For chemical spills, you should have on hand:
1. Safety goggles.
2. Latex/Nitrile gloves.
3. Sand.
4. Vermiculite.
5. Spill broom or spill pillows.
When working with strong acids/bases:
1. Wear full length pants.
2. Wear long sleeves.
3. WEAR YOUR MOTHERFUCKING SAFETY GLASSES. FUCKING WEAR THEM YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER (emphasis necessary)!!!!!!!
4. Have a plan for what to do in a spill. The cure, if you spill on yourself, is water. What water are you going to get to? How will you apply it? Do you know how long to wash for.
A. If it will take you more than 30 seconds to get in a shower from where you will be working with the acid--you need to have a large bucket of water in the room with you. 30 seconds is pushing it. You will be burned by this time. Chemicals work on the nano-millesecond scale, reaction time is everything during a chemical accident of any type.
B. DO NOT go with your gut reaction and throw a base on an acid (even weak ones) to "neutralize" it. This sounds great--but the neutralization reaction isn't as soothing as you might expect when it's happening on your skin.
C. You should rinse for 15-20 minutes. If you feel a burn during the first 10 minutes, have someone call ahead to the hospital for you and explain what has happened--after the 15 minutes are up, get your ass to the hospital.
D. Do not work with strong acids or bases alone unless you absolutely cannot avoid it. If you, for instance, lose the use of your hands by burning them--you will be up shits creek. What would you do if you burned both of your eyes--you'd go blind, that's what (WEAR THE FUCKING GLASSES!).
5. Water doesn't cure all things--if you are working with something more exotic, read the MSDS on the substance so that you KNOW BEFOREHAND how to respond to a spill. This should be common operating procedure for all spills.
6. Do not handle bottles of acid or base while sitting. Stand over them and use both hands ALWAYS. You should have a waist-to-ribcage level surface on which to work when dealing with strong acids and bases. This allows a chance for you to doge if there should be a spill. When sitting 90% of the time you are doomed to have the substance run all over your lap--this has killed more than one chemist. I have citations if you don't believe me.
7. ABOVE ALL ELSE: Take this shit seriously. Literally the only reason they pay chemists the big bucks is because they have been rigorously trained and tested on how not to kill themselves. This makes us employable for insurance reasons by and large. It has almost nothing to do with intelligence. Do your homework and HAVE A PLAN. Having a plan can go 85% of the way to seeing that you never need it, because it's knowing what to expect that allows you to avoid it in the first place. Imagine if you were driving on the highway and there was a wall in front of you and you couldn't see it. There is no difference here--and the stakes are the same, your life and health (and the life and health of others).
