EH&S is a University administrative unit that assists organizational units in meeting their responsibility to protect the environment and to provide a safe and healthful place for employment and learning.
One of the principal goals of general anesthesia is to prevent patients, both human and animal, from feeling pain during surgery. A common method of anesthesia is the purposeful inhalation of a gas that is known to provide general sedative effects and/or induce unconsciousness. These gases can be separated into two categories: Halogenated anesthetic gases/vapors and nitrous oxide. These may be administered in combination to produce surgical levels of anesthesia.
Store waste at or near the generation point: Regulations require all hazardous waste be stored “at or near” its point of generation. In most circumstances, if you have to leave the room or go through a door to get to the storage location (prior to pickup by EH&S), then it is not at or near the point of generation.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published updated regulations manuals for 2022, which may impact University units that ship dangerous goods by air. The list of regulation changes on the IATA website address shipping lithium batteries, infectious substances, and live animals. We have listed below the most relevant changes related to certain types of lithium batteries:
UW personnel commonly order liquid nitrogen (LN2) from suppliers such as Airgas Inc. and Praxair (aka Linde Welding Gas and Equipment Center) for cryogenic storage used to preserve biological samples.
Airgas recently notified the University that as of January 1, 2022, Airgas staff will no longer perform the following services:
As the UW is safely returning to on-site work and instructional activities, it’s a great time for our campus partners to consider ways you can help us collect your hazardous chemical waste faster.
Here are some tips to speed up the chemical waste collection process:
Use and dispensing of flammable liquids presents fire and explosion hazards to facilities and occupants. Proper grounding and bonding limits the potential of static electrical spark during dispensing.
University personnel have the following options for getting rid of hazardous materials and potentially contaminated supplies and equipment.
Note: Not all options are available for all items.
1. SURPLUS IT.
Keeping your safety documents up to date and easily accessible are key for staying safe.
Chemical Hygiene Plans (CHPs) include lab-specific information and relevant documents in addition to the UW Laboratory Safety Manual (LSM) provided by EH&S. This information must be reviewed at least annually and is necessary to fulfill WAC 296-828-20005. Read the Creatiing Electronic Chemical Hygiene Plans focus sheet for more information and instructions on creating one for your lab.
