Posted on Mon, May 09, 2011 @ 08:15 AM
Since 2008, UCLA has been making sweeping changes to its laboratory safety policies and management procedures. The stimulus for these changes was the unfortunate death of a laboratory researcher who succumbed to wounds when splashed with a dangerous pyrophoric chemical. Many of the changes made to the safety program have resulted in increased awareness to employees. The UCLA EH&S staff are out inspecting more laboratories with a higher focus on quality and increased level of communication of data (i.e. reports to PI’s within 24 hours of inspection).
Flash forward to March of this year when the Chancellor’s Office and the Office of the President provided funding (i.e. $400,000) to open the first Center in the U.S. to focus on improving Laboratory Safety globally. The new center will research which regulations and lab safety programs work and which ones do not. The data derived from the research will spawn a best practices document aimed at sharing the outcomes with the institutional community and others that are working to achieve similar lab safety goals. For success with new programs, not only will the culture of laboratory workers need to change, but the practices and efforts from the EH&S community will need to adapt and improve its techniques and behaviors. With collaboration from the academic community, the center aims to show decreases in lab safety injuries in the years to follow.
Posted on Fri, Apr 22, 2011 @ 07:26 AM
by Brian Kautz, Chemist
Completing the monthly SPCC inspections (Spill Prevention and Control Counter Measures) for your University can be a daunting task. Some Universities can have well over 100 areas to inspect, and half of the areas can be located outside. It’s human nature to want to inspect the outdoor SPCC areas on fair weather days; nobody wants to get rained on, however, you can use the rain to your advantage.
Everyone knows that oil and water don’t mix; in fact, oil floats on top of water because oil is less dense than water. When light hits the floating oil a phenomenon known as thin film interference occurs and causes the oil to shimmer and shine. You could go as far as to say that water makes oil “glow”. Water can turn an otherwise inconspicuous oil leak into a shinning prism, so shiny that you’ll find that oil leak in the transformer.
This may all seem like common sense, but I’ve been doing SPCC inspections for 3 years and have always dreaded doing them in the rain. I’d wait for sunny days and clear skies to complete the inspections; all up until a couple of weeks ago when I had no choice but to complete them in the rain. While inspecting a transformer that day I noticed a “glow” emanating from the rain water, it was oil, and the transformer was leaking. The environment was saved that day, all thanks to the rain.
Posted on Fri, Mar 04, 2011 @ 06:35 AM
by josh Estey, Chemist
Though the economy is slowly coming back to pre-recession levels, colleges and universities have learned not just how to get by on a leaner budget, but to thrive on one by creating a more efficient environment.
To stay competitive in an increasingly demanding market of attracting the best and brightest, higher education institutions have had to change their way of doing business to provide financial aid and services to their student body while maintaining a bottom line (higher education is, after all, big business). As contracting work is a necessary, there are just a lot of things that don’t make economic sense to undertake as an 
institution.
There are however, minor changes that can be made onsite to make a major difference in everyone’s wallets. As an example, nitrogen generation (gas and liquid) has come a long way in recent years and is now an affordable option rather than contracting a gas company to pick-up empty cylinders and dewars and deliver full ones. The initial cost is not cheap (somewhere between $1,000 and $20,000 depending on the amount of nitrogen needed per day), but after that operating costs are only monthly electrical bills (about the cost of running a refrigerator for a month), a savings of about 20-30% off the cost of delivered gases. The initial cost can even be split by multiple lab groups as long as their nitrogen needs don’t trump the output by the machine.
Other benefits of onsite nitrogen production include increased safety as newer machines only run when in use, and can only be turned on when an RFID linked dewar is placed in the machine. There are also automatic shut-offs to prevent overflowing (not present on most dewars from gas companies). This can also be claimed as a “greening” initiative as it saves the transportation of dewars and cylinders to and from the university. While this cost-saving option isn’t ideal for every institution’s needs, it’s an option that should be at least explored.
Posted on Fri, Mar 04, 2011 @ 06:29 AM
by Meagan Collins, Chemist
A 23 year old technician at UCLA was wearing a sweatshirt and no lab coat when she began working with t-butyl lithium, a pyrophoric liquid. The liquid reacted with the air, and set the synthetic fibers of her clothing on fire. Two postdoctoral students were nearby, but were unable to get her to a safety shower in time. She spent 18 days in a burn unit before she died. (1) An investigation by the California Division of OSHA revealed that UCLA failed to make safety training mandatory. The result was $32,000 in fines. Other preventable academic science lab incidents include death by electrocution, explosion, and exposure to lethal chemicals.
“Most academic laboratories are unsafe venues for work or study”, according to The Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. (2) One study by the Laboratory Safety Institute revealed that the accident rate in professional laboratories is at least one hundred times less than the accident rate in school laboratories.
Academic lab safety begins with the instructor:
• Instructors should be familiar with proper procedures, preventive measures, and lab safety codes and standards.
• Instructors should be familiar with safety eq
uipment in the lab, including location and use.
• Eye washes, safety showers, and fire extinguishers should be routinely inspected. Records of inspections should be kept on site.
• Material Safety Data Sheets should be provided for chemicals used in the lab.
• Proper personal protective equipment (PPE) should also be available.
• A standard procedure should be developed for proper chemical handling.
Once an instructor is familiar with these precautions, students should be educated on proper procedures and safety standards before executing work in the laboratory setting. Sources 1. Benderly, Beryl Lieff. “Danger in Science Labs”. Scientific American. August 2010. Pages 18-20. 2. Langerman, Neal. Journal of Chemical Health and Safety. May-June 2009.
Posted on Fri, Jan 14, 2011 @ 06:59 AM
by Greg Rosinki, Rhode Island Chemist Coordinator
One of the best resolutions we can make and adhere to in the new year is our approach to improving hazardous waste programs.
Time should be taken while students are on winter break to go through laboratories to inventory the chemicals in stock. Look for chemicals that have been unused for multiple years if not decades. Removing these chemicals will help to limit potential safety hazards that can occur with aged chemicals such as peroxide formers, and strong oxidizers.
Performing an inventory of the chemicals throughout the labs 
will also help to reduce unnecessary purchases of chemicals already in stock. A common cause of incidences is chemicals being left alone for periods of time. The result is chemical vapors within the bottle deteriorating the cover causing chemicals to leak out of the bottle. Too often in these storage areas are incompatible chemicals, and leaking could result in a dangerous spill.
Take the time early on to walk through labs and stock rooms to take an inventory of what is needed or in the need of disposal. Following federal and state regulations for disposal of hazardous waste will help to safely remove the chemicals, and increase the safety of the incoming class of students.
Posted on Wed, Jul 14, 2010 @ 08:01 AM
Written By Matt Bauer, Marketing Intern
The EPA recently added over 3,500 chemical facilities and 6,000 chemicals of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to their public internet database rightly named, Envirofacts. The TSCA rule was originally mandated in 1976 in order to give the EPA authority over industrial firms to require reporting and record keeping of certain hazardous chemicals. Now, the EPA is focused on helping the general public to better understand this regulation and how it affects their surrounding environment. Envirofacts is aimed to allow users to access information about the Environmental, Health & Safety hazards which may affect the air, water and land, from a single source. This reference tool collects information from state and federal forms that are mandated by the TSCA rule, and compiles them in an easy to use database. Information includes, the facility name, location, granted permits, as well as tools to analyze the data.
The site is further broken down into the following categories for simplified searches: Air Permits/Releases, Water Permits/Releases, Land Use, Waste Management, Toxics (Reports and Hazards,) Radiation, Facilities Information, Compliance History, Mapping, and Brownfield Development. The EPA intends to continue adding more information in the coming months.
Posted on Mon, Jun 28, 2010 @ 09:41 AM
By Meagan Collins, Environmental Compliance Specialist
As security and safety measures rise, it is very likely that local, state, and federal organizations will be stricter about enforcing environmental regulations and policies. Organizations of particular interest include the EPA, OSHA, and local fire departments.
When an audit or inspection is performed, it is extremely helpful to have a current inventory of chemicals available. Pertinent information about each chemical onsite should include location, quantity, CAS number, and hazard class where applicable. Having an accurate chemical inventory is important for safety and regulatory compliance, including reporting hazardous chemicals in Tier I and Tier II forms mentioned in 40 CFR. This issue is of high importance to Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) departments of higher education institutions.
ChemTracker is a web-based chemical inventory database hosted by Stanford University, started in the mid-1980s. After Stanford experienced success with the system, other higher education institutions expressed an interest in accessing the program. Both EH&S departments as well as individual labs find ChemTracker helpful with maintaining chemical stocks and in meeting compliance standards. Higher education institutions that use ChemTracker include MIT, Cornell, and the CUNY system.
The integrity of information in ChemTracker is the result of years of research as well as trial and error by Stanford University. Inventory in ChemTracker is linked to the ChemTracker Reference Database, also maintained by Stanford University. The ChemTracker Reference Database contains over 11,000 unique chemicals as well as 49,000 chemical synonyms.
The process begins when a lab’s chemical inventory is entered in ChemTracker. From there, it is easy to change, modify, and delete stock. Inventory is linked to a “chemical owner” who can make changes, and modify stock for purchasing purposes. Likewise, lab managers and EH&S find that links for MSDS information and hazard classes to be very useful. Reports can be run using parameters such as chemical owner, room, or department to get a summary report by hazard class. Once the initial inventory is set up, maintaining an accurate chemical inventory database is as easy as clicking a mouse.
Sources:
- Gibbs, L.M. “ChemTracker Consortium – The higher education collaboration for chemical inventory management and regulatory reporting”. Chemical Health and Safety. Volume 12, Issue 5, September-October 2005, pages 9-14.
- http://med.stanford.edu/somsafety/messageboard/archives/chemical_inventory_updates/index.html, Accessed June 2, 2010.
- http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/epcra/index.htm, Accessed June 10, 2010.
Posted on Fri, May 21, 2010 @ 01:32 PM
By Dave Williamson, Higher Education Account Manager
If the new Academic Lab Rule known as Subpart K is effective in your state and your institution is an eligible academic entity with laboratories, then you have the choice of opting into Subpart K. If you decide to opt in, your laboratory hazardous waste will fall under a new set of regulations. Before opting in make sure you have support from your institution's administration.
Many institutions have a couple EPA ID numbers for different parts of the campus. Under Subpart K each separate EPA ID has the option to opt in. It would make the job for the EH&S staff challenging to operate under different regulations for each EPA ID number, but it can be done.
A Lab Management Plan is required for institutions that adopt the academic lab. You must develop this in two parts. The first part is where you select options available to you under the rule. The second part is where you develop your own site specific best management practices for managing your laboratory hazardous waste in accordance with Subpart K.
One of the main benefits for opting in is the chance to reduce your generator status. Subpart K allows one lab clean out per year which does not count against your generator status. However, the waste still has to be reported.
Posted on Thu, Apr 29, 2010 @ 09:58 AM
By Greg Rosinski, Chemist II
In a society saturated with ideas of waste minimization, it is important to take a moment to reflect on what is best for the environment and those around us. Chemicals are being depleted at a rate faster than can be manufactured. An example of this seen throughout manufacturing industries is Acetonitrile. A major reason for the shortage is the relatively low boiling point, and its use ubiquitous properties in solutions. An extreme shortage of this particular chemical started in 2008 when the Chinese government decided to shut down one of the biggest manufacturers of this chemical during the Olympics in Beijing.
To help save the supplies of chemicals, it is necessary to find alternatives to disposal that are better for the environment and anyone involved with the process. A good place to start is to determine if the chemical needing disposal has reached its expiration date. Manufacturers of chemicals, like the food industry, place an expiration use date on each bottle of chemical designating when the chemical no longer will perform as intended. If a site has chemicals ready for disposal due to site mandated expiration dates than a program should be instituted to find a way to reuse the chemicals or donate them to a site in need of those chemicals. Chemical reuse between laboratories helps to use as much of the chemical as was purchased, and will help to reduce disposal fees. By emptying a bottle of chemicals the bottle can be triple rinsed, and then recycled saving on disposal costs.
It is important to make sure that there is an environmental specialist involved with this process so that chemicals that are harmful to the person or environment are properly handled. It also ensures safety and compliance is up held in recycling containers.
Posted on Tue, Mar 16, 2010 @ 12:24 PM
By Lawrence Hren, Onsite Support Services Coordinator
In my recent experience with EPA inspections focused toward laboratory and hazardous waste management, it has become apparent that preparation for a surprise inspection is every bit as important as properly responding to an inspection. While this is by no means an all-inclusive guide to successfully handling an EPA inspection, the following should serve as an outline of key points to consider prior to and during an inspection:
- Is your emergency contact information accurate and up to date?
- This may be one of the first things an inspector delves into upon arrival at your facility. Additionally, it is important to test your primary and secondary methods of acquiring an MSDS in the event of an emergency. For example: if you have identified that MSDS's will be obtained via the internet in the event of an emergency, you should also be sure that you are familiar with an alternative method such as calling an emergency MSDS hotline and that an MSDS can be faxed to your facility on short order.
- Is your Main Accumulation Area (MAA) well maintained, in compliance, and is your weekly MAA inspection log complete and up to date?
- Proper MAA maintenance is intrinsically linked to running a top notch Haz-Waste management program at your facility. Deficiencies during this portion of an EPA inspection will most likely lead to a higher level of scrutiny during the remainder of the inspection. Be sure that you are completely in compliance with MAA regulations and that the space is as clean and organized as possible. Don't forget to make sure all emergency contact info is conspicuously posted and a phone is located inside of or very close by the MAA
- Weekly MAA inspection logs are to be kept on file for 3 years. It is crucial that there are no gaps in the records. Be sure to take into account long weekends and holiday schedules. If you can present a simple SOP geared towards accommodating for such circumstances, all the better!
- How well are your laboratories maintained? Are training records kept on file and readily available?
- Once inside the lab, an inspector will most likely ‘interview' lab staff. Questions will focus on waste management, safety procedures, and chemical compatibility issues in your chemical storage cabinets.
- RCRA is all about records. Be sure that all laboratory training records and lab SOPs are available.
- Out of date, unusable, or excessive amounts of chemicals should not be stored in the lab. Chemical storage/labeling issues raise a red flag, and are viewed as an indicator of poor lab practices
The main thing to keep in mind during an inspection is to remain calm and answer all questions honestly and to the best of your ability. Never try to down-play compliance issues as a means to dissuade the inspector from looking into them. Dedication to running an exemplary program goes a long way.