If you hire contractors or invite vendors to work on campus, you need to know about chemical hazard communication (HazCom) requirements. The Washington state HazCom standard requires that:
- The UW must inform contractors of potential chemical hazards in the work area, how chemicals are labeled, and how to access safety data sheets for chemicals they may encounter.
- Contractors must inform the UW of any hazardous chemicals they will bring on the UW site; provide safety data sheets and information on quantities, labeling, storage, and transportation of chemicals.
This requirement includes contractors or vendors that may do repairs and maintenance work on equipment and facilities, construction, plumbing, electrical, painting, janitorial or other activities. It also includes vendors that maintain, calibrate, test and repair all types of equipment and instrumentation.
There is no exemption from this HazCom requirement based on the value or duration of the project or service, or whether or not there is a contract, including contractors or vendors paid with a ProCard!
Furthermore, if you hire a contractor or vendor to conduct work in an area where building materials such as floors and walls may be impacted, you must determine and inform the contractor of the presence of any regulated building materials (e.g. asbestos, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls, etc.) that may require special procedures. If needed, request this information from the UW Regulated Material Management Office at asbestos@uw.edu.
For more information, see the new Contractors and HazCom focus sheet, which explains the requirements for communicating hazard information with your contractors and vendors before the project begins.
Contact EH&S at ehsdept@uw.edu or 206.543.7262 with any questions.