Hazardous Waste Training Material

And Spill Response Procedure

for Custodial Personnel

ISU Technical Safety Office

Office of Hazardous and

Bio-hazardous Waste

282-2310

Course Objective: Upon completion of this course, the participant will have an introductory knowledge of the health-risks and physical forms of hazardous wastes, and spill procedures on the ISU campus.

Health Risks

Health risks most commonly associated with hazardous wastes are classified as acute and chronic. It is important to remember to seek medical attention and notify your employer and the Technical Safety Office if you have been exposed to a hazardous waste. If you are not sure if medical attention is necessary please contact our office so that we can assess the situation and advise in corrective actions. Most exposures are treatable if taken care of immediately.

Acute or immediate effects usually result from a brief exposure to hazardous materials. Warning signs include (but are not limited to): headaches, dizziness, nausea, eye, skin or respiratory irritation or damage, unconsciousness and death. The most common and noticeable warning signs will be eye, skin, and respiratory irritation. Death is very rare and most of these exposures are treatable if taken care of immediately.

Chronic or delayed effects often occur a long time after exposure. It can also be a small exposure over a long period of time. These effects usually target the kidneys and liver as all chemicals that enter the body pass through these organs. A good example of a chronic health effect is lung cancer from cigarette smoke or radon inhalation.

Physical Forms of Hazardous Wastes

Hazardous wastes often come in the form of solids, dusts, fumes, liquids, vapors, mists, and gases. Solids and liquids are the most common on the ISU campus, and probably account for more than 98% of all hazardous wastes generated at ISU. These forms usually accompany each other (ie: liquids can contain fumes and vapors, and solids usually have dusts, etc…). Aerosol cans are also a common waste generated at ISU.

(Remember to put the lids back on cans before you discard them (even if they are not a hazardous waste). This prevents anything that is left in the can from being sprayed where it shouldn’t.)

Routes of Entry

Inhalation (most common in the workplace) in the form of: gas, mist, dust, or vapor

Prevention: Be careful removing garbage sacks from the garbage cans. It is common for dusts to come out of the sacks when the air is being released from the sack in order to close it. Never release the air in the direction of your face. Also be sure to aim sprays away from your face in a downward direction.

2. Absorption from skin or eye contact

Prevention: Don’t allow anything to unnecessarily come into contact with your skin. Wear gloves when appropriate and never brush away anything with your hand; always use a rag or paper towel.

Ingestion (most common at home)

Prevention: Do not chew gum while working and always wash your hands when leaving a lab and before going home at the end of the day. Ingestion is probably the easiest route of entry to control if you work using common sense. Don’t ever place anything in your mouth or rub your eyes until you have thoroughly washed your hands. It is good practice to wash your hands after every lab entry and/or chemical use.

Injection (usually caused from broken glass and other sharp objects).

Prevention: Again, don’t use your hands to brush away things. Glass often times breaks into very small pieces that can’t be seen with the naked eye. If it is necessary to clean up broken glass, use a broom and dustpan and always put the glass in a broken glass box before discarding it as trash.

Spill procedure at ISU

Once a chemical is spilled, it is considered to be a waste and at ISU it is considered to be a hazardous waste if it meets certain regulatory requirements. The TSO offers assistance in classifying wastes as hazardous. Professors and students at the university are expected to clean up their own spills if it is in their capability. The TSO is here to offer assistance in spill cleanup if so requested. Occasionally a spill is left for someone else to find. This is not an approved practice, but it does happen. If you enter a lab with a spill and do not know what the material is or feel uncomfortable about it, you should contact our office for assistance. Also, if you find a spill in a lab that is attended by someone, alert that person of the situation. If you cause an accidental spill, don’t be embarrassed about it. Take the appropriate actions to have it taken care of correctly. Spills happen all the time and by anyone.

TSO staff carry emergency response pagers so that we can assist in after business hours assistance.

Upon finding a spill, we ask that you behave in a timely manner to minimize your exposure.

Go to a safe area and keep others away from the spill.
Do NOT turn on or off the lights (as they may be an ignition source if flammable substances are involved).
Call Public Safety at x2515 and ask for them to contact any of the hazardous waste personnel.

Be prepared as you will need to provide us with as much information as possible.

Your name as a point of contact.
Location of the spill including building name, room number, location in the room (and anything else you feel to be of assistance).
Description of the spill including contents, amount, color, odor, and possible causes of the spill.

IF anyone is hurt, immediately dial 911 (or 8-911).

Spill Prevention Tips

Always stay alert while working in a lab or around any type of chemical.
Watch for bottles sitting on the edges of counters and look for items sitting on floors that could be kicked over.
Watch for electrical cords or plastic tubing, as these may be items that could jiggle enough to knock something over.
Watch where the end of long handles are.
Don’t push carts through tight areas where items protruding from the cart could inadvertently knock something over (also don’t block yourself into a corner with your cart - if something happens, you need a clear path to get out safely).
Never try to reach into an area where you can’t see what is present. Often times, things are purposely set in out of the way places.
Look for tears in garbage sacks before removing them. Also look for any liquids that may leak through the sack. Another common thing to look for is fine powders that may be sprayed from the sack with air.

The most important thing in laboratory safety:

DON’T TOUCH ANYTHING.

Bio-hazardous Wastes

Bio-hazardous waste is commonly referred to as infectious waste. Examples include infectious laboratory cultures, pathological tissue specimens, needles, and items contaminated with human body fluids. Sometimes a person will be injured in a way that will cause a blood or other bodily fluid spill. We are trained to deal with this type of situation and will come and clean it up. Wastes coming from restrooms are not normally regulated as bio-hazardous. However we recommend taking precautions when working with this type of waste. Always wear appropriate gloves while working with wastes coming from restrooms.

Bio-waste spills…call for us to clean it up…we are trained for it.

So what about all of those bottles in my closet?

Excess commercial products that are not used for their intended purposes are hazardous wastes if they meet certain criteria (based off of toxicity, reactivity, corrosivity, and flammability) defined by certain environmental laws. When a container is emptied by using the chemical for its intended purpose, it may be thrown away in regular trash (PLEASE destroy any container that has held chemicals-so other people can not use it). Dumping chemicals that are hazardous wastes down the drain is against the law. DON’T DO IT! The university has provided means for proper disposal. If you are caught dumping hazardous waste, you may personally be fined or serve jail time for serious offenses. If you’re not sure what to do with excess or waste chemicals, contact your supervisor, George Kom, or the TSO at x2310.

One Very Important Final Note!

Some of the chemicals you use will eventually become hazardous wastes. ALWAYS label containers that hold chemicals! Never put chemicals in mislabeled containers. Unknown chemicals can cost thousands of dollars in analysis for disposal. Good labeling will consist of the chemical contents (and brand name if available), expiration date (if known), and the CAS number of the chemical.

If you routinely work in areas that involve hazardous/bio-hazardous wastes and would like additional information and/or additional training on safe working practices around hazardous wastes, please contact our office as we will be happy to assist.

Questions/Comments: Contact the Technical Safety Office at 282-2310 or visit our web page at: