All spillages of mercury, no matter how small, must be reported to the senior dentist and recorded

in the workplace accident book. It must include details of the following: the date and location of where
the incident occurred, who was affected, the names of any witnesses, details of the incident, actions
taken to assist those affected.

If mercury is spilled, it tends to form into luquid globules or small balls. In this shape, the liquid can
easily roll around and be difficult to pick up.

In case of a small spillage:

 Wear suitable PPE

 Suck up the globules into a dedicated bulb aspirator or a disposable plastic syringe
 Put the particles into the amalgam special waste container

Never use the dental suction unit or the cleaning hoover to suck up spilt mercury- they will release
toxic mercury vapours into the workplace. Alternatively, the lead foils present in intraoral X-ray film
packets can be used to gather the globules together and scoop them up.

If a larger spillage occurs:

 Wear suitable PPE

 Open windows to ventilate the area
 Inform senior staff
 Use the contents of the mercury spillage kit to control the spread of the spillage
 Mix the powders of flowers of sulphur and calcium hydroxide with water to make a paste, and
paint this around the spillage to contain it
 The remaining paste can be painted over the spillage
 Once dry, the contaminated paste and spillage are wiped up thoroughly with damp paper towels
and disposed of in the waste amalgam store

If the size of the spillage is significant, such as a full bottle of mercury or if globules have rolled into
inaccessible areas, the work area must be sealed off and closed down. The HSE must be informed of the
spillage and the local environmental health team will attend to clear away the contamination
professionally and safely.