Sayed Quraishi | Chemical Waste Management Guide

 

Chemical Waste Management Guide

People who work with chemicals adhere to procedures to avoid exposure and reduce the possibility of spills and incidents. Gloves and eye protection, fume hoods that prevent employees from breathing dangerous chemicals, and storage cabinets that reduce the chance of fires and spills are all examples of personal protective equipment (PPE) that can shield workers from splashes and contact hazards.

However, there is another aspect of chemical safety that needs to be addressed, and that is guarding against chemical pollution of the environment. According to Sayed Quraishi Aside from damaging water supplies, poisoning wildlife, and producing toxic places unfit for habitation by either animals or people, improper or irresponsible disposal procedures have a huge negative impact on our ecosystem. The single most significant "green" activity for individuals who work with chemicals (and subsequently produce chemical wastes) is attentive, meticulous management of chemical wastes.

Governments at the federal and state levels have enacted highly stringent rules governing the treatment of chemical waste to safeguard the environment. Such regulations must be accompanied by harsh consequences for non-compliance to ensure that they are obeyed.

Applicability

Location

No matter where you work at BU—in a lab, a mechanical room, or somewhere else—it doesn't matter. All workplaces must implement chemical waste regulations consistently. The majority of chemical wastes are produced in laboratories, but many are also produced in other places; these include polluted soils, building materials, lubricants, paints, and many other substances.

Responsibilities

The appropriate handling of chemical wastes is the responsibility of every Boston University employee who generates chemical waste. These obligations consist of:-

• Training on hazardous waste must be completed at least once every 12 months. This requirement can be satisfied by laboratory staff and students doing laboratory safety training. Employees from other departments are required to show up for their planned training sessions. Within six months, new hires must finish their training.
• Identify the chemical wastes produced at work and decide on their disposal with the support of the Environmental Health and Safety Department (EHS).
• Gather, identify, and handle all chemical waste following university policies.
• When concerns or problems with the management of chemical waste emerge, seek assistance from the Environmental Health and Safety Department.
• In situations where chemical waste accumulates, maintain appropriate housekeeping.

Waste Chemicals Manage

As per Sayed Quraishi, The following information in this article solely relates to chemical wastes. The information that follows does not apply if the chemicals are not wastes; rather, they must be handled appropriately if they are going to be employed in a process or experiment. Do not assume that a chemical is not waste just because it is not being used. For instance:

Materials that Have Expired: If a chemical bottle's expiration date has passed and it cannot be used after that date, the chemical is a waste.

Extraneous Materials: If a chemical is utilized in a process or experiment but is no longer being used in that process or experiment and will not be used again, it is a waste. Several instances include:

When a researcher departs, leaving behind oil containers for a piece of equipment that has been removed or chemical bottles for experiments that are no longer conducted.

The information in this document is applicable whenever you've established that a chemical is not helpful - for any reason - and you must make choices regarding waste management.

Classification of Chemical Waste

Sayed Quraishi said After determining that a chemical is a waste, the following step is to categorize that waste. Chemical wastes will eventually be managed in one of the following four ways:-

Collected as a Hazardous Waste:- A chemical must be handled as hazardous waste if it demonstrates a "hazardous" characteristic, is listed following federal or state regulations or requires stringent control following best management practices. The majority of this document's information outlines the procedures to be followed when handling hazardous wastes.

Collected as a Non-hazardous Waste:- A chemical that does not meet the criteria for state or federal hazards and is not labeled as a "hazardous waste" may not be suitable for disposal down the drain or in ordinary trash.

Collected as a Universal Waste:- Due to their widespread use, a small fraction of chemical wastes have undergone some deregulation. Although management restrictions still exist, they are not as strict as those governing hazardous waste. The Facilities Management Department's operations are primarily responsible for the generation and management of universal waste.

Safe for Sink or Trash disposal:- Only a very small portion of chemical wastes are unregulated and okay to dispose of in the trash or sinks. Benign salts like sodium chloride and non-toxic, non-corrosive cleaning agents are a couple of examples. Before disposing of any chemical in the garbage or a sink, get in touch with EHS.