Accidents happen...let's be careful

Russ Johnson

Equipment Expert
A recent mishap has prompted me to remind all of you of the hazards involved in our industry.

A customer had Aluma Bright in an unlabeled container, and, in order to determine what it was, took a sniff, and ended up in the ER for HF inhalation treatment.

Another time, a customer had diluted Aluma Bright in a 409 spray bottle in his garage so he could get the brake dust off his wheels when he washed his personal car. His daughter decided to clean her car, and needed something to wipe down the interior with. She went in the garage and got the bottle of 409, sprayed it on the vinyl surfaces in her car, and wiped it with a rag held in an ungloved hand. Another trip to the ER.

Remember the guy in FL who put bleach in a pump sprayer that contained an acid residue, only to blow a hole in the roof he was cleaning?

Mis-labeled or unlabeled containers are asking for an accident. If the product you're using is put in a spray bottle, gallon jug, 5 gallon pail, or any container which is not the original, labels MUST be used to identify the contents. I can supply self-sticking labels for my products, but any relabeling will help, even writing the contents on the container with a Magic Marker. Keep MSDS and any first aid instructions handy in case of a problem. EMTs and emergency room personnel need to know what type of exposure they're dealing with.

And, don't smell or taste (yeah, I had one do that once, too...caustic burns on the tongue) unidentified substances to try to figure out what it is. It may not turn out well.


Please be careful.
 
Thank you for a good reminder!
 
Thats why we dont do fleet. I am not using HF ever.
 
I am quilty of not labeling like I should. Just last month I decided to us up my old 5 gal containers of misc chemicals arond the shop. But found out about half of them are not labled.
 
Thats why we dont do fleet. I am not using HF ever.

Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee neither.
I don't use acid to clear stained windows, either.
 
I just cleaned a dumpster with some water in a pump up sprayer. I guess I need to start labeling better too. :jester:

Dihydrogen Monoxide is some pretty heavy stuff...lol

On the serious side...we had a local competitor that refilled old bleach containers pass out from not rinsing the container before he filled it. Turns out the guy had it filled with some ammonia based window cleaner before.
 
Great post Russ, not only the safety factor but the legalities and liability issues as well.

MSDS labels are cheap: http://cgi.ebay.com/500-BIG-4x4-HMI...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item35a59ad192

The rest of you guys are lite weights. I shower and drink Dihydrogen Monoxide all the time, But I like living on the edge, and love rush hour traffic too !!!!

Oh yeah, fire ants taste like watermelon, without the seeds Russ.
 
acid burnes when it enters your nasal passage. It even stings when it gets into your throat and once it reaches your lungs its just the most uncomfortable thing I have even been through in my life
 
one drop of HF can kill you. I like to live. I love me.
 
We did the same thing with Alumabright and Bleach.....I can see where that would mess you up in a hurry.....we both got away when we figured out tat the empty tank wasn't as empty as we thougt. Could have been in the same boat as this guy.

I wish you would have posted this about 8 months ago and I would not have had to learn the hard way!
 
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