HOUSEHOLD CHEMICAL ROUNDUP SAFETY PROCEDURES
For the most part, the items we handle at the Roundup are items that we come into contact with regularly. Handled carefully, they should present little risk. Volunteers can avoid safety hazards by staying alert, exercising common sense and performing tasks carefully. Here are our guidelines for a safe event.
1. All volunteers are required to wear proper attire at the Roundup. Volunteers must wear shoes or boots, pants, and a shirt. Sandals and shorts are NOT allowed.
2. Watch for moving cars and people unloading or moving items. Don’t assume other volunteers are paying attention to you. Take care to avoid bumping a person who is carrying a heavy or open container. A collision can have serious consequences for anyone nearby.
3. For your safety, wear your personal protection equipment (PPE) whenever you are in the work zone. Remember to remove your PPE and wash your hands when leaving the work zone.
4. Lift items carefully. Lift with your legs, not your back. To lift heavy items, use a cart or dolly or ask another person to help you.
5. Always open containers away from you and others, and pour liquids slowly.
6. Don’t smell or taste any products. DO NOT TOUCH UNKNOWN PRODUCTS. If you have a question about a product that arrives at your station, ask your station manager.
7. Stay alert. Take breaks and get snacks/drinks as needed. Water coolers will be located at each station; the lunch area will have juices/sodas and snacks.
8. Avoid uncontrolled spills.
Keep all products on plastic sheeting.
Take care to drain empty containers (oil, etc.) completely before placing them in the dumpsters. No matter how busy things get, avoid the temptation to save time by throwing containers into the dumpster from a distance.
If a measurable amount of product is spilled at your station, alert the station manager so that absorbent can be poured on it and it can be scooped up to prevent work areas from becoming slippery. Exception: Acid spills at the battery station should be cleaned up with a neutralizing agent.
9. Eat ONLY in the designated lunch area. Remove your personal protection equipment and dispose of the Tyvek suits and chemical resistant gloves in the provided disposal containers. Before eating, wash your hands at the portable hand wash unit near the lunch area.
10. If you or a fellow volunteer is injured, tell your station manager who will seek assistance from the on-site Fire Department Hazmat Team or the Hazardous Waste contractor.
11. Site evacuation – If the site requires evacuation, you will hear a single blast of the emergency horn. Stop what you are doing and follow your station manager’s exit instructions. DO NOT attempt to direct Roundup participants; Fire Department personnel will evacuate them.
12. Please ask Roundup participants to shut off their engines while vehicles are being unloaded.
13. Smoking is prohibited on the Roundup site. If you notice a participant smoking while his/her vehicle is being unloaded, please ask the party to extinguish the cigarette.