February 8, 1999

EH&S program offers training drills on chemical spills

By Francine Tyler

A lab worker has dropped a liter bottle of nitric acid, spilling the acid on the floor. What should be done next to clean up the spill and avoid any injuries? That's the kind of question that Ilse Kolbus, director of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) is hoping more people on campus will be able to answer through a training program in hazardous spills response.

More than 20 people from EH&S, the Fire Department, and the Division of Natural Sciences have taken the training program (a 40-hour course) and participated in an annual eight-hour refresher training exercise in December. Additional exercises are planned for later this year.

The course is designed for people who might be required to manage or clean up spills of poisons, corrosives, flammables, or other potentially hazardous materials.

Kolbus wants to expand the program to include more members of the campus community who might come in contact with hazardous spills. The course costs between $300 and $600 per person, depending on how many people participate. The cost is borne by each participant's unit.

EH&S is also compiling a resource list of people who, due to their knowledge of particular chemicals, can provide advice if those chemicals are accidentally spilled. For more information, call Kolbus at (831) 459-2553 or send e-mail to ilse@cats.ucsc.edu.

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