Hazard Waste Management Training. This training is a one-time requirement for personnel generating waste at WCU

Transcription

1 Hazard Waste Management Training This training is a one-time requirement for personnel generating waste at WCU

2 Hazard Waste Compliance WCU is classified as a hazardous waste generator by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and as such is required to comply with hazardous waste laws and regulations. The Safety and Risk Management Office at WCU is responsible for coordinating an effective hazardous waste management program. The primary objectives of the program are to protect human health and the environment and ensure compliance with university, local, state, and federal hazardous waste regulations. WCU personnel and facilities involved in activities that generate hazardous waste are subject to a number of requirements designed to protect personnel, property, and the environment.

3 Hazardous Waste Determination Hazardous waste is a solid, chemical, fuel, or compressed gas that is harmful to human health or the environment. The material is no longer considered useful and is intended to be discarded. Essentially, if the waste material exhibits any of the following characteristics it is subject to hazard waste regulation: Ignitable (easily catch on fire, FP < 140 o F) Corrosive (ph 2 or 12.5) Reactive (unstable under normal conditions, reactive with water or air, self-reacting, peroxide formers, etc.) Toxic (acute or chronic health hazard, environmental toxicity) A second category of waste is acutely hazardous waste or Listed materials. These materials pose significant risk to human health or the environment even in small quantities such as container residue, and have strict waste quantity limitations!

4 How do you determine if the waste is hazardous? Ask your Laboratory Supervisor or Principal Investigator. Read the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for the materials you are working with to understand the hazard classification. GHS standardized symbols or key words are clearly indicated on the SDS and container labels. Ignitable Flammable Reactive Oxidizer Reactive Explosive Toxic Poison Toxic Health Corrosive Toxic Environment Acutely hazardous Listed materials would require an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) in the lab detailing waste disposal. Contact Safety and Risk Management for guidance.

5 Best Practices for Waste Management Container: Collect the waste in a clean, leak-proof, and compatible container. Do not use beakers, flasks, or household containers to collect waste. Lids: Waste containers must be kept closed with an appropriate lid at all times except when adding the waste. Always allow chemicals to react completely and cool to ambient temperature before accumulating as waste. In some cases a vented container lid should be used. Post a sign if open and still reacting! Chemical Segregation: Incompatible wastes must not be mixed or stored in the same container. Ask if you are unsure about chemical compatibility (Supervisor, SOP, SDS, Safety Office). Secondary Containment: Always store waste bottles in a secondary container (bin or tray) to prevent spills from overpour or breakage!

6 Best Practices for Waste Management Work with hazardous waste in a chemical fume hood and use PPE (gloves, goggles, lab coat, etc.). Wear proper lab attire (closed toed shoes, long pants, & long sleeves). Do not overfill the container, always leave about 10% of headspace to accommodate expansion during storage and transport. No more than 55 gallons of hazardous waste, or 1 quart acute listed waste can be stored in the satellite accumulation area (SAA). Inspect the waste periodically to ensure that the containers are closed and free of leaks. Do not store the waste in a location that could create a trip hazard, block the exit, or block access to emergency equipment. Signage: Post signage for the Hazardous Waste Storage Area. Waste containers must be marked with the words Lab Hazardous Waste and a waste tag or label must be securely attached.

7 Hazard Waste Tags/Labels Hazardous waste tags/labels must be filled out by the waste generator at the time the waste is added to the container and must include the following information: Chemical Name: Write the full chemical name (no formulas, abbreviations, or structures) for all components, including water. Indicate the concentration of each chemical (percent, molarity, ppm, etc.). Indicate the total amount (volume or mass) of each chemical in the container. Indicate water for aqueous waste and test the ph. Write the hazard classification (flammable, corrosive, toxic, oxidizer, heavy metals, etc.). Indicate the person generating the waste and the location. Write the date when the waste is first added to the container.

8 Must have Indicate concentration, if dilute (%, M, ppm, etc.) Estimate the amount of each chemical (mass, volume) Initial if multiple people are adding waste List all components Full chemical name, no formulas etc. Generator, and location hydrochloric acid 0.1M 100ml smt caffeine trace methanol 70% 2L ethyl acetate 1L sodium sulfate 5g sodium carbonate accumulation 2g water start date 700ml CHM 237 NSB 202 Joe Smith 7/1/18 Chemistry flammable 3.8L Hazard information: Corrosive with ph for aqueous, Toxic, Flammable, Reactive, Oxidizer REG: regular used waste UNP: unused pure product LCO: Lab cleanout Incomplete information could present a serious safety threat to lab personnel and disposal vendors handling the waste. Please make sure that the tag is complete, accurate, and legible.

9 A bit more on laboratory labeling Always label containers used to hold ALL chemical substances, including water! Unlabeled containers are often found in a lab, usually after the research personnel have vacated the space! It is very expensive to dispose of unknown solutions, not to mention that someone else will ultimately have to clean up and dispose of your abandoned materials. Make sure to label everything and follow the disposal procedures to clean up solutions when you complete the research project. Lab inspections often result in violations for missing labels. If there is an emergency in the lab, responders on site have to know what they are dealing with. If it isn t labeled, they won t know what it is!

10 Chemical Waste Segregation Keep the following waste streams separate whenever possible to ensure safe handling and cost-effective disposal: Bases, caustics Flammable liquids: non-halogenated solvents Halogenated solvents Inorganic acids (collect hydrofluoric acid separately) Organic acids Oxidizers (collect nitric acid separately) Reactive materials (air or water reactive) Flammable Solids Toxic heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, lead, nickel, etc.) Pesticides and herbicides Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins

11 Guidelines for Cost-Effective Waste Disposal Fill the container but leave at least 10% headspace to prevent expansion breakage during storage and transport. A small amount of waste within a larger container costs the same to dispose of as if the container were full. Example, if a full 5-gal pail of waste costs $100, the same fee will be charged if it only contains 1 gallon! Choose an appropriate size of container for the generated waste. List each chemical component and its respective concentration. Example, 1% silver nitrate in 0.1M nitric acid. Identify unknown chemicals. Unknown materials are very expensive to dispose of. Label everything in the lab, including water, to avoid discovering unknowns in the future!

12 Guidelines for Cost-Effective Waste Disposal Listed Acute Waste Certain chemicals are classified as acutely hazardous waste (P-List) and must be handled separately. There are strict regulations regarding the quantity of these chemicals allowed to be stored as waste. Contact the Safety Office if more than one quart (2.2lbs, 1Kg) of a listed waste is present in a lab. P-List chemicals can be reviewed here. Some common materials include arsenic salts, cyanide salts, acrolein, & phenylthiourea. Identify any acutely hazardous P-List chemicals as either used or unused commercial product. Mixed waste streams containing any P-List used chemical must include the % composition within the mixture. Example: A 4L container labeled as phenylthiourea will flag the waste as P-list acute waste because it is labeled as pure product and will be over the threshold limit for our generator status! The same waste container labeled correctly as used 1% phenylthiourea will not be included in the threshold quantity limit because it is labeled as a used chemical. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO NOT GO OVER THE THRESHOLD LIMIT FOR P-LIST ACUTE HAZARD WASTE!

13 Waste Minimization The most significant impact departments can have on hazardous waste costs is to reduce the volume of waste required to be handled. Every effort should be made to minimize the amount of hazardous waste generated. Practice inventory control. Purchase only what is needed and avoid over purchasing in bulk quantities. Redistribute excess materials to other labs. Substitute with non-hazardous materials whenever possible. Reuse of materials through redesign of experiments and processes. Decontaminate, detoxify, neutralize, or otherwise render the waste non-hazardous as a final step of a process in the generating laboratory. Practice good housekeeping and safe handling to avoid spill cleanup waste.

14 Common Waste Violations Some of the most commonly cited violations of chemical waste regulations include: Open containers or lids not screwed on tightly (a funnel in the bottle is not considered a closed container). Missing or incomplete labels for chemical identification. Lack of secondary containment. Satellite accumulation area (SAA) with a quantity greater than 55 gallons or more than 1 Kg of acute listed waste. Storage area creates a trip hazard, blocks the exit, or hinders access to emergency equipment. Waste accumulated for longer than 12 months.

15 Empty Container Disposal Empty containers can be cleaned and recycled (glass, plastic, metal). A chemical container is considered empty if: No liquid drains out when the container is tilted upside down No more liquid or solid can be physically removed Aerosol cans must be completely discharged of contents and pressure Triple rinse the container and collect the rinseate as waste. Cross out the label and write empty, remove the lid, and place in the appropriate recycling bin. The original content label must still be legible. Containers of acutely hazardous P-listed chemicals cannot be recycled and must be disposed of as hazard waste. College of Arts and Sciences: Notify the chemical stockroom with the barcode information to retire the chemical.

16 Broken Glassware Sharps should be placed in an approved sharps container that is closable, puncture resistant, leak-proof, and appropriately labeled. Discard non-contaminated broken glassware into an approved glass disposal box that is lined with a thick plastic bag. Never place broken glass in the regular trash. Broken glassware should be handled with a mechanical device (forceps or a broom and dustpan) rather than directly with your hands. When the glass disposal box is full, tie the bag and securely tape the lid in place so the contents cannot fall out. The box is picked up by housekeeping staff and disposed of in the landfill. Chemical contaminated glass should be collected in a separate sharps container, securely closed, labeled with contents, and disposed of as hazardous waste.

17 Complete the training quiz to receive credit for the Hazard Waste Management Course. If you have any questions regarding this training or have any other safety concerns, please contact the Office of Safety and Risk Management at