, with each employee trained on how to carry out each of the above steps. Employees should be assigned jobs for each activity, so if a toxic spill does occur, they can react to contain the spill, then move on to its cleanup.

Figure 3

Plan to Prevent
In each shop, there are prime areas for potential spills, such as the gun cleaner (Fig 3) where containers could overflow if not checked regularly. A written schedule for checking and maintaining these types of machines should be set in place, with a sign-off sheet close at hand (Fig 4). Specific employees should have responsibility for this maintenance, and the check-off list should be checked by a supervisor and filed when full. This assures that preventive maintenance will be completed and have oversight. If a pattern is noted (when, where and how spills occur), other preventative measures can be taken.

Figure 4

One measure that can be put in place is a spill dam. It can be placed in the gun cleaner (Fig 5) and will act as a spill containment in case of a spill, which will make the cleanup much easier. Spill containment may be required by law in your area for such things as storage burials (Fig 6) or spill curbs in mixing rooms.

Another measure is having a spill kit (Fig 7), which has containment dams (Fig 8a & 8b), absorbing pillows (Fig 9), which will help clean up larger amounts of spills, absorbing towels (Fig 10) used after the bulk of the spill has been absorbed by pillows, and finely absorbing powder (Fig 11 & 12), which can be

Figure 5

swept up and disposed of according to your area’s regulations. Complete spill kits can come with everything that is needed for reacting to a spill (Fig 13) such as gloves, goggles and labels. And the kit’s container acts as a disposal vessel to place all the cleanup toxic waste into if a spill does occur (Fig 14).

Plan to react
If a spill does happen, the designated person should first contain the spill to keep it from spreading and causing a larger than necessary exposure and cleanup. This can be done by placing containment-absorbing dams around the spill (Fig 8). Once contained, cleanup of the spill can be planned.

Figure 6

The two most important items are the MSDS and the spill kit. An MSDS for every type of chemical in your shop should be available; in it is an accidental release (Spill) section for the product. It also will tell you what type of protective equipment should be worn during the cleanup. Next is the spill kit. As mentioned above, the items to both contain and cleanup the spill are in it: equipment and materials such as containment dams; absorbent materials in the form of blankets or pillows; diatomaceous earth or vermiculite, a decontaminant solution (Fig 12); and a disposal vessel in which to place the contaminated cleanup equipment for disposal. Though all of these items can be purchased separately, “spill kits” are commonly available and convenient with all the needed

Figure 7

equipment in them.

Spill kits are sold relative to the size of spill that they have the capacity to clean up, from one gallon to 55 gallons and larger. It is wise to have enough cleanup capacity readily available in your shop for the largest spill that could occur. That is, if the largest container your shop has is 55 gallons, it would be wise to have, at a minimum, a cleanup kit that could handle a spill of that magnitude. Though two 30-gallon capacity kits may be wiser for cleanup, kits are a single-use tool. Once opened and used, even partially, the kit may not be usable again to any degree.

Figure 8a

Plan to contain
The person designated as the shop’s first responder must be trained in how to clean up the spill without causing personal harm. The responder should use the necessary personal safety equipment (found in Section 8 of the MSDS), and evacuate all personnel not involved with the cleanup from the spill area. The spill should not be walked through; all ignition sources should be shut off; and adequate ventilation should be provided.

Plan for cleanup
The spill should be contained so that the spill or any runoff does not come in contact with soil, waterways, drains, sewers

Figure 8b

or stored materials such as removed seats or other parts, which may absorb the spill.

In order to contain a spill: In a commercial spill kit will be long, sausage-like absorbent materials. These containment dams are designed to be placed in a circle around the spill. If more than one is needed to encircle the spill, the ends should be overlapped so no runoff can get by (Figure 8b).

Once the spill is encircled and further spread is dammed in, the spill should be approached upwind, and spark-proof tools and explosion-proof equipment should be used. The spill should be directed into the absorbent pillows, as they absorb the largest amount of the spill per pillow (Figure 9). Next, when the majority of the spill is contained, absorbent blankets should be used until only slight moisture remains. To absorb the reminder of the liquid, diatomaceous earth or vermiculite should be used to completely dry the spill area.

Figure 9

The now spill-free, but still contaminated, area should be cleaned immediately with a suitable decontaminant. The MSDS will provide specific decontaminant directions. Typically, one uses a mixture of water (4.5 parts), ethanol or isopropyl alcohol (5 parts) and ammonia (0.5 parts), or a mixture of sodium carbonate (5 parts) and water (95 parts), the latter combination being non-flammable, and thus safer. Place all the contaminated material in a plastic bag, seal and place it in the spill kit for disposal. A hazardous waste label must be placed on the container, which should be disposed of according to local regulations.

I have heard it said that some police officers complete their entire career without drawing their

Figure 10

weapons. But they still go to the target range regularly to maintain their skills with the sidearm. It would be nice to likewise complete a collision repair career without ever needing to clean up a toxic spill, but being prepared to do so is only prudent.

Emergency training
All of the business’s employees should be trained in spill and emergency response. A list of

Figure 11

primary and secondary responders should be posted. Emergency contacts such as 911, police, fire, hospital and insurance provider telephone numbers should also be posted. The emergency plan should be reviewed regularly to make sure that all are aware of their responsibilities. An evacuation plan should be posted with a specific meeting place in a safe area, so someone can make sure that everyone is safe.

Class for all employees, such as I-CAR’s “Hazardous Materials, Personal Safety, and Refinish Safety” (WKR01), would be a great basis for a company safety plan. No matter how a shop emergency plan is created, the shop that has specific written plans that are posted, practiced and reviewed on a regular basis is better equipped to correctly and effectively respond in case of an emergency.