Hazardous Materials

HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

POLICY

To provide guidance for initial action to be taken to protect those who respond to incidents involving hazardous substances and the general public in the vicinity of the occurrence.

PROCEDURE

1. Call the Buildings and Grounds Office, or Security and follow their directions.
2. Remain calm, move away from the site, keep people away from the scene, and offer assistance to the disabled and others as needed until help arrives.
3. Only if necessary, approach the incident from an upwind direction. Do not step in, or touch, spilled material.
4. Avoid inhaling fumes, smoke or vapors. Do not assume that harmful gases or vapors are not present because you cannot smell them.
5. If possible, identify the suspected material.
6. Look for a 4 digit ID # on a placard or orange panel
7. Look for the name of material on shipping paper, placard, or package
8. Report this information to The Buildings and Grounds Office.
9. The type of response will depend on the particular substance involved.
10. If a hazardous material is identified, or if it cannot be identified but it is reasonable to believe that it is hazardous, call the Buildings and Grounds office. The University Buildings and Grounds office maintains resources for hazardous material identification and assistance (x1521).
11. The local Buildings and Grounds Office, Security Office, Mail Services, and Science Departments maintain a binder with Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for all products known to be in non-academic use (cleaning and maintenance) at each campus.
12. Materials for instructional use are the responsibility of the academic department using them. They have similar systems for maintaining record keeping.
13. Further instruction from University officials will be forthcoming concerning the need to evacuate to safer distances or take other precautions.

PLEASE NOTE: Federal law requires that anyone who releases a reportable quantity of hazardous material into the environment must immediately notify the proper authorities. This determination will be made by the Office of Buildings and Grounds.