Hang this poster in the prep room and wherever old instruments are stored, so the first minute goes right.
What is on the poster
A thermometer, barometer or switch breaks
- Everyone away from it, then out of the room. Nobody touches the beads. Nobody walks through them; mercury travels on shoes.
- Close the room and keep it closed. Doors shut, the heating and ventilation for that room off if you can, windows open to the outside.
- Tell the administration and facilities at once. Then the trained hazardous materials or environmental health responders. Cleanup is theirs, not yours.
- Mark the door: Danger, do not enter. Anything that touched the mercury, shoes and clothing included, stays in the room until the responders say otherwise.
Never sweep, vacuum, or put mercury in the trash. A broom spreads it, a vacuum turns it into vapor, and the trash carries it to the whole building. Feeling shaky, irritable or unusually tired after a spill: tell the nurse. Children are the most at risk.
Built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard
This poster carries the SSTS mark. Like every Science Safety course, it is built to the Science Safety Teaching Standard (SSTS): every rule on it is taken from the body that governs it, at its current edition, and the source is printed on the poster, so you can check it yourself.
Stay current
When you get this poster, it is saved to your Science Safety account. If we revise the poster, or the Mercury module it comes from changes, we will email you, and the latest version will be waiting under Downloads in your account. Every revision carries its revision number and date at the bottom of the poster, so you can tell at a glance whether the copy on your wall is current.
Printing and hanging
- One-page PDF, US letter (8.5 by 11 inches).
- White background, so it prints clearly on any office or classroom printer without using much ink.
- Hang it in the prep room, at eye level.
- The QR code in the blue title band opens this page, so anyone can get their own copy.
- The QR code at the bottom opens the Mercury module.
Learn more
The Mercury module teaches the full topic this poster comes from.
Sources:
- Don't Mess with Mercury – Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- Mercury Thermometers – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (reviewed September 30, 2026)
- NIOSH Pocket Guide, mercury – National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (reviewed September 30, 2026)
Poster SSP-0034, Rev. 1, September 2026.
