JLG X500AJ Operator Manual - Manual (Page 108)

SECTION 5 - EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
5-20 – JLG Lift – 3121636
10. Clean the area with plenty of water and keep cleaning
with water and soap.
11. Dispose of the hazardous material in accordance with
the local legislation in force.
First Aid In The Event Of Contact With The Electrolyte;
EYES
Immediately wash the eyes in abundant running water for
at least 15 minutes, keeping the eyelids open and flushing
the eye and back of the eyelid. Immediately seek medical
help.
SKIN
Wash in cold water under a shower, remove contaminated
garments. Continue washing for at least 15 minutes. Seek
medical help where necessary.
RESPIRATORY TRACT
Move the casualty outdoors into the open air. If the per-
son(s) has difficulty breathing, have oxygen administered
by trained personnel. If breathing stops, apply mouth-to-
mouth resuscitation and immediately seek emergency
medical help.
Lithium Battery Fire
All metals may burn in certain conditions, which depend on
certain factors such as: physical state, presence of oxidising
atmospheres and severity of the source of ignition. Alkali
metals such as lithium may burn in normal atmospheres. In
addition, lithium reacts explosively with water to form
hydrogen and the presence of small quantities of water
may set fire to the material and the hydrogen gas that is
released. Once metal fires start they are very hard to extin-
guish with ordinary equipment. This is partly due to the
strong heat produced by the burning metal, whose tem-
perature may reach 1832° F (1000° C). In addition, lithium
may react with certain materials commonly used in fire
extinguishers, like water and CO2. Special extinguishers are
required, designed for controlling and extinguishing lith-
ium fires.
In particular, graphite-based extinguishers (Lith-x) are used.
Usually these extinguishers work by forming a crust or a
layer of material on the surface of the burning metal. Lith-x,
which is a common graphite-based agent, may be used
with an extinguisher or spread over the fire. In the event of
lithium fire, the room may fill with a dense white smoke,
mostly formed by lithium oxide and other metal oxides.
This condition may cause serious damage to the respiratory
tract, skin and eyes. All precautions needed to limit expo-
sure to these fumes must be adopted. It should be noted
that this procedure is applicable only to fires on individual