EH&S staff had an opportunity to speak with compliance inspector Chad Fisher from the Washington State Department of Ecology regarding three of the most common hazardous waste violations he's encountered at the UW. As it turns out, the majority of these violations are easily preventable and making simple corrections contributes to a safer lab environment.
Petzl issued a Safety Alert with a request for inspection following reports of slippage and identification of defects in the release levers on ZIGZAG, ZIGZAG PLUS and ZILLON products.
This information concerns only the following products: ZIGZAG (D022AA00), ZIGZAG PLUS (D022BA00), ZILLON (L22A 025, L22A 040, L22A 055) with serial numbers between 18L and 21G.
Updated 1/21/22
There has been a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant. Vaccines are doing their job to protect against severe illness, hospitalizations, and deaths; however, breakthrough infections in people who are fully vaccinated and boosted can occur. Continuing to use multiple layers of protection is more important than ever.
Use extra caution while walking at University locations during wet and icy weather. Check the UW Alert Blog and the Snow Removal Progress Map (as appropriate) to check conditions before arriving on the Seattle campus.
EH&S has developed a new document Anesthetic Gases: Safe Use Guidelines and an Anesthetic Gases webpage to help users of anesthetic gases understand the potential health effects from exposure to anesthetic gases, and to provide guidance on minimizing potential exposures. These gases can be separated into two categories: Halogenated anesthetic gases/vapors and nitrous oxide.
EH&S and UW-IT have collaborated to modernize MyChem, the UW’s chemical inventory tracking system, to provide a more reliable and effective tool with a modern interface that allows users more control over their inventories.
The launch of the modernized MyChem will occur in early 2022. After launch, the new MyChem URL will be https://mychem.ehs.washington.edu. (A notice will be posted at the old URL sending users to the new URL.)
EH&S has autoclave tools to assist you including general autoclave safety guidelines, autoclaving biohazardous waste guidelines with template SOP, both with step-by-step instructions for autoclave users.
Harken Industrial™ issued a Product Inspection Notice for CMC CLUTCH™ units after identifying a number of units that may have shipped without the stainless steel Friction Shoe installed. While a missing Friction Shoe does not present an immediate safety concern, there may be impacts to long-term device durability and performance.
Store waste at near 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.
Follow these steps to help you safely prepare and serve your next holiday meal.
1. CLEAN: Wash your hands for 20 seconds with soap and hot water before, during, and after preparing food, and before eating.
