• My first question would be, "Do these students go through an annual EPA training for handling waste in transport?"  We did not allow students OR faculty to transport waste. Rather, they put in a waste pickup request as a google form to the stockroom and one of our trained stockroom workers would arrange a time with the researcher to pick up the waste. On the form, they had to enter the contents, percents, hazards. We refused any containers that were not properly labeled. In general, I think it is a very bad idea to have students (even grad students) moving waste.
• While UPS and USPS workers do not wear PPE, they transport materials packed for DOT regs. If there is a spill in the box, hopefully the materials are contained. Of course this logic fails when the tractor trailer pulls up with 20 L containers of solvent that have no overpacking!!! I also know that if a UPS drivers get training - not sure if trucks have spill kits or PPE on them. If a truck gets boarded by an inspector and the arrows on a hazardous materials box are not pointing up, the driver is in trouble. I had to explain that to many faculty members that had no idea that those arrows meant something.
  
• I think that if an incident occurs, that is not the time to be putting on PPE other than maybe gloves. However, if I had to grab something that was about to tip over in sec cont. that was too large, I would want my gloves on. They can be clean gloves to start with so I don't see the problem.
  

We did not have a freight elevator. Nobody was allowed to ride on the elevator with the cart. We either manned the floors or used key lockout. The cart had signage not to enter the elevator just in case. The cart had a spill kit on it. We transported during class when there were few people in the halls.

Just my personal thoughts and who know what the process is now since I am a year out into retirement!!

Sammye

Amy,

 

Researchers should not need to wear PPE when transporting chemicals to waste collection points or from storerooms back to their labs.   

 

Here are the reasons:  PPE is used to protect from exposures while working with chemicals. In contrast, chemicals being moved around the building should be sealed and in secondary containment to make them safe for transport. Hence, there is no need for PPE by the researchers OR members of the public also walking through the same buildings. Similarly, UPS and USPS workers do not wear PPE when delivering shipped chemicals.  Finally, the researchers can carry PPE with them for an emergency, but they should not need to wear it.

 

Craig

 

Craig A. Merlic

Professor of Chemistry, UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Executive Director, UC Center for Laboratory Safety

http://cls.ucla.edu

 

 

From: ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU> on behalf of Amy Lea Moore <000015f7fb7ee9f7-dmarc-request**At_Symbol_Here**LISTS.PRINCETON.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 11:42 AM
To: <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**Princeton.EDU>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] PPE Question

 

Hello DCHAS group,

 

I have learned  a lot from this group.  Thank you!  I would like to ask how your institution deals with PPE.

 

In most of our buildings, the lab areas are not contiguous. So, researchers, will travel from one lab room to another wearing their PPE in the hallways (primarily research spaces, not classroom areas)  They do not wear gloves when touching door handles or elevator buttons. 

 

Graduate students also must carry waste from their lab down to our waste rooms on the 1^st floor of the building.  When elevator travel is necessary, they use the freight elevators.   

 Another department in one of our buildings does not want our students to wear PPE when transporting waste or other chemicals from one space to another. Our students know not to go into the lobby, bathroom, lunchrooms, and other common areas when wearing PPE.

 How do you handle a situation like this at your institution?  This is the first time that I have ran into this issue in a chemistry department and want feedback from other academic institutions.  Feel free to email me at my work email address:  moore.4061**At_Symbol_Here**osu.edu

Amy

 

 

 

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