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Hazardous Material Safety


POLICY:

The UT Chattanooga campus has established a program for the safe handling of those materials which may be hazardous in their use or disposal. It will be the responsibility of the Safety Officer to evaluate, coordinate and administer this program.

PROCEDURE:

  1. Identification and evaluation of hazardous materials:
    All materials brought to, stored or used on campus will be properly labeled with the exact content, explicit usage directions and health hazards for each hazardous material. Any transfer of hazardous materials into another container will have that container properly labeled with the exception that the person making the transfer will use the entire contents of the second container during the first work shift.


  2. Safety procedures for the handling of hazardous materials:
    Each label will have the appropriate precautions and directions on the proper handling and mixing of the materials. No variation to these recommended procedures are authorized without that person having the professional qualifications to make the decision and be responsible for the variance. No person will be the subject to the usage of a material from a unlabeled container. Should a container only have a generic label, then the user should be absolutely familiar with the proper precautionary usage. The MSDS for each chemical used will be accessible in a central location for employees to review.


  3. Inventory of chemicals and material safety data sheet (MSDS):
    1. Each department on campus that uses and/or stores hazardous materials is required under the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard to keep an ongoing up-to-date inventory of that department's hazardous materials. These current inventories are to be filed in their respective departments and copies sent to the Safety Officer by July 1 of each calendar year.
    2. It is the responsibility of each generating department to notify the Department of Safety and Risk Management when they have materials for disposal. It is the responsibility of the Safety Officer to make arrangement to have the waste disposed of in the recommended manner.
    3. The department will have on file a Material Safety Data Sheet for each hazardous material stored or used by the department's personnel. The MSDS should be filed in the user department at a central location for accessibility to the employee.

  4. Proper labeling and storage of hazardous materials:
    1. All hazardous materials will be used from properly labeled containers. Any transfer to an unlabeled container will be done with the understanding that the container will be used by the person making the transfer or a label must be attached to the new container.
    2. All hazardous materials must be stored properly. Each chemical must be compatible with the container it is stored in. The storage area shall have proper lighting, ventilation and containment facilities.

  5. Disposal of hazardous materials:
    All generated hazardous materials that have been declared surplus will be disposed of within local, state and federal guidelines. See Hazards Communication Program.


  6. Communication and Training:
    This program will be communicated to any person effected. Training will be provided by the department. See Chemical Hygiene Plan and Hazards Communication Program.


  7. Annual Evaluation:
    There will be an annual evaluation of the compliance and currency of this program. In the event of any cited violation by federal, state or local regulatory agencies, immediate notification and proposed remedy will be made to the campus Safety Officer and to the UWA Safety Officer.