Newsletter Title
Environmental Health & Safety
E
H
&
S
MANAGEMENT
TEAM:
Leah V. Hoy
Director,
Radiation & Laser
Safety Officer
[email protected]
Robert Smith
Associate Director
Fire & Life Safety
[email protected]
Ramon Ruiz
Environmental &
Laboratory
Program Manager
[email protected]
Environmental Health
& Safety Office
500 Summit Ave.
Box 19257
Arlington, TX 76019
Ph: 817-272-2185
Fax: 817-272-2144
FALL 2012
Driving Low Speed Vehicles Safely on Campus
A Low Speed Vehicle (LSV) is a vehicle with a top
speed of less than 35 miles per hour. LSVs may include golf carts, golf cart-type LSV, and mules. To be
authorized to drive an LSV, employees must follow
the same course of training and requirements as they
would for any other university vehicle.
LSVs should only be operated on university roads
and streets and in university parking lots. Generally,
LSVs should not be operated on sidewalks except
momentarily to cross them to access other areas.
Additionally, LSVs should not be operated on grass
except when necessary for a temporary detour. LSVs
may not be operated on streets or roads where the
speed limit exceeds 35 miles per hour, except to
cross such street or road. The map on page 3 illustrates some acceptable routes that drivers of
LSVs may use to navigate around campus.
Operators shall ensure that the number of passen-
Have a Plan to Escape Fire
Fire Prevention Week occurs every year in October, and this year’s theme, “Have 2 Ways Out,” focuses on the importance of fire escape planning and
practice. The reality is that when fire strikes, your
home could be engulfed in smoke and flames rapidly,
leaving you as little as two minutes to escape safely
once the alarm sounds. According to a National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA) survey, only onethird of Americans have both developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.
Almost three-quarters of Americans do have an
escape plan; however, less than half actually practiced
it. One-third of American households who made a
plan estimate they thought they would have at least 6
minutes before a fire in their home would become
life threatening. Only 8% said their first thought on
hearing a smoke alarm would be to get out!
It is important to have a home fire escape plan that
prepares your family to think fast and get out quickly
when the smoke alarm sounds. What if your first
escape route is blocked by smoke or flames? That's
why having two ways out is such a key part of your
plan—for buildings here on campus as well.
In addition, as the fall holidays approach, EH&S
would like to remind everyone to review the Guidelines for Decorative Displays and keep fire safety in
mind for our UT Arlington family when decorating
offices and departments.
gers and their seating arrangement and/or the
weight, type, and placement of the load do not exceed the manufacturer’s recommendations. Operators and passengers must keep their head, legs, and
arms inside the cab area of the LSV, and should not
exit the vehicle until it has stopped moving.
Each operator of a LSV shall ensure that, when
the low speed vehicle is not in use, the vehicle is
secured with the
key removed. If a
LSV
becomes
disabled in a location other than
where it is routinely
stored
when not in use,
t he
o p era t or
should notify the Automotive Shop for assistance.
If the vehicle is obstructing a university street or
road, the UT Arlington Police should be contacted
to assist with traffic control.
Special Training Required To
Operate 12 and 15-Passenger Vans
A reminder to those who need to drive a 15 Passenger Van for their department: in addition to the
basic requirements to drive a university vehicle,
there is extra safety training involved to drive 15
Passenger capacity vans. All drivers must complete
the Defensive Driving Awareness course and have
their driving record checked annually. To drive a 15
Passenger Van they must also complete a 15
Passenger Van Training course online, then come to
the EH&S office for a behind-the-wheel driving test
in the van. Both parts must be completed to be
approved to drive a 15 Passenger Van. The UT
System regulation requiring this training can be
found at: http://www.utsystem.edu/bor/procedures/
policy/policies/uts157.html (section 6)
Upcoming scheduled behind-the-wheel training
dates are listed in the training section on page 4.
Please call our office if you would like to reserve a
space in any of these trainings. The Defensive Driving Course, driving record check, and online Van
Training Course must all be current in order to attend. The online training courses may be completed
here: www.uta.edu/ra/real/loginscreen
Page 1
Sharps Smart – Proper Ways to Dispose of Sharps
EH&S STAFF:
Joel Box
Fire Safety Specialist
[email protected]
Darren Byington
Construction Project
Coordinator,
Fire Safety
[email protected]
Tracy Gardner
Workers’
Compensation
Claims Analyst
[email protected]
Rose Hall
Occupational Safety
Specialist
[email protected]
Melissa Jones
Fire Marshal
[email protected]
Merja Karwoski
Biological Safety
Specialist
[email protected]
Debbie Kirkley
Administrative
Assistant
[email protected]
Shea McDowell
Chemical Safety
Specialist
shea.mcdowell@uta.
edu
Sharps are devices or objects with corners, edges,
or projections capable of cutting or piercing skin or
regular waste bags. Sharps are defined as special
waste from health care-related facilities by Texas
Department of State Health Services and this type of
waste is regulated by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Improper management of discarded needles and
other sharps can pose a health risk to the public and
waste workers. For example, discarded needles may
expose waste workers to potential needle stick injuries and potential infection when containers break
open inside garbage trucks or needles are mistakenly
sent to recycling facilities. Janitors and housekeepers
are also at risk for injury if loose sharps poke
through plastic garbage bags. Used needles can
transmit serious diseases, such as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other bodily fluid
diseases such as hepatitis. Proper disposal of sharps
protects waste handlers from both physical and contamination hazards.
Be “Sharps Smart” and never:
 throw loose needles/other sharps in the trash;
 flush needles down the toilet;
 place needles/other sharps in soda bottles, cans,
or glass containers;
 try to manually empty and sterilize a sharps container. This would greatly increase your chance
of getting a needle stick; or
 put sharps containers in the recycling bin.
Examples of sharps include: Hypodermic needles, hypodermic syringes with attached needles,
intravenous blood collection devices; Blades
(scalpels, razors); Microscope slides; Glass capillary
tubes, Pasteur pipettes; Broken lab glassware.
The method to separate and dispose of these objects depends on whether they are contaminated
with a hazardous material and the type of contamination.
For disposal purposes, there are 4 kinds of sharps:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Non-contaminated
Biohazardous
Chemically contaminated
Radioactive material contaminated
 Carefully place sharps directly in the container
in an orderly fashion.
 Needles must not be recapped, bent, broken, or
removed from disposable syringes.
 Do not place free liquids, such as full syringes,
in sharps containers.
 Sharps cannot extend above the "fill" line (see
picture below).
 Once containers are filled, they must be disposed of (see instructions below) and not
placed with regular trash.
Non-contaminated sharps must be free of any
biohazard, chemical, or radioactive material contamination.
Non-contaminated sharps – disposal procedure:
 Seal the full container with tape so it can't be
easily opened.
 Request waste collection via CEMS.
Clean broken glass items should be disposed of
in broken glass containers with a lid and lined with
plastic. These containers are located in laboratories
and can also be requested via CEMS. They are disposed of by custodians.
Although pipette tips aren’t traditionally considered sharps, they do pose a threat to break through a
bag. The solution is NOT to place ANY pipette tips
into the regular trash, as they can puncture the thin
trash bags when handled by custodians. Pipette tips
and other plastic items which have a sharp point
which are not contaminated with any of the hazardous materials may be disposed into a cardboard box
with a lid and lined with plastic. Custodians will dispose of the sealed cardboard box when full.
Biohazardous sharps - special disposal procedure:
Sharps objects which have been used in invasive
procedures such as hypodermic needles and broken
glass items contaminated with blood or other
biohazardous materials are considered to be biohazard sharps waste.
Labeling:
The sharps container must be labeled with the
international biohazard symbol:
Whether contaminated or not, specific packaging
and container restrictions apply:
Page 2
Container specifications:
 A rigid, leak-proof, puncture-resistant plastic
sharps container is needed to collect any used
sharps. Request containers through Chemical
Environmental Management System (CEMS).
 A glass container cannot be used because of the
risk of breakage!
Use:
 Store the container near where the sharps waste
is generated.
Sharps box with biohazard symbol. Arrow indicates the “fill” line
Disposal:
When the container is filled to the “fill” line, request waste collection via CEMS following instructions (SOP Request for Biological Waste Removal).
continued on page 4 . . .
Find Us on Facebook: UT Arlington Environmental Health & Safety Office
EH&S STAFF:
Caron Miller
Workers’
Compensation
Claims Analyst
[email protected]
Bruce O’Keefe
Fire Safety Specialist
bruce.okeefe@uta.
edu
Jeanette Rea
Administrative
Assistant
[email protected]
Harvey Richey
Laser Safety
Specialist
[email protected]
Elisabeth Rowlett
Chemical Management Specialist
[email protected]
Grace Sauce
Accountant
[email protected]
Richard Stell
Safety Specialist
Storm Water
[email protected]
Laura Warren
Radiation Safety
Specialist
[email protected]
Page 3
Check out
EH&S on
Facebook
to keep up
with all our
events &
training:
UT Arlington
Environmental
Health & Safety
Office
All plastic pipette tips intended for disposal
that are contaminated with biological material
can be placed into a biohazard container lined with a
red biohazard bag. These “Stericycle boxes” are
available from the EH&S Office. Request them
through CEMS.
Chemically contaminated sharps – special disposal
procedure:
These sharps have chemical contamination only—
no radioactive or biohazardous contaminates.
Labeling:
Label the container with
a hazardous waste tag.
Disposal:
When the container is
filled to the “fill” line,
request waste collection
via CEMS following
these instructions (SOP Request for Chemical Waste
Removal).
Radioactive Material Contaminated Sharps
Sharps that have been in contact with radioactive
material must be handled like any radioactive waste.
They may also be contaminated with chemical or
infectious materials, but must be handled first as
radioactive waste.
Labeling:
 Sharps containers for use with radioactive materials are delivered with appropriate labeling already in place (radioactive material labels on
opposing sides of the container).
 Do NOT use a biological sharps container for
disposal of radioactive material contaminated
sharps without proper labels. (A container for
radioactive sharps may be requested via CEMS.)
Disposal:
 When the container is
filled to the “fill” line,
request waste collection
via CEMS following
instructions (SOP Request for Radioactive
Waste Removal).
 A radioactive material
waste log must also be
submitted when the
container is ready for removal.
 When applicable, be sure the waste container
remains properly shielded at all times.
DSL Shout Out
At the summer DSL meeting in August, the educational topic was Back Injury Prevention. According to
Department of Labor statistics, of the 3,063,400 total
reportable OSHA cases in 2010, 185,270 involved
injuries to the back. Back injuries account for one of
every five workplace injuries or illnesses.
Back injuries are cumulative, so anything that occurs in your youth will affect you as you get older.
The basic ABCD’s of back lifting are:
Assess the load before lifting;
Lift the Best way possible;
Call for help- team lift or use a cart, hand truck, etc.;
Divide the load if possible.
If anyone from your department is interested in
learning more, please contact Rose Hall at ext. 2-2185
to be enrolled in the online Back Injury Prevention
Training course.
The topic of the next DSL meeting, scheduled
for December 5, will be Hazard Reporting.
EH&S TRAINING COURSES
The following online courses are available at this website www.uta.edu/training:
Lockout/Tagout
Confined Space Entry
Hearing Conservation Training
The following online courses are available at this website www.uta.edu/ra/real/loginscreen:
Hazard Communication Training
Radiation Awareness Training
Bloodborne Pathogens Training
Laser Safety Training
Environmental Health
& Safety Office
500 Summit Ave.
Box 19257
Arlington, TX 76019
Ph: 817-272-2185
Fax: 817-272-2144
Defensive Driving Course (DDC) This course must be completed every 3 years to remain an authorized
driver of UTA vehicles. Driving record checks (MVR) must be renewed annually.
15-Passenger Van Training: Take the online course first. A behind-the-wheel driving test is also required
and will be conducted at 2:00 p.m. on the dates below. Please call ext. 2-2185 to register ahead of time .
Meet at the EH&S office, 500 Summit Ave. Drivers must have already taken the Defensive Driving Course
and have a current driving record check to attend.
Nov. 14 (Wed.)
Dec. 12 (Wed.)
Jan. 16 (Wed.)
Feb. 13 (Wed.)
March 6 (Wed.)
Call us at ext. 2-2185 to schedule other required training available through our office, such as:
Radioactive Materials
Radiation Producing Machines
Hot Work Safety
Lift Truck
BioSafety Level II
Shipping Infectious Materials
Respirator
Page 4
Fire Extinguisher Training will be provided to groups on request. Please call 2-2185 to schedule.