EH&S E-News and Notes
Archives
Fall '03, No. 11

Stanford University
Environmental Health and Safety
480 Oak Road
Stanford, CA 94305-8007
650-723-0448

C o n t e n t s

• Santa Clara County Laboratory Inspections September 2003
  
  
• EH&S' New Electronic Waste Recycling Program
  
  
• Environmental Virtual Campus
  
  
• Fire Extinguisher Training for the Workplace
  
  
• EH&S Wins First Place in CSHEMA Home Page Competition
  

Santa Clara County Laboratory Inspections September 2003

Contributed by Compliance Assistance Program Team Member (SCA), Ralph Durham

Santa Clara County will start their inspections of permitted hazardous materials and waste storage facilities this September 2003. They have not inspected for two years. Two new items have been added this year to the normal inspection issues. The first is that they will be spot-checking the quarterly self-inspection records for labs and other storage areas. The second is a new program whereby the inspector can write us a ticket on the spot called Administrative Enforcement Orders (AEO). The payment of the AEO will be the responsibility of the principal investigator (for research labs) and the department management (for departmentally run labs).

What do the inspectors normally look for? The main items are the proper storage and labeling of hazardous chemicals, gasses, and wastes in labs or other work/storage areas.

Proper storage includes the segregation of incompatible materials and secondary containment of chemicals. Labels on chemicals in use or stored must include the full chemical names on the containers. Chemical abbreviations and formulas such as ETOH or H2SO4 are not considered acceptable. Gas cylinders must be restrained with two chains and capped when not in use. Cryogenic Dewars must be tethered.

Proper waste storage includes much of the above and includes properly completed waste tags with initial fill dates of less than 1 year old. If you should have any containers dated 8 months or more in your area, please contact EH&S for waste collection. An electronic waste pickup request is available on our web site.

For further assistance, contact EHS at 723-0448 or your SCA team member.

EH&S' New Electronic Waste Recycling Program

Contributed by
Environmental Programs Specialist, Heather Perry

EH&S is making it easier to discard those used cellular phones, pagers, PDAs and other consumer electronic devices. Our new "Electronic Waste Recycling Program" diverts these items away from landfills, resulting in cost as well as environmental savings. In fact, the majority of these devices will be dismantled and recycled for other uses.

Only small, non-capital equipment may be placed into these collection containers. To discard capital equipment you must contact your Department Property Administrator. We have a number of drop-off locations around campus where electronic waste can be discarded. If you have any questions or comments, contact Heather Perry at 3-1308 or hperry@stanford.

Environmental Virtual Campus

Contributed by
Training and Communications Specialist, Susie Claxton

The "Environmental Virtual Campus" was developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The web site uses an engaging, intuitive format to highlight potential environmental issues at nine campus areas, and provides compliance information and good management practices on numerous issues. Areas covered include arts/theater areas, cafeterias, dormitories, drains/sewers, grounds/vehicles, labs, medical area, power plant and waste storage.

MIT agreed to develop the web site as part of a settlement of an enforcement case with EPA concluded in 2001. The site is hosted by the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence (C2E2), a consortium of colleges and universities dedicated to improving their campuses' environmental performance in higher education through environmental professional networking, information exchange, the development of professional resources and tools, and the advancement of innovative regulatory models.

Fire Extinguisher Training for the Workplace

Contributed by
Assistant University Fire Marshal, Alison Pena

Federal regulations require that employers who provide portable fire extinguishers in the workplace also provide training for their use. Becoming familiar with fire extinguishers and their use in the workplace makes good sense. Fire extinguishers can be used to put out small fires before they spread, which may prevent injury or loss of life. Fire extinguishers can save jobs as well as lives. They can assist in preventing temporary loss of production by putting out fires that cause extensive damage and destruction in the workplace.

Fire Extinguisher Training (EHS 120) gives a hands-on experience using a portable fire extinguisher. The class covers the different types of extinguishers and how to use them. Class time is approximately 1 hour and the class size is limited to 20 employees. The Stanford University Fire Marshal's Office offers one free fire extinguisher training class each quarter through the Education & Training Opportunities for the Stanford Community (next free class is Wednesday October 29, 2003, 10:00-11:00 a.m.). Additionally, the class may be scheduled for your workgroup for a fee, by sending an email request to the EH&S Training and Communications coordinator, Kathy Miller.

EH&S Wins First Place in CSHEMA Home Page Competition

Contributed by
Training and Communications Specialist, Susie Claxton

Our EH&S Department has been awarded first place in the Campus Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) Home Page Competition. Susie Claxton and Larry Gibbs gave a presentation on the web site at the CSHEMA annual conference held at Vanderbilt University this past July. The Stanford EH&S web page is featured on the CSHEMA home web page.

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