epa audit toolkit - uab
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TheEPAComplianceToolkit
TheProgramRecently,theEPAhasdirectedenforcementinitiativesatcollegesanduniversitiesandtheresulthasbeensignificantfinesandpenaltiesonschoolsinthenortheasternandmid‐westEPAregions.Largerfineshaverangedfrom$500,000tomorethan$2millioninrecentmulti‐mediainspections(ajointapproachtoseveralenvironmentalmedia,suchasair,water,andland).NowtheEPAhasfocuseditsattentiononthesoutheast.Inanefforttobothcomplywithregulationsandavoidpotentiallysignificantfines,UABisparticipatinginanewcooperativeprogramwithEPAandothercollegesanduniversitiesinthesoutheast.ReferredtoastheEPAVoluntaryComplianceProgram,itallowsparticipatingschoolsintheregiontoessentiallyinspecteachotherusingtheirowntrainedauditorsandexpertconsultants.Then,thecollegeoruniversityself‐reportstotheEPAanyviolationsfoundandaplantocorrecttheproblems,withtheunderstandingthatthismaymitigateEPAimposedfines.UABisscheduledforourfirstin‐depthpeerauditinthespringof2009andwillincludecampuslaboratories,maintenanceareasandequipment,artdepartments,aswellasareaswherewegenerate,manageorstoreregulatedwaste.FacultyandstaffwillbeaskedquestionsandbeaskedtoproducetrainingrecordsorotherdocumentationrelatedtoanEPAaudit.However,wedohavealittletimetopreparebeforetheinspectionteamarrives.Tohelpwithpreparation,UABOccupationalHealthandSafety(OH&S)beganmeetingwithdepartmentsallovercampus,offeringtrainingprogramsanddistributinga“toolkit”ofinformationtohelpaffecteddepartmentspreparefortheinspectionandmaintainongoingcompliancewithEPAregulations.IfyouhavequestionsconcerningtheEPAPeerAuditProgramandwouldliketoknowhowitmightimpactyouoryourdepartment,youcanvisittheOH&Swebsitewww.healthsafe.uab.eduorcall934‐2487.
TheauditiscurrentlyscheduledforMarch30ththroughApril3,2009.
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TheauditprocessThefollowingisabriefdescriptionoftheEPAPeerAuditprocessthatisscheduledtotakeplaceontheUABcampusinthespringof2009:
Ascheduleandthelocationsofcampusspaces\areasthataretobeauditedwillbedistributedtothecampuscommunitypriortothestartdateoftheaudits.
Theoutsideauditors,consultantsandUABOH&SstaffwhohavebeentrainedintheEPApeerauditprocesswillsetupanAuditCommandCentertocoordinatethecampusinspections.
UABOH&SstaffwillalwaysescortEPAPeerAuditorsandconsultantsduringtheinspections.
Auditorswillaskspecificquestionsrelatedtothetypeofworkthatisperformedinanyinspectedspace\area.Anyoneworkingintheareamaybeaskedquestions.DatacollectedduringtheauditwillbeusedtogenerateafinalreportthatwillbesubmittedtotheEPA.
Theauditorswilladdressthemaincomplianceitemslistedbelow:
• Medicalorinfectiouswaste,• Hazardouswaste
• Managementofsatelliteaccumulationareas• Universalwaste• Trainingwithemphasison:
Documentation Propersignage Labeling
Storage Wastecontainermanagement
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Whatareyourresponsibilities?Regulationsarewritteninsuchawaythatfinesandpenaltiesmaybeleviedagainstaninstitutionortheresearcher,asthegeneratorofhazardouswaste.ThishashappenedmanytimesinthepastanditisthereforeextremelyimportanttoadheretothepoliciesestablishedintheChemicalSafetyandWasteManagementManual.Somethingsyoushouldbeawareofinclude:• Besureeveryoneinyourareahavingresponsibilityforhazardouswastehandlinghasbeenproperly
trainedaccordingtoinstructionsinthemanualandthattraininghasbeendocumented.
• Ensurethatbottlesorcollectioncontainersareingoodconditionandarecompatiblewiththematerialbeingcontainedinthem.Collectioncontainersmustbeclosedatalltimesunlessyouareaddingwaste.
• Keepwastetypesseparatedtothefullestextentpossible.(e.g.donotmixsolventwastewithmetalwasteunlessitisanintegralpartoftheexperiment).
• Labelthecontainerwiththecontentsofthewasteassoonaswasteisadded.Beasspecificaspossibleastocontentandpercentagesofchemicalscontainedinwaste.Alabelthatsays“organicwasteorsolvents”isnotallowed
• Datethecontainerwhenitis90to95%fullanddonotoverfillcontainers.
• Besureandmaintainallmanifestrecordsonpastdisposalstothewastefacilityandrememberthatwastethatiscorrosive,reactive,ignitable(flammable)orcontainsatoxicconstituentsuchaslead,chromium,silver,chloroform,benzeneisconsideredhazardousandmustbemanifestedtothewastefacility.IfyouareunsureifamaterialormixtureofchemicalsisahazardouswastepleasecontacttheHazardousMaterialsFacilityat4‐3797orChemicalSafetyat4‐2487
• Storewasteinasecurelocationunderstrictcontroloflaboratorystaffandawayfromhighfoottraffic.
Labauditshaveindicatedthatimproperlabeling,opencontainers,andcontainersinpoorconditionarethemorenoteditemsthatneedattention.Rememberthatsignsofspilledmaterialatthebaseofcontainersareindicationsofapotentialreleasetotheenvironmentintheeyesofaregulatoryofficial.ShouldyouhaveanyotherquestionsorneedassistancepleasecontactChemicalSafetyat4‐2487.
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TrainingforLabs
Traininglabpersonnelontheproperhandlingofhazardouschemicalsandhazardouswastedoesn’thavetobetime‐consuming.Thistypeoftraining,however,isanannualrequirementoftheResourceConservationandRecoveryAct(RCRA)andtheOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration(OSHA).Trainingcantaketheformofclassroomtraining,web‐basedtrainingandevenon‐thejobtraining.Butitmustalwaysbedocumented.
• Onlyindividualswhoaretrainedinthehazardsofthematerialstheycouldbeusingshouldbepermittedtousethesematerials.MSDSsprovidesupplementalinformation,butshouldnotbeusedinlieuof
formaltraining.
• Trainingshouldincludetheuseandselectionofproperpersonalprotectiveequipment;laboratorysafetyequipment,suchasfumehoods,emergencyeyewashandshowerunits;emergencyevacuationroutes
andspillresponseprocedures.
• Personsworkinginlaboratoriesshouldbetrained,beforetheystartwork,inallaspectsoflaboratorysafety,includinglaboratory‐specificpractices.
• Annualtrainingprogramsforlaboratoryworkersshouldbeconducted.Integrationintolaboratoryorientationandotherannualprogramsshouldbeconsidered.
AllrequiredtrainingisavailablethroughOH&S.Pleasegotowww.healthsafe.uab.eduandclickontheEducationandTrainingtabformoreinformation.
TrainingforNon‐LabAreas
Trainingpersonnelontheproperhandlingofhazardouschemicalsandhazardouswastedoesn’thavetobetime‐consuming.Thistypeoftraining,however,isanannualrequirementoftheResourceConservationandRecoveryAct(RCRA)andtheOccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration(OSHA).Trainingcantaketheformofclassroomtraining,web‐basedtrainingandevenon‐thejobtraining.Butitmustalwaysbedocumented.
• Onlyindividualswhoaretrainedinthehazardsofthematerialstheycouldbeusingshouldbepermittedtousethesematerials.MSDSsprovidesupplementalinformation,butshouldnotbeusedinlieuofformaltraining.
• Trainingshouldincludetheuseandselectionofproperpersonalprotectiveequipment;safetyequipment,suchasfumehoods,emergencyeyewashandshowerunits;emergencyevacuationroutesandspillresponseprocedures.
• Personsworkinginareaswherehazardouschemicalsareusedshouldbetrained,beforetheystartwork,inallaspectsofsafety,includingjob‐specificpractices.
• Annualtrainingprogramsforworkersshouldbeconducted.Integrationintoorientationandother
annualprogramsshouldbeconsidered.
AllrequiredtrainingisavailablethroughOH&S.Pleasegotowww.healthsafe.uab.eduandclickontheEducationandTrainingtabformoreinformation.
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WhatwillIbeasked?
Anyoneinyourworkareacouldbeaskedquestionsoraskedtoproducedocumentationaspartoftheaudit.Someexamplesinclude:
1. Doyouhavewrittenmanifestsforhazardouswasteyouhavedisposedof?Youmusthavethree(3)yearsofrecordsreadilyavailable.
2. Doyouhaveawrittenorelectronicchemicalinventory?
3. AnycontrolledsubstancesonsitethatrequireaDEAlicense?
4. Whatwastesaregeneratedonsite?
5. Doyouhavedocumentationofproperchemicalandhazardouswastetrainingforallappropriatestaff?
6. Doyouhaveasatelliteaccumulationareaforhazardouschemicaland/oruniversalwaste?
7. Arewastesproperlypackaged,labeledandunderrequiredvolumelimits?
8. Howdoyouhandlespillsofhazardousmaterials?
9. Whatareyouallowedtopourdownthesink?
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ChemicalInventory
LaboratoriesatUABarenowbeingaskedtosubmitcopiesoftheirchemicalinventoriesduringlaboratorysafetyaudits.Abasicinventoryonlyrequiresafewelements:
1. Nameofthematerial—thisisthecommonnameofthematerial.Whileabbreviationsandchemicalformulascanbeincluded,theyarenotasubstituteforthenameofthematerial.
2. CASnumber—MostoftheregulationsUABmustcomplywithuseCASnumbersastheprimaryidentificationformaterials.CASnumbersareuniqueidentifiersforchemicals.TheCASnumberconsistsofthreesetsofnumbersseparatedbydashesandmaybeinsidebrackets(ex.:water‐[7732‐18‐5]).Achemicalmayhaveseveraldifferentnames,butitwillonlyhaveoneCASnumber.SomematerialswillnothaveCASnumbers,soincludeanotation(ex.:N/A)ontheinventory.CASnumbersareincludedonMSDSs,mostlabelsandarefrequentlyincludedincatalogentries.
3. Quantityonhand—anexactquantityisnotnecessary.Justlistthecontainersizeandnumberofcontainers.
4. Location—thebuildingandroomnumberaresufficient.
5. Contactinformation—thenameandphonenumberofsomeonewhowillbeavailableandcananswerquestionsabouttheinventory.
Theinventoryshouldincludeallchemicalsinthelaboratory.Whileotherinformationcanbeincluded(ex.:vendor;specificlocationwithinthelab),itisnotnecessary.Theinventoryshouldbeupdatedasneededtoaddorremovematerialsandincludethedateofthelastupdate.
Note:Youwillbecitedforold,accumulatedorlegacychemicalsregardlessofwheretheyarestored.Packandmanifestoutdatedchemicalsforpick‐upanddisposal.
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Whatcangodownthedrain?
ItisUABpolicythatnochemicalsbedisposedof“downthedrain”withoutPRIORAPPROVALfromtheDepartmentofOccupationalHealthandSafety.Theonlyexceptionisfordraincleanersandothercleaningproductsexpresslydesignedforuseinorwithplumbingfixtures.Federal,Stateandlocallawsstrictlyregulatethedisposalofallchemicalandotherpotentiallyhazardouswaste.Seriouspenalties,includingfinesandimprisonment,canresultfromimproperwastedisposal.Allchemicals,evenverysmallamountsshouldbehandledthroughUAB’shazardouswastesystem.Centrifugetubes,andothercontainerswithsmallamountsofxylene,phenol,orotherchemicalsshouldbeemptiedintoacollectioncontainerbeforebeingautoclavedordisposedofthroughtheredbarrelwastesystem.Thecollectioncontainershouldbelabeledaswasteandhavealistingofthematerialsitcontains.MoreinformationonchemicalwastedisposalcanbefoundontheOH&Swebsiteathttp://www.healthsafe.uab.edu/pages/chemicalsafety/chemicalsafety.html.Sometimesawastewillhavemorethanonetypeofhazard,suchasbiohazard/chemical,radioactive/chemicalorbiohazard/radioactive.WhendealingwithamixedwastecontacttheDepartmentofOccupationalHealthandSafetyat934‐2487forguidance.
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ManagingHazardousWaste
Somethingsyoushouldbeawareofinclude:
• BesureeveryoneinyourareahavingresponsibilityforhazardouswastehandlinghasbeenproperlytrainedaccordingtoinstructionsintheChemicalSafetyandWasteManagementManualandthattraininghasbeendocumentedbytakingtheon‐lineCS055courseontheOH&Swebsitehttp://www.healthsafe.uab.edu/pages/educationandtraining/hazwastetraining.html.
• Ensurethatbottlesorcollectioncontainersareingoodconditionandarecompatiblewiththematerialbeingcontainedinthem.Collectioncontainersmustbeclosedatalltimesunlessyouareaddingwaste.
• Keepwastetypesseparatedtothefullestextentpossible.(e.g.donotmixsolventwastewithmetalwasteunlessitisanintegralpartoftheexperiment).
• Labelthecontainerwiththecontentsofthewasteassoonaswasteisadded.Beasspecificaspossibleastocontentandpercentagesofchemicalscontainedinwaste.Alabelthatsays“organicwasteorsolvents”isnotallowed
• Datethecontainerwhenitis90to95%fullanddonotoverfillcontainers.
• Besureandmaintainallmanifestrecordsonpastdisposalstothewastefacilityandrememberthatwastethatiscorrosive,reactive,ignitable(flammable)orcontainsatoxicconstituentsuchaslead,chromium,silver,chloroform,orbenzeneisconsideredhazardousandmustbemanifestedtothewastefacility.IfyouareunsureifamaterialormixtureofchemicalsisahazardouswastepleasecontacttheHazardousMaterialsFacilityat4‐3797orChemicalSafetyat4‐2487
• Storewasteinasecurelocationunderstrictcontroloflaboratorystaff.Keepwasteawayfromhighfoottrafficareas.
Recentspotchecksinbuildingshaveindicatedthatimproperlabeling,opencontainers,andcontainersinpoorconditionarethemorenoteditemsthatneedattention.Rememberthatsignsofspilledmaterialatthebaseofcontainersareindicationsofapotentialreleasetotheenvironmentintheeyesofaregulatoryofficial.
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SatelliteAccumulationAreas
ASatelliteAccumulationAreaisadesignatedareanearaprocessorlocationthatgenerateshazardouswastewherewastesarestoreduntiltheyaremovedtotheHazardousMaterialsFacility.TheSatelliteAccumulationAreamustbeatornearthepointofwastegenerationanditmustbeunderthecontroloftheoperator(PrincipleInvestigatororlabmanager)oftheprocessthatisgeneratingthewaste.
Federalregulationsallowgenerators(thelab)tostoreupto55gallonsofhazardouswasteoronequartofanacutelyhazardouswasteinthesatelliteaccumulationarea.Thereisnolimitontheamountoftimetoaccumulatethewaste.However,onceacontainerisconsideredfull,thelabhas72hourstohavethecontainertransferredtotheHazardousMaterialsFacility.Keyelementsinclude:
• Thehazardouswasteisstoredincontainersatornearthepointofgeneration.
• Nomorethan55gallonsofhazardouswaste(oronequartofacutelyhazardouswaste)isstoredateachgenerationpoint.
• Whilethefacilityisoperating,thestoredhazardouswasteisunderthecontroloftheoperatoroftheprocessgeneratingthewaste.
• Storagecontainersareingoodconditionandcompatiblewiththewaste.
• Storagecontainersarekeptclosedexceptwhenwasteisaddedorremoved.
• Storagecontainersarelabeledwiththewords"HazardousWaste"orwithotherwordsthatidentifythecontents.
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Signage
Signsareusedtowarnemployeesofchemicalandphysicaldangers,suchasdesignatedareaswherecarcinogensorhighlytoxicchemicalsareusedorstored.PrincipalInvestigators,laboratorymanagersordesigneemustpostallhighhazardareasorhazardouschemicalstorageareaswiththepropersigns.Emergencyphonenumbersandemergencycontactnumbersofatleasttwo(2)responsiblepeople,withknowledgeofthecontentsofthelaboratory,mustbepostedonalllaboratorydoors.Someonemustbeavailableatalltimestoanswerquestionsinanemergency.EmergencynotificationsignsareavailablefromtheDepartmentofOccupationalHealthandSafety(934‐2487).
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Labelingofchemicals
Labelsonpurchasedchemicalsmustinclude:
1.Thecommonnameofthechemical
2.Thename,addressandemergencyphonenumberofthecompanyresponsiblefortheproduct
3.Anappropriatehazardwarning
Thewarningmaybeasingleword‐"danger","warning"and"caution"‐ormayidentifytheprimaryhazard,bothphysical(i.e.,waterreactive,flammableorexplosive)andhealth(i.e.,carcinogen,corrosive,orirritant).Mostlabelsprovideadditionalsafetyinformation,including,protectivemeasurestobeusedwhenhandlingthematerial,clothingthatshouldbeworn,firstaidinstructions,storageinformationandprocedurestofollowintheeventofafire,leakorspill.
Alllabelsmustremainattachedtotheoriginalcontainerandmustbelegible.
Ifachemicalistransferredtoanothercontainer,youmustlabelthenewcontainerwiththesameinformationlistedabove.
Toprintadditionalcopiesgoto:
www.healthsafe.uab.edu
Forquestionsorinformation:
934‐2487
or