Cleanroom facilities will face different types of emergencies. The approach to handle these emergencies will vary from facility to facility.

Risk assessments should be conducted and define emergencies should be prioritized in terms of ensuring that emergency plans exist and drills are in place. Training, procedures, and equipment knowledge should be employed as part of a safety plan. Operation manuals for equipment may be issued.

Emergency scenarios include power failure, lightning strike, storms, process interruptions, flood, fire, service utility failure, and chemical spills.

Cleanroom workers should be trained to follow emergency evacuation practices. If the room is equipped with fire alarms, staff should exit the facility when the alarms sound or when beacon lights flash. Gas alarms can also warn staff to evacuate in case of a gas leak.  The staff should exit—without removing cleanroom garments—and move to a designated meeting place outside of the building.

This cleanroom tip was taken from “Safety First,” which appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of Controlled Environments.