Closing a Laboratory:
When Leaving UVM or for a Temporary Closure
Laboratories should be “decommissioned” when they
are moved, renovated, closed or the laboratory supervision
changes. When closing a laboratory or temporarily closing
due to a renovation or other reason, the decommissioning process
consists of an evaluation of the chemicals in the laboratory
in order to determine whether specific uses can be found for
them. Chemicals that are not claimed and maintained by the
department or other laboratory supervisors should be disposed
of. The purpose of this work is to maximize the value of the
laboratory space available and to prevent the accumulation
of chemicals of unknown quality. The cost of replacing chemicals
is generally much smaller than the costs associated with storing
them for long periods of time.
When a UVM laboratory closes, laboratory supervisors or department
chairs should follow the procedure below to request the help
of Environmental Safety (ES) staff with the decommissioning
process.
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Download the form (PDF)
and send it to Environmental Safety at 667 Spear Street at least
2 weeks prior to the laboratory closing date. This information
can be faxed to ES at 656-5407.
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If there are 20 or fewer chemical containers
to be discarded, tag each one with
a completed UVM “Laboratory
Waste”
tag. If there are more than 20 chemical containers, contact
ES staff at esf@uvm.edu for special assistance.
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Unknown chemicals must be identified
prior to closing the laboratory. If you have unknowns, extra time must be allotted
to assist in identifying the chemical for disposal. Handling unknown
chemicals can be dangerous and identification for disposal is expensive
and time consuming, so please make every effort to maintain
the integrity and accuracy of chemical labels and collect any
information possible about the unknown chemical.
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The transportation of hazardous chemicals is subject to Department
of Transportation (DOT) regulations and must be overseen by
ES staff. Under no conditions may laboratory staff transport
hazardous chemicals in personal vehicles.
If you have questions about this procedure, contact us esf@uvm.edu.
Last Updated:
February 28, 2007
