Chemical Spill Safety Drill in King Abdulaziz Hospital - Al Ahsa
The Safety Department at King Abdulaziz Hospital - Al Ahsa, Ministry of National Guard - Health Affairs, conducted a chemical spill safety drill for a highly dangerous toxic chemical known as " Carbol Fuchsin", as a part of a series of programs and activities carried out by the department on a regular basis. The Regional Executive Director of the Ministry of National Guard -Health Affairs in the Eastern Region, Dr. Ahmad Al Arfaj, pointed out that "these drills that we are keen on conducting, reflects the preparedness level of the staff members when faced with such incidents, to reach the required level of safety".
He also added, "we look forward to reaching a fast response procedure when faced with accidents at various levels, without any notice or warning. Parallel to the drill, designated committees are formed to measure the preparedness level”. In addition, "Our staff is highly skilled in dealing with hazards and accidents, due to the intensive training they undergo throughout the year".
For his part, the Safety Department supervisor, Mr. Jamal Eddin Chaar said that: “the hypothetical scenario has been thoroughly studied in order to achieve the required results", also adding: “we chose the central warehouse center, that deals with with different materials, including Carbol Fuchsin, which is a highly toxic substance".
He added, “The training began with the spill of six liters of the highly toxic flammable chemical, which resulted in the injury of one person on the leg and face, one of the staff members then reported the incident to the Hazardous Substance Control Unit in the Fire Department to give them the necessary information, so that staff members can proceed with the preliminary procedures, including the initial sterilization until the arrival of the firefighters".
Moreover, Mr. Chaar explained that the fire department arrived in record time, and set up the sterilization tent and other procedures, in addition, there were not any severe injuries that required medical transport, after that, the scene was to evacuated and the sterilization procedures took place to make sure that there is no other chemical spill, or hazardous materials left over".
Last but not least, Mr. Chaar stated that: "the Safety Department is always keen on conducting such drills on a regular basis, to check the preparedness level of the staff members when faced with such incidents, to further evaluate the pros on cons".