Safe Chemical Spill Response

HSE recommendation on chemical spills

• Liquid spills involving hazardous materials should first be contained to prevent the spread of the material to other areas
• Once the hazardous material has been contained the material should be neutralised to render it safe
• Acids and alkalis should be treated with appropriate neutralising agents. Due to the differing properties of the various groups of chemical, an appropriate treatment strategy with suitable chemicals should be established in each case
• Treated material should be absorbed onto inert carrier material to allow the material to be cleared up and removed to a safe place for disposal or further treatment as appropriate
• Once the material has been treated the cleared up area should be washed with large volumes of water
• Vytac neutralisation products are recognised as an important element of spill response safety
• Vytac’s unique colour indicator systems allow for safe, easily visualized neutralisation
• Disposal costs can be reduced by converting hazardous waste into general waste

Chemical Neutralisation Procedures

• Identify appropriate neutralisation
• The application should commence from the outside of the spill, working inwards as this reduces the risk of the responder contacting untreated material
• Sprinkle the neutraliser on until desired colour change indicates complete neutralisation
• The non hazardous compound can now be cleaned up and disposed of through the general waste system

Acid Neutralisation

• On adding Vytac ACX to an acid the pale pink/orange colour will gradually change to red indication neutral solution

Sodium Hydroxide Neutralisation

• On adding Vytac CS to an alkali the purple colour will will gradually change to a dark yellow indicating neutral solution