Chemical Waste Compliance Update
 As part of an effort to standardize environmental health and safety compliance throughout the Indiana University (IU) system, the University has developed a new hazardous materials transportation compliance program. The program applies to regulated chemical, biological or radiological materials.
The program is based on state and federal shipping regulations and is undergoing final administrative review. Once approved, it will be available on the various campus Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) websites.
The program requires that all IU employees complete formal training before participating in any activity directly related to the shipment or transportation of hazardous materials. This includes any employee who selects packaging, prepares outgoing packages, offers hazardous materials to carriers such as FedEx or UPS, completes related shipping documents or transports a hazardous material in a University vehicle.
Perhaps the most notable change for the IUPUI campus is a requirement that any employee who accepts or signs for incoming packages of hazardous materials complete formal training – even if that is the only transportation-related activity they perform. The program further clarifies that without training, an employee cannot accept incoming packages of hazardous materials.
Unlike other IU campuses, much of the incoming hazardous materials to the IUPUI campus are delivered directly to the ordering department or laboratory as compared to a central stock room or receiving area.
EHS is in the process of revising an abbreviated, nuts-and-bolts training module to cover these training requirements. The module will be available to all IU employees on E-Training in the near future. It is anticipated that the module will take 15 – 20 minutes to complete. Refresher training is required every three years.
In an effort to avoid any disruption to research and educational activities on campus, EHS is implementing a grace period of 6 months – through November 1, 2015 - to allow staff the opportunity to complete the training. Following November 1st, only staff current on training are allowed to accept incoming packages of hazardous materials without being violation of federal regulation and University policy.
Look for additional on hazardous materials transportation compliance in coming weeks on the EHS website and in future editions of Lab Notes. Please contact EHS at 274-2005 with any of your hazardous materials management/transportation needs.
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