APPLIES TO: All members of the University community.

PURPOSE

It is the policy of Humboldt State University to promote activities that protect the university faculty, staff, students, and the environment. The commission of Risk Management and Safety Services (RM&SS) is to ensure the safe and proper ordering, storage, labeling, collection, accumulation, packaging, and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes, and to provide the campus with procedures and processes that promote the safe, legal, efficient and ecologically sound disposal of hazardous wastes. To assist in accomplishing this goal, the HSU waste generators and chemical users shall cooperate with RM&SS and must abide by the RM&SS guidelines set forth to accomplish this task. This policy applies to all HSU state and auxiliary entities.

DEFINITIONS

• Biohazard Agent- a replication capable pathogen which is a disease causing microorganism and is capable of causing diseases in human including virus microbes and sub-viral agents, bacteria etc.
• Biohazard Material – are any materials contaminated with biohazards agents or that contain or are contaminated by blood, bodily fluids, tissue cultures, or pathological specimens that may be contaminated with biohazardous agents e.g. Medical Waste from the Student Health Center.
• CFL’s and Fluorescent Tubes- Mercury containing light bulbs
• E-waste- consumer and business goods at the end of their useful life. Some components of e-waste such a CRT’s are considered hazardous to the environment.
• Hazardous Material- any item or agent (biological, chemical or physical) - either stored or used, which has the potential to cause harm to humans, animals or the environment. When no longer intended for use, this material may become hazardous waste.
• Hazardous Waste –is a waste with a chemical composition or other properties that make it capable of causing illness, death, or some other harm to humans and other life forms when mismanaged or released into the environment. A waste is a hazardous waste if it is a listed waste, characteristic waste, used oil and mixed wastes. Specific procedures determine how waste is identified, classified, listed, and delisted.
• IIPP- Injury Illness Prevention Program is a dynamic management program for reducing the risks associated with workplace injuries and illnesses, and identifying what is required to promote the safety and health, and create an outline of policies and procedures to achieve safety and health goals.
• PPE-Personal Protective Equipment e.g. gloves, lab coats, safety glasses etc…
• RSO-Radiation Safety Officer
• SDS – Safety Data Sheet. A document provided by either the manufacturer or distributor of a chemical that provides safety information regarding the product.
• SOP-Standard Operating Procedure is established or prescribed method to be followed routinely for the performance of designated operations or in designated situations.
• Threshold Quantity- More than or equal to: 55 gallons of liquid, 500 pounds of solid or 200 cu.ft. of compressed gas.
• Universal Waste-Hazardous Waste such as: CFL’s, fluorescent tubes, batteries, and Mercury containing devices with amended rules for ease of handling and disposal and to promote recycling.

PROCEDURES

All Campus Employees and Applicable Students must:

• Ensure that the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for hazardous materials is consulted prior to use.
• Wear the appropriate PPE and follow the usage guidelines as specified in dept. procedures.
• Utilize SOPs for processes or designated operations where required.
• Purchase hazardous materials using the purchase requisition process to generate an official HSU Purchase Order. Exception: approved pro-card holders may purchase chemicals by acknowledging and following inventory management procedures and by adhering to the pro-card reporting requirements for tracking purchases.
• Make proper notification to EH&S as required when purchasing (or accepting) materials that are listed as requiring prior authorization and refrain from purchasing (or accepting) restricted or limited use materials wherever possible.
• Make proper notification when bringing threshold quantities of hazardous materials onto campus(or to any offsite location operated by HSU employees)
• Make proper notification when generating a new waste stream (or significant increase in volume), creating uncharacterized materials or if an acute waste or waste stream which is anticipated to be costly for disposal will be generated.
• Familiarize yourself with HSU’s Hazardous Materials handling storage and waste disposal procedures prior to utilizing material.
• Order only the amount of chemicals that your storage area can accommodate.
• Order only the amount of chemicals that can be used prior to the expiration date.
• Label hazardous materials and waste per appropriate Title 8 and Title 22 regulations.
• Comply with the requirements for hazardous materials management, including inventory requirements as applicable.
• Ensure that RM&SS is immediately contacted for the proper disposal of hazardous wastes and follow proper procedures.
• Ensure that RM&SS is immediately contacted for the proper disposal of all universal waste. Accumulating universal waste, in localized areas around campus is prohibited. (Prior authorization may be petitioned and granted on a case by case basis.)
• Contact RM&SS for proper clean-up (and disposal) procedures for broken CFL’s and tubes.
• Manage all biohazards and biohazard waste in accordance with regulations and follow proper campus approval procedures for working with biologicals.
• Obtain the appropriate authorization from the HSU RSO for the using and storing radiological materials on campus.
• Refrain from disposing of hazardous materials down drains, onto soil or any other locations on campus.
• Report any abandoned or unauthorized disposal of waste.

 Risk Management and Safety Services Office (RM&SS) must:

• Schedule removal of hazardous wastes from campus.
• Inspect areas where materials are used and stored.
• Manage hazardous waste and medical waste disposal contractor.
• Manage hazardous waste storage facility.
• Maintain hazardous waste disposal records.
• Update Hazardous Materials Management Program as needed.
• Provide hazardous materials purchase and use authorizations as necessary, including radiological and biological material.
• Provide information to staff on regulatory requirements.
• Provide additional resources as necessary for the use of hazardous materials i.e. Training, SOP development consultation, PPE assessment, storage requirements, use restrictions and engineering controls, etc.
• Provide hazardous waste tags and labeling as needed.
• Provide some waste containers. Contact RM&SS for available types of containers.
• Notify the appropriate Dean/Department Chair/Manager/Supervisor of inspection findings or any incident where corrective action is required.

Office of Sustainability must:

• Divert waste streams for recycling wherever possible i.e. ensuring that everything that can be recycled is recycled and not thrown in the trash.
• Dispose of campus e-Waste.
• Collect and dispose of waste from the e-cycling kiosks and deliver the necessary universal waste to RM&SS for disposal.
• Notify RM&SS if any hazardous material or waste is found in trash bins or dumpsters.
• Follow proper procedures for managing empty containers.

Deans/Department Chairs/Managers/Supervisors must:

• Ensure Implementation of both the department IIPP and Chemical Hygiene Plan as applicable.
• Ensure that all hazardous materials are purchased using approved mechanisms and are entered into inventory management database in a timely manner.
• Ensure that hazardous wastes under their control are routed to the RM&SS as indicated above.
• Ensure that all inspection findings referencing deficiencies involving hazardous materials or waste are addressed adequately and within the specified timeframe.
• Ensure that SOPs are developed for designated operations as specified by regulations and that they are consistently employed.
• Ensure that the appropriate PPE is being utilized by students, faculty and staff and that training requirements and usage guidelines are being met.
• Require faculty, staff and students who purchase or handle materials to receive appropriate training and enforce this requirement.

 HISTORY

Issued:

Reference

California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Section 66261.9
Code of Federal Regulations, 40 CFR Section261.
CA Code of Regulations, Title 8 section 5194
California legislation AB-2774 http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/asm/ab_2751-2800/ab_2774_bill_2...
CSU Chancellor’s executive order 1039 https://www.calstate.edu/eo/EO-1039.pdf
https://www.dtsc.ca.gov/HazardousWaste/UniversalWaste/
http://www.dir.ca.gov/dosh/dosh_publications/hazcom.pdf
http://www.dtsc.ca.gov/LawsRegsPolicies/Title22/index.cfm
https://www2.calrecycle.ca.gov/electronics/eRecycle/