EHSO GUIDANCE DOCUMENT - FINAL DISPOSAL OF LAB EQUIPMENT

Transcription

1 EHSO Guidance Document for Labs Final Disposal of Laboratory Equipment It is the responsibility of individual laboratories and departments to ensure that laboratory equipment is rendered to a reasonable safe condition prior to disposal. The following information is intended to assist laboratory staff render equipment safe for disposal. Only knowledgeable lab staff should be assigned to perform the following General (applicable to all lab equipment) Remove or drain any part of the equipment that contains hazardous materials. This may include samples, free liquid, vials, etc Disconnect power and release or restrain any stored energy from equipment before cleaning. Follow appropriate Lockout/ Tagout procedures if applicable. All equipment must be appropriately decontaminated. Decontaminate for Chemical, Biological or radiological contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO ( ) for additional information. Minimum requirement is a wipe down with soap and water. Some equipment contains refrigerant (Freon). This refrigerant must be removed prior to disposal. See the Additional Work Required by Physical Plant section on the form. Do not permit disposal of refrigerated equipment unless it has a sticker affixed indicating ODS Decommissioned System with the certification number of the technician handwritten on the sticker. Some equipment may contain hazardous materials necessary for operation. This could include: lead, mercury, mercury switches, oil or radioactive sources. Reference your equipment operation manual or contact the manufacturer if you are unsure if these are present. If you are unable to safely remove these materials for disposal, contact EHSO ( ) for assistance. Asbestos Containing Materials (ACM) can be present in old lab equipment. Please review the images at the end of this document for typical ACM found in lab equipment. Contact EHSO ( ) if any of your equipment contains ACM. Submit a Final Disposal of Equipment Form along with an Asset Disposal Advice Form. Both forms are to be submitted to Capital Asset Management. For items where radioactive chemicals have been used or stored that are marked with the radiation warning symbol wipe tests must be done and documented according to UM Radiation Safety Manual, RSP-430. Only persons listed as Designated Workers on a current Radioisotope Permit should be handling (cleaning or performing wipe tests) on potentially radioactive items or areas. Incubators Relocate or dispose of any liquids/chemicals in unit. Decontaminate for Chemical, Biological or Radiological contamination as appropriate. requirement is to surface disinfection (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol) any accessible surfaces. Ensure all water is removed from water jacket. 1

2 Fume Hoods All hazardous materials (Chemical, Biological and Radiological) must be relocated or disposed. If contaminates are present in un-accessible areas, contact EHSO ( ). Remove all signs/labels or signage. Notify Physical Plant ( ) and EHSO ( ) if the fumehood was used for perchloric acid digestions or any other activities that involved heating perchloric acid. No work is to proceed in the fumehood until a further assessment of the hood is performed jointly by EHSO and Physical Plant. Notify EHSO that the fume hood is being disposed (for inventory control purposes). Liquid Scintillation Counters and Gamma Counters Only persons listed as Designated Workers on a current Radioisotope Permit should ensure the absence of radioactive contamination in preparation for disposal or moving. For items where radioactive chemicals have been used, wipe tests must be done and documented according to UM Radiation Safety Manual, RSP-430. Relocate or dispose of any liquids/chemicals in unit. Decontaminate for chemical, biological or radiological contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO for additional information. Minimum requirement is to wipe down with soap and water any surfaces that workers may contact. Contact EHSO at prior to disposal. Sealed radioactive sources (if present) and lead shielding must be removed prior to disposal. The radioactive source will be disposed by EHSO and the lead will be left beside the unit to be recycled by Physical Plant. X-ray equipment as identified with yellow sticker Prior to disposing or moving to another room, contact EHSO radiation Safety ( ) to update your X-ray permit. Decontaminate for chemical, biological or radiological contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO for additional information. Minimum requirement is to wipe down with soap and water any surfaces that workers may contact. Consult operating manual or contact manufacturer to identify if heavy metals (lead, or a beryllium window are present in some research units Beryllium is not typically in unit designed to X-ray humans) are present in unit. If beryllium may be present, contact EHSO ( ) to arrange for disposal. If lead is present, refer to the section on lead in this document. As per the Public Health Act MR341/88R, the unit MUST be rendered inoperable prior to disposal. Balances Some balances may contain radioactive anti-static devices (models made by Metzler have been indentified at the UofM in the past). Consult with the manufacturer to confirm the presence or absence of a radioactive source. If unable to contact manufacturer, if any doubt exists on the presence of a source, or for assistance with radioactive anti-static devices contact EHSO ( ). Decontaminate for Chemical, Biological or radiological surface contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO ( ) for additional information. Minimum 2

3 Lasers Contact EHSO ( ) prior to disposing of a Class 3B or 4, open beam or embedded laser unit (identified with yellow sticker). Relocate or dispose of any liquids/chemicals in unit. Consult operating manual or contact manufacturer to identify if heavy metals (beryllium, cadmium etc ) are present in unit. Contact EHSO ( ) for disposal if present. Refrigerated units must have Freon drained prior to disposal. See the Additional Work Required by Physical Plant section on the form. Cryogens (such as liquid nitrogen) must be removed by lab staff. Notify EHSO that laser is being disposed ( ). Biological Safety Cabinets Decontaminate for Chemical, Biological or Radiological contamination as appropriate. requirement is to surface clean and disinfect (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol) all internal and external surfaces that workers may contact. Contract CON-TEST for internal formaldehyde decontamination. Post a copy of the ConTest report on BSC sash. Surface clean and disinfect external surfaces (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol) Amend your biological safety permit to indicate that the Biosafety cabinet has been disposed (remove it from your permit). Remove all hazard signage. Clean Benches (Vertical or Horizontal Laminar flow benches) If this unit was used to prevent the spread of biological agents (I.E if bio contaminants were drawn into the unit filters), Contract CON-TEST for internal formaldehyde decontamination. Post a copy of the ConTest report on BSC sash. If this unit was used to prevent the introduction of biological contaminants (I.E. filters were used to filter room air entering the unit), decontaminate inside surfaces for chemical, biological or radiological contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO ( ) for additional information. If this unit was used to prevent the spread of chemical or radiological agents (I.E. if contaminants were drawn into the unit filters), contact EHSO ( ) to discuss decontamination options. Surface disinfect external surfaces (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol). Remove all hazard signage. Glove Boxes Determine any source of internal contamination. 3

4 Centrifuges, Freeze Dryers, Rotaevaporators, Cryostats Relocate or dispose of any liquids/chemicals in unit. Refrigerated units must have refrigerant (Freon) drained prior to disposal. See the Additional Work Required by Physical Plant section on the form. Do not permit disposal of refrigerated equipment unless it has a sticker affixed indicating ODS Decommissioned System with the certification number of the technician handwritten on the sticker. Vacuum Pumps Most vacuum pumps contain oil that may contain other contaminants. Remove the oil and dispose as hazardous waste. Water Baths Relocate or dispose of any liquids/chemicals from the equipment. Autoclaves Decontaminate unit for any biological contaminants. If unit is operating properly, simply running the unit should suffice for internal decontamination. If the last cycle cannot be proven successful, internal surface decontamination will be required (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol). For external decontamination the minimum requirement is to surface clean and disinfect (1:5 dilution of bleach solution or 70% alcohol) all accessible surfaces. Decontaminate for Chemical or radiological contamination as appropriate. Consult MSDS or contact EHSO ( ) for additional information. Contact EHSO ( ) to report disposal of unit for Inventory control purposes. Small Lab Appliances (hot plates, stirrer, ph meter, microwaves, etc ) Sinks and associated appliances (faucets, sprayers, washers, etc ) If azides or mercury have been disposed or lost down the drain contact EHSO ( ) for additional information. Flush drain with water for 15 minutes. Obviously, if the sink is plugged do not attempt to flush it and contact Physical Plant. 4

5 Refrigerators/Freezers Empty refrigerator/freezer including removing all chemical, biological or Radiological materials. If equipment was used in room where biological material was used, wipe down outside with 1:5 dilution of bleach solution. Remove all hazard labels after appropriate cleaning. Contact Physical Plant to have refrigerant (Freon) drained prior to disposal. See the Additional Work Required by Physical Plant section on the form. Do not permit disposal of the unit unless it has a sticker affixed indicating ODS Decommissioned System with the certification number of the technician handwritten on the sticker. Lab Furnishings _Cupboards, Shelving, Benches Cold Rooms Lead Lead is a heavy metal that can be easily recycled instead of being sent off for hazardous waste disposal. Contact Physical Plant to have lead recycled. 5

6 Asbestos Containing Materials Transite panels Normally unpainted, these appear as grey cementitious panels. They were installed for heat or chemical resistance. Most commonly found inside old drying ovens and chemical fumehoods, but could also be present in other types of equipment. Under normal conditions these pose no hazard to occupants in the lab. They require special handling for removal or disposal only. Gasket material Off white (slightly rough textured) textile. Not to be confused with the very smooth plastic gaskets also found on old equipment. Commonly found on the door of old ovens. Under normal conditions these pose no hazard to occupants in the lab. They require special handling for removal or disposal only. Wire sheath Textile cover on electrical wiring. Most commonly found on power cords but can also be found in other parts of equipment. Under normal conditions these pose no hazard to occupants in the lab. They require special handling for removal or disposal only. 6