Abstract: Employee #1, a material handler at Ashland Chemical, was unloading two 55-gallon drums of hydrofluoric acid from a truck to temporary storage in a warehouse, a distance of 50 to 100 feet, using a forklift with an attachment designed for transporting two drums. The warehouse is several hundred yards from the main facility. One half of the drum transporter released a drum, which fell approximately 18 inches to the ground. The inner poly liner fractured, releasing hydrofluoric acid vapors through the outer steel drum. Employee #1 vacated the immediate area and went to the warehouse, where he informed a second material handler, Employee #2, of the event. Employee #2 radioed to the supervisor, Employee #5, who was working in the main facility. Employees #5 and Employees #3 and #4 (material handlers) all heard the radio call and proceeded to the warehouse. Once there, they established the seriousness of the spill, set a perimeter, and called for an outside emergency response team. Employees #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 were taken to a nearby hospital as a precautionary measure.