If a hazardous chemical was spilled in your lab right now, would the researchers know if they could clean it up themselves or not? Rather than wondering what the thresholds are for cleaning up a spill in house when there is a puddle on the floor, consider developing a spill response chart for the main hazardous chemicals present in your lab.
This may sound like an impossible task because there are so many chemicals present in your lab, but don’t feel like every chemical needs to be listed on the spill response chart. I would suggest evaluating the chemicals that are used in large volumes, highly hazardous, and/or used frequently. These chemicals and the largest volume of spilled material that can safely be cleaned up in-house should be listed. The completed spill response charts can then be posted on the spill kits or in another conspicuous location to be used as a quick reference in the event of a spill.
Taking the time to develop this very useful tool eliminates the step of guessing whether or not a spill can be safely cleaned up in-house. Think of all of the benefits!