We work with large quantities of hot HF Acid in my lab.  I myself had a very small but very painful HF burn many years ago so I unfortunately have some experience here. 

 

The most important thing to remember is NEVER GIVE PAIN RELIEVERS.  Pain is an essential indicator of successful burn treatment. 

 

As for treatment: we buy the HF Acid treatment kit from Calgonate.  It contains eye wash, calcium gluconate gel, benzalkonium chloride spray, gauze, an instant ice pack, and other first aid accessories. 

For ingestion, the treatment is Tums. 

An alternate treatment for a burn is benzalkonium chloride.  It works best cold so leaving it in a refrigerator is a good idea.  You soak the affected area for 15 minutes.  This is best for fingers/hands, toes/feet; body parts that are easy to submerge in a small container.

If you have an onsite medical clinic, it’s a good idea to have the calcium gluconate injection solution.

 

Also, having an HF spill kit is a good practice.  You can buy the HF Acid eater kit.  It comes in a bucket with everything you need: neutralization solution, gloves, feet covers, etc.

 

Last, but maybe most importantly, is to have a well-written, easily available HF acid treatment policy written in a way a first responder can understand.

Honeywell has a really good HF treatment “book” called Recommended Medical Treatment for Hydrofluoric Acid Exposure.  I believe this is available to all Honeywell HF acid customers.  I was lucky enough to take a webinar on HF acid treatment from Honeywell.  It was a very well-spent hour.

 

Have kits, with medical instructions in every area where HF is used.  If a person has a burn and must be treated at a hospital, send an HF kit with medical instructions to the hospital with that person.