8. Instituting Procedures for Immediate Spill Cleanups

• If possible, evacuate the area after any mercury spill.
  
  
• Use a mercury vacuum sweeper to collect all mercury droplets - for smaller spills, aspirate the droplets with a plastic disposable syringe. Adhesive tape strips can also be used to collect mercury droplets. The amount of mercury spilled and the effectiveness and cost of the cleaning equipment should determine how you recover the mercury.
  
  
• Dispose of the mercury recovered from the spill in accordance with all federal, state, and local hazardous waste disposal regulations. All metallic mercury should be recycled.

• Use a chemical to coat the mercury droplets or to react with the mercury to form an amalgam. HgX or sulfur compounds will eliminate mercury vaporization and decontaminate the surfaces affected by the spill.
  
  
• Insist on area monitoring and include mercury testing in employee physical examinations. Although these steps may not be necessary in the case of very small spills, testing mercury levels from time to time is the only way to ensure environmentally safe levels of mercury vapor after an incident or in high use areas.
  
  
• Arrange for professional hazardous waste handlers to manage any large mercury spills and to audit high use areas from time to time.
  
  
• Document each mercury spill incident.

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