Facility Decontamination and Decommissioning

Are you vacating your lab space? Are you thinking about lab renovations? Does your lease agreement bind you to a decontamination and decommissioning closure report? This article will provide you a brief description of what to expect from a decontamination and decommissioning project.

Facility decontamination and decommissioning may be done for many reasons —moving, renovations, re-use of space. Many times decontamination and decommissioning must be completed to meet lease agreements. It may also be done to comply with regulations or as good practice to protect company management and personnel.

Decontamination and decommissioning projects can be completed by qualified professionals such as Certified Industrial Hygienists (CIH), Professional Engineers (PE), or Qualified Environmental Professionals (QEP). Some examples of topics covered in a decontamination and decommissioning report include:

• Industrial hygiene sampling rationale, methods, and results
• Description of overall operations during normal operations
• Description of chemicals used during normal operations
• Description of cleaning procedures
• General description of the facility including exhaust systems
• Certification statements and any exceptions or limitations

The scale and level of detail included in decontamination and decommissioning projects can vary widely based upon the objective. Drafting a statement of purpose at the start of the project can help define the requirements of the project and provide focus for the final report.

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Safety Partners efficiently and cost-effectively implements hands-on environmental, health, and safety (EHS) programs at emerging life sciences companies. Safety Partners tailors its programs to each client's unique science, processes, procedures, and facilities, while reducing program implementation burdens. Its expertise is unmatched, clocking over 85,000 hours at over 120 New England life sciences firms.