Waste Tags

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Hazardous Waste Emergency Proceduresfor
LaboratoriesWSU Office of EnvironmentalHealth
Safetywww.oehs.wayne.edu
2
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)

3
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.

4
Los Angeles Times, March 1, 2009Deadly UCLA lab
fire leaves haunting questions
Federal and state safety agencies investigate
after university officials failed to address
lapses before a Dec. 29 chemical accident left a
research assistant with fatal burns.
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What to do in an emergency?!
6
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.
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• 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 wasnt 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.

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Know the location of eyewash, safety shower,
emergency equipment!
10
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
  occured.

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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 building by stairs not elevator.

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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. The acid reacted with another
  substance already in the container.
• The 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

13
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 OEHS for a sign 577-1200

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OEHS Hazmat Response Team provides safe proper
clean-up of hazardous materials spills releases.
15
Minor Chemical Spills

• Use common sense minor spills
• do not spread rapidly
• do not endanger people or property except by
  direct contact
• do not endanger environment
• Consider
• amount spilled
• hazards of chemical
• do you have proper materials
• to clean up ?

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Cleaning up a minor spill...

• Wear gloves, eye protection, lab coat
• Prevent spread of liquid / vapors
• Absorb with spill pads, towels, etc.
• Neutralize acids and bases
• Clean area with soap water
• Decontaminate area
• Label contaminated materials and
• notify OEHS for disposal

17
Prevent Chemical Spills

• Store chemicals on sturdy
• shelves, away from edge,
• on shelves w/ lips
• Reduce clutter, eliminate
• trip hazards/obstructions

18
Prevent Chemical Spills!

• Bottle is full, open, and sitting at the edge of
  the bench.

19
Transport chemicals in carts with sides or in
secondary containers.
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Put chemicals away in proper storage areas!
21
Whats wrong?
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Store flammables in correct cabinets
23
Store corrosives in correct cabinets
24
Store toxic chemicals in properly labeled storage
areas
25
Segregate chemicals according to hazard class /
compatibility
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Mercury Spills

• ALWAYS Report mercury spills to OEHS.
• Do not clean up or dispose
• of mercury on your own.
• Prevent spreading
• contamination.
• Isolate the area and
• call for assistance at 577-1200

27
Laboratory Hazardous Waste Collection Procedures
28

• Submit all requests for hazardous waste disposal
  and empty containers on-line
• Chemical
• Biological
• Radioactive
• www.oehs.wayne.edu

29
Satellite Accumulation Pointsareas where
hazardous wastes arecollected 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.

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Waste Collection Instructions3 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!

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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

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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

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Laboratory accident reportsBe careful what you
mix!

• Bleach Methanol Mixed
• http//www2.umdnj.edu/eohssweb/aiha/accidents/fire
  .htmBleach

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Whats wrong here?
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Chemical Waste Storage

• Use the proper containers
• 5 gallon plastic carboys (from OEHS)
• triple-rinsed used chemical bottles

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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.

37
Remove funnels and keep containers closed except
when adding waste!
38
Secondary Containers

• To catch spills / leaks of hazardous liquids.
• Contact OEHS for info on purchasing gray bins

39
Sinks are NOT secondary containers!
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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.

41
Hazardous Chemical Waste Tags

• Write COMPLETE NAMES of all chemicals.
• this includes water
• (do not write H20)

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Waste tags must be clear legible!Replace or
write over tags if necessary.
43
Hazardous Solid Collection

• Plastic pails available from OEHS
• Solids must be labeled and closed.
• Not required to be in secondary containers.

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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

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Uncontaminated Waste Glass Plastic Disposal

• Make sure boxes arent overflowing, messy, too
  heavy or easily broken open!

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Uncontaminated Waste Glass Plastic Disposal

• Only uncontaminated or decontaminated glass
  plastic can go into boxes. Line box with trash
  bag.
• Boxes should be sturdy and in good condition.

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Uncontaminated Waste Glass Plastic Disposal

• Keep weight below 25-30 lbs.
• Tape boxes closed securely when full
• Label waste glass or broken glass.

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Needles, razor blades, lancets, etc. NEVER go in
trash bags or boxesONLY in SHARPS containers!
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DO NOT RECAP NEEDLES!
Correct SHARPS Disposal Free containers from OEHS
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Wear your personal Protective Equipment(PPE)
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Wear your lab coat!
Work in a fume hood, and adjust the sash to the
proper level!
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Wear Your Gloves!!
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Wear Your Eye Protection!!
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Remove PPE when leaving the lab
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Laboratory accident reports

• Researcher Eye Injury/Sight Loss
• http//www2.umdnj.edu/eohssweb/aiha/accidents/cryo
  gens.htmLetter
• UCLA Researcher Death
• http//www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2009/Januar
  y/23010903.asp
• http//pubs.acs.org/cen/news/87/i04/8704news1.html
  

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Questions?

• Office of Environmental Health Safety
• 5425 Woodward, Suite 300
• Detroit, MI 48202
• 313.577.1200
• www.oehs.wayne.edu