With April comes Hazardous Materials Safety Month, and with both comes copious amounts of information to ensure the safety of the people and households of Illinois.
Annually, the state adds more than 100 new, active Tier 2 chemical facilities, and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security (IEMA-OHS) tracks each one of them.
“We monitor stored chemicals as well as all reports of releases or spills,” IEMA-OHS Interim Director Adnan Khayyat recently explained. “We should all be familiar with the chemicals that are used near us by more than 9,000 active facilities. These chemicals could be used every day as detergents, fuels, medicines, and more and IEMA-OHS is prepared for any incident that involves these chemicals. IEMA also works with Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs), first responders, and emergency managers to inform the public about hazardous materials located at more than 8,800 active chemical facilities throughout Illinois. In addition, it partners with the Illinois Fire Service Institute (ISFI) in offering guidance and hazardous materials training to all businesses and organizations in Illinois.”
IEMA also actively offers various tips, innovations, and a PDF provided by both the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA):
- Follow the instructions on the label for use and storage.
- Don’t mix products. This can cause deadly gases or a fire.
- Store products in their original containers.
- Store anything that can catch on fire away from your home.
- Only fill portable gasoline containers outdoors. Make sure to place the container on the ground before you fill it.
- Never store materials that can cause a fire in the sun or near an open flame or heat source.
- Store hazardous materials out of the reach of children and pets.
- Use safety locks and guardrails on shelves and cabinets when you store materials. This will prevent them from falling or tipping.
- Wear gloves or goggles when you use these materials.
You can also track chemical spills and releases in Illinois, by visiting IEMA’s Hazardous Materials Incident Reports database, located at https://public.iema.state.il.us/FOIAHazmatSearch/.
