epa audit toolkit - uab

TheEPAComplianceToolkit

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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

[email protected]

epa audit toolkit - uab

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