Health and Safety Lessons Learned from College Environmental Assessments

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Health and Safety Lessons Learned from College
Environmental Assessments

• Edward Wilson, MS, CIH, CSP
• Stuart Spiegel, MS

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Lessons Learned

• Introduction

3
Introduction

• Background

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Background

• Environmental Compliance Required by EPA
• Region I began in 1997
• Region II began in 1999
• Targeted enforcement
• Fines
• Undesirable publicity for colleges

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Background

• Environmental Compliance Required by EPA
• In-house compliance resources not available
• Staff not trained on environmental, health and
  safety issues
• Academic Responsibilities

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Background

• Environmental Compliance Required by EPA
• In-house compliance resources not available
• Consultant retained to perform audits
• Experienced Audit Teams
• Capable of training college staff
• No conflict with academic responsibilities
• No political agenda

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Background

• Environmental Compliance Required by EPA
• Consultant retained
• Work Scope
• 3-5 person environmental audit team
• 1-2 week survey at each campus
• CIH, CSP available for specific issues

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Introduction

• General

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General

• Environmental issues can be addressed by campus
  actions
• Health and safety issues can be addressed by
  faculty, staff and campus actions
• Faculty and staff were not all attuned to
  environmental, health and safety issues
• Campus and faculty did not always share
  priorities

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General

• Laboratories are personal workspaces
• Academic laboratories present history of
  occupying professor
• Academic laboratories are not interchangable by
  professors

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Overview

• Issues of concern in academic laboratory safety
• Photos
• Recommended corrections

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Overview

• Issues of concern in academic laboratory safety
• Chemical Safety
• Chemical Waste Management
• Radiation Safety
• Medical Waste Control

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety Concerns
• Storage of incompatible chemicals adjacent to
  each other
• Unlabeled solutions
• Solutions with multiple labels
• Old chemicals

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety Concerns
• Lack of flammable chemical storage
• Chemical hoods not evaluated annually
• Personal protective equipment not available for
  use or not used

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety Concerns
• Restraint of compressed gas cylinders
• Fine arts facility converted into student lofts
  wiring and exits not included in design

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety Concerns
• Flammable chemicals stored in domestic
  refrigerators
• Chemicals stored with food
• Shelves sagging from load

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety Concerns
• Shelves without spill protection
• Flammables stored on radiator
• Paper files stored in flammable gas storage room

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals in domestic refrigerator

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Lessons Learned

• Aged Chemicals

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Lessons Learned

• Flammable storage

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Safety

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Waste Management

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Waste Management
• Mercury Spills
• Inactive Laboratories
• Chemical Access Management

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Lessons Learned

• Bulk storage

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Lessons Learned

• Poorly labeled chemical storage

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Lessons Learned

• Waste chemical storage

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Lessons Learned

• Waste storage

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Fluorescent Lights

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Lessons Learned

• Labeling issues

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Lessons Learned

• Chemical Disposal

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Radiation Safety
• Room posted but radioactives not present
• Radioactives present but room not posted
• License for facilities that are no longer present

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Lessons Learned

• Radiation Safety
• Hoods used but not labeled
• Air emission permits not acquired
• Recordkeeping and record retention

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Lessons Learned

• Laser Safety
• Not documented per state requirements

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Medical Waste Control

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Storage of chemicals adjacent to each other

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Lessons Learned

• Impediments to Compliance
• Training
• Administrative Support
• Teaching Responsibilities
• Exaggerated perception of time requirements
• Institutional habits

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Lessons Learned

• Recommendations for Colleges
• Improved faculty and campus interaction
• Ease internal procedures and impediments for
  chemical disposal

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Lessons Learned

• Recommendations for Colleges
• Periodic chemical and EHS compliance sweeps
• Old Chemical Disposal More Laboratory Space

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Lessons Learned

• Recommendations for Colleges
• Mandatory training
• Incorporate into existing meetings
• Semester
• Annual

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Lessons Learned

• Recommendations for Colleges
• Mandatory training
• Chemical safety
• Hazardous waste handling
• Radiation safety

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Lessons Learned

• Recommendations for Colleges
• Mandatory training
• Faculty
• Teaching assistants
• Graduate students
• Staff
• Staff adjuncts