The operation of wastewater treatment works, including pH neutralization systems, requires the submission of a staffing plan to the MA Department of Environmental Protection. This staffing plan is required to describe the personnel that will maintain the wastewater treatment system and outline a plan to provide that coverage.
If biological waste is being autoclaved at your facility, be sure to maintain compliance with the MA State Sanitary Code. 105 CMR 480.150 requires that quarterly qualitative biological challenge testing be conducted when autoclaves are used to treat biological waste.
Select agents and toxins are regulated by the Federal Select Agent Program. This program is jointly enforced by the Department of Health and Human Services
When submitting your wastewater discharge permit application, be sure to submit the grading report of your wastewater treatment system to the MA Department of Environmental Protection. This must be done for all wastewater treatment works, including pH neutralization systems.
When 527 CMR 33 came into effect back in 2012, all facilities utilizing hazardous materials were required to thoroughly evaluate their processes using hazardous materials. There was a phased-in implementation of the regulation based on the category of processes taking place, and many facilities dedicated a lot of time to conducting this evaluation.
If you have a radiation license at your facility, but the only isotopes in use are low energy emitters that are not detectable by dosimeters, be sure to document why a dosimetry program is not in place.
If your facility has been issued a Low Flow/Low Pollutant Discharge Permit by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), be sure to check the daily flow on a regular basis.
Personal monitoring badges, which can monitor for various chemicals, are readily available from a variety of vendors. These monitoring badges are worn on the lapel of an employee’s lab coat to monitor for potential chemical exposures in the breathing zone.
When you walk into the lab space at your institution, do you put on safety glasses and a lab coat? Do you wear closed toe shoes and full leg coverage any time you enter the labs?
Have you asked scientists working in the labs at your institution if they have the need to recap needs rather than telling them that needle recapping is not allowed? It is simple to put a policy in place that says that needle recapping is not permitted, but there are certainly cases where the need to recap a needle cannot be avoided.
In accordance with 29 CFR 1910.151(b). employers are responsible for providing adequate first aid supplies in the workplace. Appendix A to this standard, which discusses the necessary supplies, is non-mandatory but should be complied with.
Have you ever considered implementing a safety moment at your facility? This practice only takes a few minutes out of your week and can have significant impact on the safety culture at your facility.
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