Emergency Response, Spill Management, and Recordkeeping
Poisoning response
Get the person away from exposure, remove contaminated clothing, and wash skin and eyes with plenty of water. Call 911 or the Poison Control Center with the label in hand. Do not induce vomiting unless the label or a medical professional directs it; some formulations are petroleum-based and cause aspiration pneumonia. Bring the label to the emergency room - the signal word, active ingredient, and first aid statement drive treatment.
Spill response sequence
- Protect people - warn others, put on PPE, stay upwind.
- Stop the source - right a container, close a valve.
- Contain - dike with soil, absorbent, or sandbags; keep the spill out of ditches, storm drains, and water bodies.
- Absorb and clean up - use absorbent, sweep up, and place material in a labeled, closed container.
- Decontaminate and dispose - clean the area, dispose per label and state rules.
- Report - notify the proper authorities when the spill is reportable; large releases may trigger federal reporting thresholds and state notification to DANR.
Never wash a spill into a storm drain with a hose. A small spill on a farm still requires containment and proper disposal even if no report is filed.
Recordkeeping
Keep records of RUP applications for at least two years: product name and EPA registration number, amount applied, date and time, location, crop/site, and applicator name and certification number. Also keep calibration records, and dealer records of RUP sales. Records must be available to the state on request - incomplete records are a common citation.
Traps
Exams swap first-aid steps (induce vomiting for everything - wrong) and skip the containment step in a spill scenario. Rule of thumb: in any emergency, the order is people, source, containment, cleanup, report - never the reverse.