Article Review- info enclosed - Essay Example

Review The article is a news report about an accidental chemical spill in the science block of the Baylor The spill was immediately reported following which HazMat and fire fighters evacuated the building and neutralized the spill. A researcher working in a chemical lab of the sciences department reported accidental spilling of the chemical Isobutyl cyanide due to a break in the container. The researcher however, immediately placed the broken container under the exhaust hood and raised the chemical alarm.

This was the right move on behalf of the student as inhalation of the chemical could have caused serious problems to all those within the lab. The fire fighters and Hazardous material (Hazmat) response teams who reached the scene evacuated about 200 students from the building. It took some time for the Hazmat team to organize its decontamination set up after which they entered the building for the clean up process. The team reported that less than 1 ml of the chemical had spilled inside the lab and that the spill occurred only within the lab.

However due to the hazardous nature of the chemical it took some time for the clean up process to finish and the spill was neutralized at about 5 pm. The surrounding premises were closed for safety reasons between 3 and 5 pm and classes in the building were also cancelled. It was only after the cleanup was complete students were allowed back inside the building. The prompt reporting made by the researcher immediately after the spill was crucial for the quick rescue and cleaning up process. In addition, putting the chemical container under the exhaust hood prevented further spill and inhalation of the chemical, which could have led to serious consequences if inhaled.

These steps followed by the researcher without getting panicky are noteworthy. It would be a good example for other students to follow the procedure incase such incidents occur again. The Hazmat team also did a commendable job given the fact that the chemical was potentially hazardous if inhaled accidentally. The neutralization of the spill was carried out by careful planning by the team and only after the entire safety set up was in place in order to avert any mishap during the clean up. The entire process of the rescue operation was done in a planned and efficient manner due to which there was no injury reported.

The fact that the Hazmat team performed the set up without any hurry is an indication of their commitment and dedication to the work as any job done hastily without prior planning would not give satisfactory results. Thus the team has done a commendable job right from the beginning till the end and the hazardous effect of the chemical spill was averted successfully. Reference:Tolbert, P. (2009). Baylor science building OKed after chemical spill. Retrieved from http://www.kxxv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11307278