Jan 11
8
An Overview of Hazardous Chemicals
Materials that are extremely hazardous to property, health or the environment (highly toxic gases, explosive reactive, highly water and pyrophoric materials, for example) should not be purchased until the necessary permits, engineering, administrative, and environmental controls in place.
Hazardous materials must be stored and used in accordance with the regulations, including but not limited to, amendments to the Uniform Fire Code and local levels.
Permits are required for any amount of highly dangerous material, and small to moderate amounts of other materials. (For example, a permit is required for any amount of highly toxic and volatile and flammable liquids in quantities exceeding five gallons in a building).
Contact Fire Department EH & S directly or Security Fund office (206 543. 0465) for help.
The rooms where hazardous materials are stored or used in quantities above certain thresholds, and the rooms dedicated to storage of hazardous materials are required to have a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) diamond sign on all doors. Call EH & S Fund Safety Office 543-0465 for more information and signals.
Flammable liquids: The amount of flammable liquids stored in a single laboratory outside of a Council of Ministers approved flammable liquids must not exceed 10 liters. All 10 gallons, unless it is in use, should be stored in approved containers as indicated in the table below.
The formation of peroxide chemicals, peroxides can form in some organic compounds by auto-oxidation. Peroxides can cause serious accidents and in some cases, become low-power explosives that can be compensated by shock, sparks or other forms of contact. Some organic compounds form peroxides within months, under the right circumstances. Be aware of organic compounds in the lab and be sure to check the expiration date on each container and check them periodically for disposal. Ether is an example of chemical peroxide formation.
Pyrophoric materials, pyrophoric material is a material that ignites spontaneously on contact with air. This material is only permitted in the laboratories of fire sprinkler protection in very small amounts (4 pounds added per zone). Potassium metal is an example of a pyrophoric material. Extreme caution is necessary when working with this material.
Highly toxic material: Theclassified as very toxic materials is allowed only in small amounts in University buildings (up to 10 pounds per area). Highly toxic gas, such as arsine, is not permitted in any quantity without engineering controls and a special permit from the Seattle Fire Department.
Incompatible materials: Incompatible materials are materials that, upon contact with each other, have the potential to react in a way that generates heat, fumes, gases or byproducts which are hazardous. For quantities over 5 pounds or 1 / 2 gallon, the separation of not less than 20 feet, cabinet approved noncombustible or partition is necessary. Smaller amounts also should be isolated whenever practical. A rape is common oxidizers flammable liquids.
Flammable and Basement: The International Fire Code prohibits the storage of flammable liquids in the basement. However, there are two general exceptions of the following that apply to the University of Washington:
Existing Class H acquired occupancy rooms (ie, design specifically for chemical storage bulk storage of flammable liquids). New class room occupancy H for flammable liquids are not allowed in basements.
Their waste will be collected in two to four weeks. Please plan ahead and be patient. Each element of the waste must be tracked from the point of generation to incineration, and we do the paperwork for hundreds of containers of waste every week. The chemicals are corrosive, flammable, toxic or explosive are, by legal definition “dangerous.” Some additional chemicals are treated as hazardous waste because they are carcinogenic, persistent in the environment, or are not allowed in the trash because they generate dust or other hazards. Large volumes of waste or the number of containers may take longer to charge for the time it takes to process chemicals (usually takes an hour to process a chemical pickup request) and the limited space in the trucks. Collection routine requests are faster because much of the paperwork is done. If trash piles wrong (according to the guidelines above), we will discuss the problem with you if you are present. We will not collect trash until the problem has been corrected.
All new employees and any rust on the fundamentals of hazardous waste management should take this training. It covers the definitions of hazardous waste, labeling, storage and disposal, and includes a brief questionnaire which should take only ten to twenty minutes to complete. If the test passes, you may request a certificate of completion of the records of your training in any work that is being worked on.