Communication Breakdown
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Ground Event / Encounter Other / Unknown
General Flight Cancelled / Delayed
Procedure; Human Factors
After having a late lunch I arrived back at the [the] gate; but before I arrived there I could smell the fuel a couple of gates away. As I approached I could see what looked like a large fuel spill and the fueling company employees cleaning it up. After getting to the gate I could see it was a very large spill; but no fire department standing by. I asked a couple of safety advocates what happened and they said [Company] had a fuel spill; but protocol wasn't being followed. First no again the fire department wasn't call for such a large spill; traffic was being allowed to drive through the area including a Manager in a company vehicle; the [Company] guys working the spill weren't wearing respiratory protection as they swept and scooped up the used absorbent; because of construction a breezeway is now being used by other airlines and companies to get to other areas of the airport.I told the Supervisor there that the breezeway needed to be closed but got no response from the Supervisor who in fact was ignoring me the Safety Rep on the advice I was trying to convey to him about the situation. When I said to him have the food truck back out his response was I'm trying to get them into the gate next door that was full of working Rampers working the inbound portion of the flight; is on time that important? The fire department was called after the fact and that the [Company] guys were finishing up the clean up; so they stayed on scene for about five minutes and then left. I feel that if [Company] didn't call the fire department then the [Airline] Supervisor should have; safety is number one right (joke) does he not know that the safety of the aircraft and passengers on the aircraft is his responsibility; I guess not. I left the scene because it was time for me to get off work and file.I could taste the absorbent and I am sure the crew next door could as well and I am sorry I didn't go over and ask them how they were feeling. As for myself by the time I got to my punch out area I could still taste the chemicals in my mouth and had a headache that is just starting to subside.
Commercial Airline ground personnel reported observing multiple cleanup protocol violations dealing with large fuel spill.