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Question

Difficulty: HardEmergency Response and Hazardous Materials

A practical nurse (PN) discovers an unconscious maintenance worker on the floor of a poorly ventilated hospital supply room. An overturned drum is leaking an unidentified, volatile liquid, and a strong, noxious chemical odor is rapidly filling the adjacent hallway. What is the priority nursing action?

  1. Activate the facility's hazardous materials emergency response system and restrict access to the hallway.Answer
  2. B
    Immediately hold the breath, rapidly drag the unconscious worker into the hallway, and begin assessing airway and breathing.
  3. C
    Don an N95 respirator, impermeable gown, and double gloves before entering the room to initiate basic life support.
  4. D
    Instruct available assistive personnel (AP) to quickly locate the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the leaking substance.

Answer

The correct action is to activate the hazardous materials emergency response system and secure the area to prevent further exposure.
In a hazardous materials incident, the foundational rule of emergency response is to ensure scene safety first. The nurse must not enter a contaminated environment without specialized training and appropriate Hazmat-level personal protective equipment. Activating the emergency response system and securing the perimeter protects the nurse, clients, and other healthcare workers from exposure while waiting for appropriately equipped professionals to execute the rescue.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recognize the presence of a hazardous materials incident.
Identification of an uncontained volatile chemical and an unsafe environment.
Accurate situational awareness dictates the appropriate emergency protocol rather than standard medical response.
2
Prioritize scene safety over individual patient rescue.
The nurse refrains from entering the contaminated supply room.
Entering a toxic environment without specialized Hazmat gear (e.g., SCBA) will result in the nurse becoming a secondary casualty.
3
Activate the specialized Hazmat response team and restrict access.
Specialized personnel are dispatched while the immediate area is evacuated and sealed off.
Securing the perimeter protects other clients and staff from accidental exposure while waiting for appropriately equipped responders.

Key Concept

Hazardous Materials (Hazmat) Scene Safety
Estimated Time:1m 15s
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Topics

Emergency Response and Hazardous Materials

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