Have you ever felt like you are spinning your wheels and can’t make any progress, even for something as basic as obtaining compliance with your personal protective equipment policy?
Everyone should be familiar with the hierarchy of hazard control – elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment. When selecting appropriate engineering controls, it is critical to install the appropriate equipment to control the hazards present in the work place.
Life Science companies are regulated at the Federal, State, and Local level by various regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the site and activities conducted. At the local level, many towns and cities have their own ordinances that are enforced by various departments within the city or town government.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) regulates the transport of hazardous material via highway, air, railroad, and vessel. There are numerous regulations stipulated by the DOT for the transport of hazardous materials, including identifying and training hazmat employees.
If your facility was registered as a Large Quantity Generator (LQG) of hazardous waste at any time during calendar year 2015, remember that 2016 is a reporting year for Biennial Reports. Treatment, Storage, or Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) are also required to file biennial reports by March 1st of each even-numbered year.
If you have an established Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC), take advantage of your IBC and keep the meetings interactive. Rather than approaching IBC meetings in a manner that checks a regulatory compliance box, use the meetings to have in-depth conversations about the biosafety program implementation at your facility.
The Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act (EPCRA) is authorized by Title III of the Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA). In an effort to keep communities aware of the hazardous chemicals present at facilities exceeding certain thresholds, Section 311 and 312 of EPCRA stipulate requirements for the reporting of hazardous chemical storage.
If your facility is located in MA and is licensed to work radioactive materials, you should have recently received the Calendar Year 2015 Radioactive Waste Survey. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Radiation Control Program requires all licensed facilities to complete a survey every year declaring the generation of long-lived radioactive waste during the preceding calendar year.
Just about everyone has heard a story about a cryotube exploding after being removed from storage. Do not end up being the source of the story with an unfortunate injury resulting from an exploding cryotube.
