Transcript Waste Tags - Welcome - Office of Environmental Health and

Hazardous Waste &
Emergency Procedures
for Laboratories
WSU Office of Environmental
Health & Safety
www.oehs.wayne.edu
Hazardous Waste & Emergency
Response Laws for Labs

Hazardous waste generators (this means you!)
must comply with:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA)

Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ)

Department of Transportation
(DOT)
EPA College & University Fines



March 2005: Plymouth State Univ., N.H.
$171,050 EPA fine for improper marking
& storage of haz waste.
Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY,
$45,000 EPA fine for unsafe handling &
storage of waste.
2000: University of Hawaii:
$1.7 million EPA fine for unsafe storage
and 3 explosions on campus.
What to do in an emergency?!
OUR PRIORITIES:

Human Life – Don’t
risk yours or others!

The Environment

Property
April 2005: Ohio State Lab Fire
Grad students were loading 10-12 bottles of hexane
onto lab shelves when a shelf collapsed. Over 40
gallons of hexane were present in the lab.

Ignition could have been static electricity, or a
spark from a motor or switch.

84 firefighters responded, initially using water,
then dry powder, finally chemical foam to put
out the fire.

If the PI wasn’t able to inform them of what was
in the lab, they may have had to let it burn.

Student treated for cuts and several firefighters
for smoke inhalation.

Two labs damaged, research destroyed, over
$200,000 in damage.
Oxidizer Solvent
Explosion
(not at WSU)
This early morning explosion in the cabinet under a
fumehood is believed to be the result of nitric acid
(an oxidizer) and an organic solvent being mixed in
a closed container. Luckily, no one was standing in
front of the hood when it occurred.
Nov. 2006: Explosion at University of
Kentucky lab sends 7 to the hospital
 A minor explosion occurred in a UK engineering lab
when a student poured nitric acid into a waste
container. And it reacted with another substance
already in the container.
 Student was treated for cuts and minor injuries. Six
other people were examined in the emergency room.
 The incident resulted in closure of the seventh floor
of the building for part of the day, and closure of the
lab for the weekend.
Source: The Associated Press
If you have any doubt about whether a
spill can be safely cleaned up by staff in
the lab, get help:
Confine the area –
close doors.
Always evacuate
when a fire alarm is
going off.
Exit by stairs – not
elevator.
Fires ~ Spills ~ Emergencies

Get to a safe location

DO NOT CALL 911!

Call WSU Police: 7-2222 fires, injuries,
emergencies, after-hours spills.

Call OEH&S: 7-1200 non-emergency
spills, M-F 8:30-5

Give your name, location, details of spill
and secure area until responders arrive.
OEH&S Hazmat
Response Team
provides safe &
proper clean-up
of hazardous
materials spills
& releases.
Lab Door Signs

Notifies public and
emergency responders
about the hazards
present in the room.

Be sure to fill in
emergency contact
names & numbers!

Contact OEH&S for a
sign: 577-1200
Minor Chemical Spills

Use your discretion: A minor spill…
does not spread rapidly
 does not endanger people or property
except by direct contact
 does not endanger the environment


Consider:
amount spilled
 hazards of chemical
 if you have proper materials
to clean up

Cleaning up a minor spill...

Wear gloves, eye protection, lab coat

Prevent spread of liquid / vapors

Absorb liquids w/ spill pads, kitty litter...

Neutralize acids and bases

Clean spill area with soap & water

Decontaminate area & equipment

Label contaminated materials and notify
OEH&S for disposal
Prevent Chemical Spills

Store chemicals on sturdy
shelves, away from edge,
on shelves w/ lips

Reduce clutter, eliminate
trip hazards/obstructions
Transport chemicals in carts with
sides or in secondary containers.
Mercury Spills

ALWAYS Report mercury spills to OEH&S.

Do not clean up or dispose
of mercury on your own.

Prevent spreading
contamination.

Isolate the area and
call for assistance
Mercury Collection

If spill is contained,
collect mercury and
glass in sealed
impermeable container
or heavy duty plastic.

Wrap thermometer in
parafilm or tape,
contact OEH&S for
pick-up & disposal.
Laboratory Hazardous Waste
Collection Procedures
Submit all requests for
hazardous waste disposal and
empty containers on-line
Chemical
Biological
Radioactive
www.oehs.wayne.edu
What’s wrong here?
Satellite Accumulation Points
areas where hazardous wastes are
collected or stored:

Located at or site of
generation (lab).

Allowed to accumulate
up to 55 gallons of
hazardous waste or 1
quart of acutely
hazardous waste.
What is Hazardous Waste?

Spent organic solvents

Most “wash” solutions

Most metals and solutions of metal salts

Mixtures of non-hazardous waste with a
hazardous waste

Any waste which meets the EPA
characteristics of a hazardous waste:
IGNITABLE, CORROSIVE, REACTIVE, TOXIC
Waste Collection Instructions
3 golden rules
 PROPERLY TAG AND LABEL WASTE AS
SOON AS A NEW CONTAINER IS BEGUN.
 KEEP WASTE CONTAINERS CLOSED WHEN
NOT ADDING WASTE TO THEM.
 STORE LIQUID WASTE CONTAINERS IN
SECONDARY CONTAINERS AT ALL TIMES!
Segregate Waste Properly

Liquid waste should be separated into
the following categories:
Acids
 Bases
 Halogenated organic solvents
 Non-halogenated organic solvents
 Trans. & heavy metals (aqueous solutions
of Hg+, Ag+, etc.)
 Air reactives
 Water reactives
 Cyanides and sulfides

Chemical Waste Storage

Use the proper containers:


5 gallon plastic carboys (from OEH&S)
triple-rinsed used chemical bottles
Chemical Waste Storage

Store waste in safe,
out of the way
locations.

Fumehood are work
areas. Only store
waste in a hood if it is
not used for
experiments.
Keep containers closed except
when adding waste!
Store liquid waste in
secondary containers
Contact Science Stores or Medical Stores
(Scott Hall) to purchase bins.
Sinks are NOT secondary
containers!
Label all hazardous wastes!

ATTACH WASTE TAG and
record contents when first
waste is added to
container.

Write clearly in ballpoint
pen – not marker.

Do not separate copies.
Hazardous Chemical Waste Tags

Write COMPLETE
NAMES of all chemicals.
this includes water
(not H20)

When requesting a pickup, you must include the
tag #. This is how we
track your waste.
Waste tags must be clear & legible!
Replace or write over tags if it is too
difficult to read the contents.
Hazardous Solid Collection

Plastic pails
available from
OEH&S

Solids must be
labeled and closed.

Not required to be in
secondary
containers.
Watch for potential problem chemicals:

Peroxidizables: ethers,
dioxanes, tetrahydrofuran
absorb & react with O2 - become
potentially explosive over time.
 label w/ date received & opened
 use up or dispose by expiration
date

Picric Acid: explosive when dry,
must be kept in solution
Uncontaminated Waste Glass &
Plastic Disposal

Make sure boxes aren’t overflowing, messy or
easily broken open!
Uncontaminated Waste Glass &
Plastic Disposal

Only uncontaminated or decontaminated glass &
plastic can go into boxes.

Boxes should be sturdy and in good condition.
Uncontaminated Waste Glass &
Plastic Disposal

Keep weight below
25-30 lbs.

Tape boxes closed
securely when full

Label “waste glass”
or “broken glass”.
Needles, razor blades, lancets, etc.
NEVER go in trash bags or boxes
ONLY in SHARPS containers!
Correct SHARPS Disposal
Free containers from OEH&S
DO NOT RECAP NEEDLES!