Chemical waste generators at the University have two ways to submit waste collection requests:
Directly from your MyChem inventory
From the Chemical Waste Disposal page on the EH&S website
On February 26, EH&S will be offering a webinar on lab safety and compliance for department staff who support researchers and principal investigators at the UW.
This training is designed for administrators, but it is open to all UW staff who do not work in a laboratory setting. The course provides background material on regulatory, policy and permit requirements, and addresses hazards and risk assessment in the laboratory to ensure lab safety and compliance.
In February 2020, all new biosafety and radiation safety laboratory inspections are available through the online Environmental Health and Safety Assistant (EHSA) portal.
After your next biosafety or radiation safety inspection:
Following the announcement of the Seattle Police Department’s preventable fire alarm initiative (that will result in fines for false alarms starting January 1, 2020), EH&S has fielded concerns about whether a fire alarm should be trigged when a fire is not present.
On December 9, 2019, EH&S hosted the Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovation Event to share new practices developed to enhance the culture of safety in UW research and teaching labs. Executive Director of Health Sciences Administration, Dave Anderson gave the opening speech, and Katia Harb, Senior Director of EH&S, gave the closing remarks. Research leaders presented innovations instated in their labs and departments to improve safety practices and safety training completion.
The University has over 950 active biosafety cabinets (BSCs), and about 150 have become obsolete due to safer design standards and the challenge of obtaining replacement parts. EH&S recommends replacing obsolete cabinets before they fail to minimize disruptions to research projects.
The following resources are available to assist with the purchase and replacement of BSCs:
Updated 12/23/21
Seattle Fire Department’s (SFD) Fire Prevention Division launched a initiative in 2020 to avoid “false” or “preventable” alarms. For this reason, the City of Seattle is introducing citations of $373 or greater beginning January 1, 2020 for preventable alarms. As a result of this initiative, the availability of fire department resources to respond to true emergencies is expected to improve.
Preventable alarms include:
The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) updated the Washington Administrative Code (WAC 296-809) Safety Standards for Confined Space in 2018 and the UW Confined Space Program will change to reflect the code changes. Updated UW program materials are currently under stakeholder review and will be released early next year.
What changed?
The University is implementing the Provost’s Task Force on Laboratory Safety’s recommendations to develop a more robust laboratory safety oversight and management program, particularly regarding chemical and physical hazards in research and teaching.
EH&S hosts the 2019 Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovations Event on Monday, December 9, at the HUB.
Researchers will present new tools and best practices they have invented and put into effect this past year to improve the culture of safety in their laboratory spaces. Awards will be given to labs and departments in recognition of their achievements in safety culture.
