1. Spills— The Case of the Bumped Can
P O W E R P O I N T ® T R A I N I N G
Background for the Trainer:
This case and its training message primarily have to do with how to react or respond to a spill in the work area. Therefore it is most appropriate for anyone who works with or around hazardous materials. This session is probably not appropriate for workers who never work with or around hazardous materials.
This training session presents a case study of an actual accident inspected and documented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The case presented in this training session is:
Accident:
Report ID:
Inspection:
You may choose to present this training information in a lecture format or make the training presentation interactive by engaging your class in discussions that will help them identify facts of the case, potential causes of the accident, and future accident prevention measures. In either case, students will benefit by learning from a real-life scenario.
Before beginning your training session, print and make copies of the one-page Case Study Student Handout, which is provided on the disc. The Case Study Student Handout can be used as a worksheet during the training session or as a take-away reminder once the training session is complete.
Also, print and make copies of the Case Study Quiz, which is provided on the disc as a fully customizable Word® document. The students can take the quiz at the end of the training session in order to help reinforce the information presented. Note that the same quiz is included at the end of this PowerPoint® presentation as actual slides to review in class.
Consider taking pictures of hazardous materials, potential spill situations, or spill-response equipment in your workplace. You can add these pictures to the presentation by inserting them into existing slides or creating new slides.
Make sure the trainees understand the message as you go along. Periodically ask questions to test their understanding.
Speaker’s Notes:
Welcome everyone. Today we will review a case study of an actual accident investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This is an actual tragic workplace accident that had real-life implications for the worker, the worker’s family, co-workers, and the employer. The Case Study may be disturbing and may even involve a fatality.
The purpose of this training session is to teach and reinforce the importance of spill prevention and spill response in our workplace in order to prevent tragic accidents. In particular, it deals with how to respond to a spill. The intention is to learn from the accident and take steps to prevent a similar accident from occurring at our facility.
Spills— The Case of the Bumped Can

2. Let’s Talk About Spill Hazards
Flammable liquids or gases
Toxic fumes or vapors
Reaction with other materials
Skin or eye irritants
Always Review the MSDS or Label
Background for the Trainer:
Discuss any spills that have occurred in your workplace.
Speaker’s Notes:
The hazards associated with a spill will depend on the type of material that is spilled as well as the work environment in which the spill occurs.
Some materials (solvents, diesel, gasoline, etc.) consist of flammable liquids and will also give off flammable gases. A spill could result in a fire or explosion if the workplace contains potential ignition sources.
Many materials will give off toxic or poisonous fumes or vapors. Solvent spills will give off vapors that can cause short-term health effects such as dizziness or headache. Corrosives such as nitric acid will give off corrosive vapors that will burn your eyes as well as your lungs.
Some materials, when spilled, could react with other nearby materials and result in fires, explosions, or poisonous gases.
Even materials that are not considered flammable, toxic, corrosive, or reactive must be treated with respect. Most materials, when spilled in large quantities, may cause mild skin or eye irritation to those who come in contact with the spill.
Always review the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) or container label to learn more about the chemicals you work with. Learn about the hazards of exposure to a spill. Remember, all spills must be treated with caution and respect.

3. Take a Look at the Facts
Can of trichloroethylene located next to a 5-gallon can
Both cans atop a 55-gallon drum
Employee attempts to remove the 5-gallon can
Can of trichloroethylene is bumped and falls
Background for the Trainer:
Training Option: Pass out the Case Study Student Handout. You may have the students read the accident description to themselves before discussing it in the class, or you may use the bullet points on the slide and the speaker’s notes below to describe the accident.
Speaker’s Notes:
A 1-gallon can of trichloroethylene is currently stored next to a 5-gallon can.
Both cans were stored atop a 55-gallon drum.
An employee attempts to remove the 5-gallon can.
He bumps the 1-gallon can, causing it to fall to the floor.

4. Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)
Three pints of trichloroethylene spill out
Employee uses paper towels to clean the spill
No personal protective equipment (PPE) is used
Speaker’s Notes:
Three pints of trichloroethylene spill out onto the floor.
Another employee uses paper towels to clean the spill.
The employee is not wearing any personal protective equipment (PPE).
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

5. Take a Look at the Facts (cont.)
Employees suffer from trichloroethylene exposure
Employees are evacuated 30 minutes later
Three employees are hospitalized
Speaker’s Notes:
The employees are exposed to an unknown concentration of trichloroethylene and suffer various symptoms, including headaches, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting, and irritation of the eyes and throat.
The employees working in the area are finally evacuated approximately 30 minutes later.
All employees are taken to the hospital, and three are admitted.
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

6. What Do You Think Went Wrong?
How could this spill have been prevented?
What can we assume about the can of trichloroethylene?
Can anyone clean up spills?
What type of PPE should have been worn?
When should the employees have been evacuated?
Background for the Trainer:
Use the questions on this slide to elicit discussion.
Training options: After reviewing this slide and the accident description, give the class 5–10 minutes to discuss the accident description in small groups, or ask the students to try to determine some of the facts, potential causes, and possible prevention measures. In either case, use the Case Study Student Handout as a way to encourage discussion as you go through this presentation.
Speaker’s Notes:
Let’s take a few minutes, and using the Case Study Student Handout, work in groups to try to determine the facts of the accident, potential causes of the accident, and possible prevention measures. Then we will review the Case Study together in class.
Consider some of the questions on this slide when discussing the Case Study in your groups.

7. Let’s Review the Causes
Container stored improperly
Employees not evacuated immediately
Untrained employee cleaning spill
Employee not wearing PPE
Background for the Trainer:
Try to get the trainees to put themselves in the place of the person in the Case Study. What would they have done in this case? Point out how a near miss can turn into a catastrophe in the presence of emergencies. In this case, the workers were not evacuated from the spill area, which resulted in all 13 employees going to the hospital.
Speaker’s Notes:
The container was not stored properly. It was left on top of a 55-gallon drum where it could easily be bumped and knocked to the ground. Also, it is likely that the container was not closed, although this is not mentioned in the inspection. Also remember that all containers must have a label.
Employees continued to work in the immediate area of the spill for at least 30 minutes after the spill occurred. All 13 employees were unnecessarily exposed to unknown concentrations of trichloroethylene vapors.
An untrained employee used paper towels to clean up the spill. Only trained spill response personnel should clean up chemical spills. What if the chemical spilled was an acid? If that were the case, this employee would have also suffered from chemical burns.
The employee cleaning up the spill was not wearing any PPE. Again, only trained spill response personnel should be allowed to clean up chemical spills, because they know how to determine the hazards of a chemical and know which PPE to wear to protect themselves from the chemical hazards. In addition, always wear long pants—never shorts—when working around hazardous materials.
Apparently no employees were trained on how to react to a spill. Instead of continuing to work near the spill, they should have evacuated. Instead of cleaning up the spill, they should have called for trained spill responders.
Can you think of any other causes that may have contributed to this accident?

8. Let’s Talk About Spill Prevention
Follow safe storage procedures
Handle and dispense materials safely
Inspect containers
Keep containers closed
Recognize and report potential spill hazards
Speaker’s Notes:
Follow safe storage and handling procedures that are described in the MSDS as well as any storage and handling procedures that your company has developed. Store drums and totes away from forklift traffic. Small containers should be stored in appropriate cabinets in such a way that they will not fall off shelves. Store containers of all sizes in containment systems.
Follow safe practices for dispensing or unloading materials. Use drip pans and clean up any drips right away. Move or handle materials only in containers that are closed. Use appropriate handling tools, such as forklifts with drum attachments and hand trucks designed specifically for drums.
Inspect containers, drums, pipes, pumps, tanks, and other handling systems on a regular basis for signs of leaks or damage.
Keep containers closed at all times. The only time containers should be open is when you are adding or removing materials from the container. When left open, the container could be knocked over and result in a spill.
Learn how to recognize and report potential spill hazards (a damaged drum, unsafe dispensing or unloading practices, a valve in a pipeline that could accidentally be opened and release materials, damaged sill containment and drip pans, missing spill response equipment, etc.).

9. Keys to Spill Response Evacuate the area Notify others
Remove ignition sources
Secure the area and stay away
Background for the Trainer:
Bring any written procedures your company has for spill response—specifically for employees who are not trained to clean up a spill but are just trained to notify the spill response team and then evacuate the area.
Show pictures of employee responding to a spill at your workplace, (sounding an emergency alarm, using a phone, evacuating, etc.).
Speaker’s Notes:
The typical employee is not trained to contain, control, and clean up a spill. The majority of employees should get away from the spill as fast as possible. Evacuate the immediate spill area.
Notify others of the spill. Tell others in the work area, so they can evacuate as well. Notify your supervisor or lead person. Notify your company’s emergency response team members who are trained to respond to material spills. You can notify others by yelling, signaling an emergency alarm, using the paging system, using a cellular phone, etc. If your company does not have an emergency response team, contact the local fire department by calling 911.
If safe to do so, remove ignition sources. If a drum of highly flammable acetone solvent is spilled, you need to turn off all motors and machines, as well as the power to all electrical boxes in that area.
Stay away from the spill area—and try to keep others away as well—until the emergency response team determines that it is safe to return. Use caution tape, rope, cones, barricades, etc., to create a safe zone around the spill and to keep unauthorized personnel away from the spill until the trained emergency responders arrive.

10. Don’t Let It Happen to You
Store containers properly
Do not attempt to clean up the spill
Evacuate the area
Tell others to evacuate
Notify the spill response team
Speaker’s Notes:
Let’s take a look at what we can do to prevent a similar incident from happening at our facility.
Store containers properly so that they cannot fall off shelves or tip over. Make sure containers are closed at all times.
If a spill does occur, do not attempt to clean up the spill unless you are a trained member of the spill response team.
Evacuate the immediate spill area. Turn off electrical equipment and machinery to prevent ignition of any flammable liquids or gases.
Tell others in the immediate area of the spill so that they can also evacuate the area.
Notify trained spill response personnel according to your company’s spill response plan—your company’s spill response team, your local fire department, or an outside spill response company.
Are there any questions?
Thanks for your attention.

11. Quiz 1 What should you do if a spill is flammable?
2. To prevent spills, what should you do to containers?
3. Anyone can clean up a spill as long as he or she is wearing gloves True or False
4. How can you notify others of a spill?
Background for the Trainer:
Remind employees that the quiz is to encourage further discussion and to help you, the trainer, be sure that everyone understands what was discussed.
Print copies of the quiz for participants to take on their own, or go over the questions as part of the training session.

12. Quiz (cont.)
5. How can you keep unauthorized personnel away from the spill?
6. What should you inspect for signs of leaks or damage?
7. Where can you find out about the hazards of a material?
8. When should you evacuate the spill area?
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

13. Quiz Answers 1. Q. What should you do if a spill is flammable?
A. Turn off ignition sources
2. Q. To prevent spills, what should you do to containers?
A. Keep containers closed
3. Q. Anyone can clean up a spill as long as he or she is wearing gloves True or False
A. False; only trained personnel can clean up a spill

14. Quiz Answers (cont.) 4. Q. How can you notify others of a spill?
A. Yelling, signaling an alarm, paging system, phone call, etc.
5. Q. How can you keep unauthorized personnel away from the spill?
A. Secure the area with caution tape, rope, barricades, or stand guard
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908

15. Quiz Answers (cont.)
6. Q. What should you inspect for signs of leaks or damage?
A. Containers, drums, pipes, pumps, tanks, etc.
7. Q. Where can you find out about the hazards of a material?
A. MSDS or label
8. Q. When should you evacuate the spill area?
A. Immediately
© Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 0908