Posted on Wed, Dec 02, 2009 @ 10:11 AM
By Steve Todisco, Senior Healthcare Account Manager
For those of you who routinely ship waste off-site for hazardous waste disposal you should be familiar with what the term lab pack means. In order to understand what a lab pack is we should quickly outline the different types of ways that most people typically ship waste off of their site for hazardous or non- hazardous waste disposal. There are typically 3 major types of overall ways to ship waste off-site: Bulk, Non-Bulk, and Lab Pack.
Bulk shipping is shipping waste in larger containers that exceed 119 gallons of waste and is usually utilized for shipping in tanks, tanker trucks, and totes.
Non – Bulk waste shipping can include the shipment of a 55 gallon drum of liquid such as oil, or solvents. These containers might look and feel like a bulk container and they are often referred to that way but because they fall under the 119 gallon requirement we can call these non-bulks.
This brings us to the term lab pack. Lab packing is a method of shipping smaller inner containers inside a larger outer container. This allows companies like ours to be more efficient when shipping “like” materials. If you had several smaller containers that all were intact and contained within their own primary container than these items could be placed into a drum that is equal or lesser than 55 gallons and “lab packed”. Other things like packing material would also fall under the requirements of being added to this lab pack drum. Don’t forget that there are specific requirements for the amount of packing material required in each specific size drum per D.O.T regulations.
By shipping “like” things together you will be utilizing shipping names in the regulations like Waste flammable liquids n.o.s or (Not otherwise specified). This means that the shipping name that best fits all of the materials involved isn’t a specific single item like Waste Acetone, or Waste Methanol. Instead it could include “like” items such as methanol, acetone, and Isopropanol all in the same outer container.
Remember that “lab packing” falls under specific rules and exceptions so only highly trained individuals should undertake these tasks. Combining bottles of chemicals in the same outer container can be dangerous if not done correctly.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us here at Triumvirate.
Posted on Fri, Oct 23, 2009 @ 07:21 AM
By Bret Skinner, Technical Specialist
In
this day and age, there are many regulatory agencies that demand the
proper labeling of commercially available chemicals and their
containers. In particular, the OHSA HAZCOM standard requires that
hazardous chemicals be marked with the chemical names and also a
universal method to communicate the hazards involved with such a
chemical. This communication is usually achieved with symbols or a
universal scale such as the Hazardous Materials Identification System
(HMIS), or the NFPA 704 diamond which uses a scale of 1-4 to
communicate the severity of a chemical’s health hazards, flammability
and reactivity. However, what labeling requirements are there for
solutions prepared or repacked in secondary containers by laboratory
personnel?
OSHA HAZCOM has no specific standard for the labeling of
secondary containers, however many letters of interpretation have
stated that these containers have the same labeling requirements as
commercial chemical containers. What does this mean? The common
laboratory practices of labeling prepared chemical solutions with lab
tape or marker may only comply with HAZCOM if it accomplishes the
demands of the standard in that: the labeling identifies the chemicals
in the container, and that the labeling effectively communicates the
hazards of the chemical. Common chemical abbreviations seen every day
in the laboratory setting such as “NaOH” or “HCl” may not comply with
the standard. Although these abbreviations communicate both the
chemical and its hazards to trained laboratory personnel, would
custodial staff or a firefighter necessarily know what these items
were? Also, would custodial personnel know how to initiate a proper
response to an emergency involving these chemicals? If the answer is
not “Absolutely” then one has not met their HAZCOM requirements.
So what can be done? It is often not practical to get
every person in every lab to properly label every chemical container
every time. Therefore EH&S departments must help develop systems
that will aid laboratory personnel to accomplish the HAZCOM standards
as easily as possible so that they may continue to do their job:
research.
Some easy solutions to aid with proper labeling of secondary chemical containers:
• Purchase commercially available secondary containers that meet the OHSA standard (see attached photo).
• Work with personnel in order to learn what chemical
preparations are in use in their laboratory. Make a list, and create
preprinted labels that meet the standard and are easy to use. One could
even create a database of the labels and attach it to a website for
easy access.
• Ask your chemical manufacturers for extra labels that meet the standards and apply them to secondary containers.
• Training, training, training! Usually, everyone is willing to
help with these safety issues. Giving personnel correct knowledge of
the standards can make these very intelligent people into valuable
safety tools.
NFPA 704 diamond for Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH)
Wash Bottles with NFPA Diamonds.
Posted on Fri, Oct 16, 2009 @ 03:04 PM
By Gregory Rosinski, Chemist II
1 Field Service Crew
1 Tanker Truck
30 Bags of Speedy Dry
25 Spill Pigs
5 Bags of Oil Spill Pads
15 x 55 gallon Steel Drums
165 Total Hours of Remediation
1 Truck for Transportation of Waste
11 Hours of Pouring Rain
1 Delivery truck with a bad gas cap causing the spill -------- “Priceless”
At Life Science accounts supply trucks constantly come in and out of loading docks and accidents can happen. The greatest amount of planning against spills still eventually will result in a leak from an automotive vehicle causing gas or oil spills. A tool that will help to contain and prevent massive spills of oil mixing with rain is to always have a fully supplied spill kit at every loading dock. It only takes a minimal amount of oil or gas mixed with rain water to encompass a big area costing a lot more than if there was someone ready with supplies to prevent the spread of material. A spill kit containing the following should be a minimum at every loading dock or parking garage to contain and clean spills from vehicles:
Oil Spill Pads
Speedy Dry
Small Broom
Small Dustpan
Hazardous Waste Collection Bags
Oil Spill Booms
Drain Covers
Safety Gloves
This list of supplies is the minimum, but if kept in a DOT shippable drum allows for the collected material to be ready for shipping.
Posted on Wed, Oct 14, 2009 @ 02:09 PM
By Bart Nielsen, Environmental Compliance Specialist
Emergency response in the Life Sciences is a critical safety issue. The collection of chemical, biological, and radioactive materials in research facilities can make emergency preparedness a daunting task.
Safety managers must begin by inventorying and evaluating all of the hazardous materials onsite, then identify the what types of hazards the materials pose to employees and the environment. From there, safety managers must develop systems for the facility and its employees to safely and swiftly respsond to any type of emergency. The number one goal is to eliminate or minize harm to employees and the environment from an emergency.
The cleanup is usually one the most difficult aspects of emergency response. Depending on the size and content of the spilled material, employees may need extensive training from qualified trainings to repsond. Also, additional exposure monitoring and personal protective equipment is often required when cleaning up hazardous material spills.
Here’s a story…
If you’ve ever had to clean up elemental mercury you know that it isn’t that easy to contain. On top of that, it poses a significant respiratory hazard so you should be wearing a mask with an air tank (in most cases).
During a routine job I happened upon a scientist trying to dismantle a barometer that was 6 feet tall and full of mercury. Just as I was about to ask him how he planned on removing the mercury he released a pin at the base and out it poured (I estimate ½ gallon).
I’ve never seen such large pools of mercury all over the floor. Needless to say, I had him evacuate the area.
His first response to me was, “I’ll get the mercury spill kit.”
To which I replied, “Even if you had a spill kit for that much mercury, you don’t have the proper protective equipment.”
His response, “I’ll just hold my breath.”
What do you think I said next???
What challenges or additional safety issues have you encountered when cleaning up a hazardous material spill?
Question: Would you like to share an emergency response experience?
Posted on Wed, Oct 14, 2009 @ 11:42 AM
By Denise Hutchins, Executive Director of Life Sciences
If your organization is ready to partner or be acquired you need to ensure your house is in order.
Do you have the right environmental and safety programs, plans, and procedures in place? Is your permitting in line? Environmental health and safety has many registrations, permits and licenses from local, state and federal agencies not to mention employee training records that should be in place prior to deal discussions.
Having these types of items in place in all areas of your business is crucial to increase the value of your organization. Is your department contributing to your company’s deal readiness? It should be.
Posted on Wed, Oct 14, 2009 @ 11:28 AM
By Denise Hutchins, Executive Director of Life Sciences
So you have an emergency response contractor ready to deploy to your site in case of an emergency. Or do you?
With the constant changes occurring around us every day, you need to have a backup to your backups. If you have your own emergency response teams, are they ready to respond? Do you have a backup responder?
Being ready, really ready, with two emergency response contracts is the way to position your company. Beyond the contractual piece, facility walkthroughs and plans sharing should also ensue to ensure as smooth as a response as possible.
Do you have a Plan B?
Posted on Tue, Oct 13, 2009 @ 12:31 PM
By Ian Lanza, Life Sciences Operations Coordinator
Maintaining and inspecting self contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) is an important piece to a prepared and compliant HAZWOPER emergency response team. If your facility has an emergency response team trained to contain or respond to spills or releases of hazardous material, chances are you have SCBAs onsite. Regularly inspecting SCBAs is an important component of complying with HAZWOPER and being prepared for any incident.
SCBA units should be inspected on a regular schedule to proactively identify any malfunctioning parts. The routine inspections should be documented, and any units failing the inspection must be de-activated and taken out of the inventory until repaired. Finding broken equipment or defects before a real response will save time and money.
Haz mat responders and technicians should also inspect each unit before donning. Finding a frayed o-ring before entering a hazardous environment could save a life. Wearing defective PPE can be more harmful than not wearing any PPE at all.
What types of defects have you found at your facility during routine SCBA inspections?
Posted on Fri, Oct 09, 2009 @ 12:55 PM
Gregory Rosinski, Chemist II
Technology is like a pea shot from a straw, the more people that realize how exciting it is the more peas being shot. In years past it was only possible to manage hazardous waste through filing cabinets or floppy disks. With the advance in technology specifically “ADVISE” it is now possible to manage hazardous waste right on the internet.
One of Triumvirate Environmental’s pharmaceutical clients has jumped on board with Advise recently, and found that they can be completely connected to the hazardous waste program onsite while at home sick sipping Theraflu cold medicine. Advise helps to connect all of the collected hazardous waste chemicals entered into a program called “Wasteland” by onsite specialists, and then sends that information to a web based data base known as Advise. This information is then available to clients online from any computer connected to the internet.
The beauty of an Online Hazardous Waste Management program like Advise is the amount of possibilities it gives the client. Advise does more than just manage chemical waste it also will give report upon report to meet the needs of the individual asking for them. While online using Advise it is possible to search through inspections of Main Accumulation Areas (MAAs), Satellite Accumulation Areas (SAAs), and Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs). It also gives the ability to see if everything onsite is compliant, and if there should be an area that was non-compliant a flag will be seen with the reason for non-compliance. Advise also allows for personalization of the application to a point. Meaning that if there are reports that do not meet the specific need those reports can then be tailored to help meet the new expectations.
Recently I was involved with a city wide disaster drill at a client’s site. This drill involved over a hundred people, and five different emergency response teams. One of the first questions the contact and I were asked by the fire department chief was how do you guys know what is in the Main Accumulation Area for Hazardous Waste. The answer was simple to the client and I, because we both knew that all waste onsite was managed through Advise. The chief was unfamiliar with the program, but once he learned we could go on his computer in his truck to check the MAA he was greatly intrigued.
Time will only tell where Online Hazardous Waste Management will go, but if it follows the trends of other technology sectors it will be great seeing Advise in the years to come consider how useful of a program it is now.
Posted on Wed, Oct 07, 2009 @ 09:59 AM
By Ian Lanza, Life Sciences Operations Coordinator
The Institute of Hazardous Material Managers (IHMM) CHMM and CHMP certification has received international accreditation from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) under ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024, the international standard for personnel certification programs. This accreditation is a huge step for the IHMM. It recognizes the skills and abilities of professionals holding IHMM certifications. IHMM certified professionals have the skills and abilities to implement policies, practices, procedures for the management of hazardous materials to protect humans and the environmental from the potential dangers and risks of hazardous materials.
Posted on Wed, Oct 07, 2009 @ 09:38 AM
By Ian Lanza, Life Sciences Operations Coordinator
Last week Newsweek released a report ranking the 500 greenest companies. The report had the world’s most environmental aware and sustainable corporations from multiple industries head to head for the top ranking. With Hewlit Packard taking the top spot, Johnson and Johnson ranked third. Other pharmaceutical companies landing in the top 100 included Bristol-Meyers Squibb, Allergan, Pfizer, Hospira, and Abbot Laboratories.
Johnson and Johnson’s top spot can be attributed to its industry leading carbon reduction goals and the word’s largest fleet of hybrid vehicles. Abbot Laboratories has reduced GHG by 17% adjusted to sales each year and has set a goal to reduce water consumption by 40% by 2011. Wyeth earned a spot in the top 10 pharmaceutical companies because of its impressive reductions in waste and consumption, including a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions from 2000 to 2006, reduction of non-hazardous wastes by 68% and a reduction of hazardous waste by 67%.
The ranking report has caught some criticism over the methodology used to measure sustainability. Ranking companies across multiple industries on sustainability becomes very difficult because it is like comparing apples to oranges. It is very difficult to fairly compare an inherently dirty industry like mining to a company with a naturally low environmental impact like a finance company.
The study ranked each organization’s green score, based on the company’s environmental impact, green policies and performance, and reputation. Did your company make the list?
http://greenrankings.newsweek.com/top500/