Life-Threatening Injury, Situation or Fire

DRS will be notified by the University Police Department if emergency responders request assistance after 911 is called.

When to call 911:

• Severe injuries (e.g. uncontrolled/excessive bleeding, head trauma, difficulty breathing, eye injuries, or amputation).
• Any fire, even when extinguished immediately.
• Any explosion or pressure release.
• Complicated spills that require assistance from outside specialists from one of the local fire departments.
• Anytime you’re not sure.  You don’t need permission.

Provide first responders with information about hazardous materials you may have been exposed to e.g. Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for chemicals

DRS personnel are available during business hours to answer questions.

Report All Incidents to DRS

Contact DRS immediately to report an injury, exposure, spill, fire, near miss, or any other incident at 217-333-2755 or drs@illinois.edu. DRS will reply during business hours.

DRS follows up on incidents and near misses to help determine root causes and offers suggestions to prevent them from recurring in the future. For more information, see the Incident Follow up page.

IL OSHA Reportable Incidents

Fatalities, in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, and physical loss of an eye must be reported to Safety & Compliance at 217-255-2106 immediately so they can make the required notification to IL OSHA. For more information, please see and post in a readily visible area the Illinois OSHA Injury Reporting Requirements and direct any questions to oshs@illinois.edu.

Non-Emergency Injury or Exposure

Exposures to biological or chemical material, do the following:

• For eye exposures, use an emergency eyewash to flush eyes. Flush for 15 min or as long as tolerable.
• For skin exposures, wash exposed/affected area immediately.
  • Use an emergency shower if necessary to flush large or difficult to reach areas of skin.
  • Remove PPE and clothing from all affected areas while flushing.
  • Wash all affected areas with soap and water and take care not to break the skin.

Injuries or exposures to lasers, do the following:

• Immediately close laser shutter or completely de-energize.
• Eye injuries - keep head upright and still to restrict bleeding in the eye

Reporting and Medical Follow-up care:

• Report to your supervisor/PI/unit head.
• Complete First Report of Injury of Illness form within 24 hours of incident.
• Do Not delay seeking medical follow up care after;
  • Needlesticks or cuts by sharp object when exposed to infectious agents.
  • Chemical exposures. Bring safety data sheet (SDS) for healthcare provider.
  • Laser injuries to the eye or suspected impact on vision.

It is possible for you to be exposed to a hazard without being aware that it happened.

• If you become ill and suspect that your illness is associated with a previous exposure, seek medical attention immediately.
• Bring safety data sheets or other information on the hazards you may have been exposed to.
• Even if you do not associate your illness with exposure to hazards, always inform the physician about hazards at your workplace. It is important for the treating physician to have a complete history on file.

Fires

Call 911, in case of a fire.

• If the fire is out when you call 911, tell the dispatch operator that the fire has been extinguished.
• Only attempt to fight a fire if the appropriate extinguishing materials are available and you are trained to do so.
• If unable to extinguish the fire, evacuate the area by pulling a fire alarm.
• All fires must be investigated and the situation cleared by the fire department.
• Contact DRS as soon as it is safe to do so.

Spills

Call 911 in case of a complicated spill.

• Complicated spills require assistance from outside specialists from one of the local fire departments.
• Simple spills can be handled by personnel if appropriate clean up materials are available, procedures are in place, and it is safe to do so.

See the following pages for handling spills:

Biological Material Spill

Chemical Spill

Radiological Material Spill

Report all spills to DRS.

Non-Emergency Medical Treatment Options

Employees

Employees, including students that are compensated for their work, should seek treatment at the Occupational Medicine Departments identified by the Workers' Compensation program:

WEEKDAYS FROM 8 A.M. TO 5 P.M.

Carle Occupational Medicine

810 W. Anthony Drive, Urbana, IL 61801, (217) 383-3077

Safeworks Illinois

1806 N. Market Street, Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 356-6150

AFTER HOURS AND WEEKENDS

Carle Hospital Emergency Department

602 W. University Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801, (217) 383-3313

OSF Medical Center Emergency Department

1400 W. Park Street, Urbana, IL 61801, (217) 337-2131

Students

Students may seek basic medical care at the McKinley Health Center (MHC) by appointment* or with their personal physician.

• Bring information about the accident to help the healthcare provider. E.g. Bring Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) for chemical exposures.

*Appointments at MHC are subject to availability. Paid work-related accidents, should use employee options for follow up care.