General Laboratories
Safety procedures for general laboratories around campus.
Hazardous Waste Management Program
UWF shall take every precaution against hazards normally associated with handling and disposal of hazardous chemicals and wastes to avoid human and environmental exposure.
The University is a Small Quantity Generator (EPA ID #FLD0503000709) of hazardous waste and is thereby required to comply with Federal and State regulations governing the management and disposal of hazardous wastes. These regulations mandate that the University determine if any given waste is hazardous, and if so, manage and dispose of that waste strictly in compliance with applicable standards.
Shipping Dangerous Goods Policy
The University of West Florida is responsible for complying with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and/or the International Air Transport Association (IATA) regulations as they apply to our operations. If you intend on shipping a hazardous material, please read the information below.
To ensure the safe transportation of these materials and to comply with the applicable regulations, the University must adhere to the following guidelines regarding all shipments of hazardous materials. A hazardous material/dangerous goods is any articles or substances, which pose an unreasonable risk to health, safety or to personal property when transported.
Anyone who offers for shipment (via land, air, mail, etc.) hazardous materials must have the appropriate DOT training, even when the transporter/carrier (i.e. Federal Express) completes the necessary paperwork. Examples of these materials include, but are not limited to:
- Laboratory chemicals, cryogenic materials, and samples containing flammable, toxic, explosive, radioactive, oxidizer, and/or corrosive materials;
- Paints, stains, thinners, refrigerants, aerosols, medicines, pesticides, disinfectants, fuels (diesel, gasoline, ethanol, etc.);
- Biological specimens, animal tissues, serums, antibodies, etc.;
- Equipment containing hazardous materials, such as mercury, compressed gases, batteries (wet, lithium, and dry batteries containing sodium, potassium hydroxide), etc.
Federal regulations have outlined specific shipping requirements for hazardous materials. Depending upon the mode of transports and destination, these shipments are regulated by the 49 Code of Federal Regulation parts 171-180 and/or International Air Transport Association (IATA). To comply with shipping regulations, hazardous materials must be properly classified, documented, packaged, and handled. Furthermore, federal law also requires that anyone one who is involved in or responsible for preparing or transporting a hazardous material must have DOT and/or IATA training and certification. Penalties for non-compliance with the rules are significant and could result in fines up to $500,000.00 and jail sentences up to 5 years.
The University of West Florida’s Mail Service Department cannot ship hazardous materials.
If you must ship hazardous materials, you must:
- Contact UWF EH&S at 850.857.6221 for guidance and assistant; EH&S has personnel with the appropriate DOT training to insure the proper shipment of all hazardous materials. Individuals should submit a Dangerous Good Shipping Request Form at least 3 days in advance to allow sufficient time to obtain any supplies that may be needed for the packaging and shipping of your material.
- Note: If you are shipping a hazardous material that is a commercially available product, it is more cost-effective in many cases to purchase the material at the location to which you wish to ship it. For example, if you are planning fieldresearch, which requires the use of hazardous chemicals, you may find it easier and less expensive to have a vendor ship the chemicals directly to the location where you will be working.
- Once the proper packing has been obtained, the staff of EH&S will pick-up your material for shipping. The EH&S staff will package, label and document the shipment in accordance with all applicable regulatory agencies. There is no cost for this service; it is provided by the University.