Secondary Labeling - Why?

How often have you seen a spray bottle or jug with some liquid in it but no label, not even one that is written on it with a marker?  And if you have, did you wonder what was in the bottle?  That's where trouble brews.  Unmarked bottles and jugs can invite fines and can kill.  Here's an article from cmmonline.com that shows just how deadly not marking these secondary containers can be. 

Widespread confusion about the proper use of water jugs and storage of cleaning chemicals at a Brighton, England, hospital led to the death of an 85-year-old woman, according to the findings of a jury in a coroner court inquest, ITV News reports.

The woman died in September 2017, six days after drinking floor cleaning fluid from a water jug at her bedside table. A nurse had poured the fluid into a glass and gave it to the woman to drink with her medicine. As the jug was solid green, the nurse could not see the liquid inside before pouring it. After the patient began coughing and then vomiting minutes after drinking the liquid, the nurse found a container of floor cleaning fluid in an open cupboard near the patient’s bed. According to hospital protocols, the fluid should have been locked inside a nearby storage room.

The jury ruled that housekeeping staff had inconsistent and inadequate understanding of cleaning procedures, due in part to management’s failure to direct and monitor staff and to enforce proper storage of hazardous chemicals. Evidence presented at the inquest also led the jury to believe there was widespread confusion about a water jug system in place at the hospital.

The previous year another patient had accidently drank cleaning fluid from a water jug but did not die.

Read about proper chemical and cleaning supplies storage to keeps cleaning staff organized and prevent accidents.