JLG X550AJ Operator Manual - Manual (Page 100)

SECTION 5 - EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
5-20 – JLG Lift – 3128791
9. Place a cup of vermiculite in a second bag, place the first
bag in the second and seal it.
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 person(s)
has difficulty breathing, have oxygen administered by trained
personnel. If breathing stops, apply mouth-to-mouth resusci-
tation 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 met-
als such as lithium may burn in normal atmospheres. In addi-
tion, 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 extinguish with ordinary
equipment. This is partly due to the strong heat produced by
the burning metal, whose temperature 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 lithium 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 exposure to these fumes must
be adopted. It should be noted that this procedure is applica-
ble only to fires on individual cells. Larger fires have to be
managed only by professionally trained personnel.