Chemical Safety

There are hundreds of chemical products used on campus, for everything from chemistry course labs to cleaning the residence halls. These products may cause a range of effects from watery eyes to cancer when not used properly. Safe chemical handling is key to protecting both our health and the environment.

The Hazard Communication Code (WAC 296-800-170) was developed to make sure employees are informed of chemical hazards in the workplace. PLU has a written hazard communication program. The program requires that material safety data sheets and/or safety data sheets (MSDS/SDS) be on site, that a list of all hazardous products be maintained by the users, that chemical containers are labeled, and that employees receive training for chemical hazards.

The Chemical Hygiene Plan, or CHP, is based on WAC 296-828-200 and OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1450. The CHP covers the laboratories in Rieke Science Center and sets safe work practices for laboratory chemical work.

PLU places priority on minimizing waste by substitution, scale reduction, inventory control, and exchanges between laboratories. Our pollution prevention plan lays out specific goals and methods for reducing the quantity of hazardous waste that we generate.

Our second priority is to recycle hazardous waste. Our third priority is to treat hazardous waste on site. Our final priority is to dispose of the waste through a commercial hazardous waste vendor.

Here are some general instructions for handling a spill of hazardous material. Cleanup of hazardous materials spills should not be performed alone-get assistance before handling a cleanup.

If you work in Rieke Science Center, please contact the Chemical Hygiene Officer to dispose of Hazardous Waste. All other areas of campus must submit a work request form to Facilities Management to pick up the material. If you are not sure whether your waste is hazardous, please contact the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at safety@plu.edu

EHS is required to keep on file all of the current as well as archive SDS/MSDS that different departments utilize. We now sort and store all of our SDS files electronically through HazSoft. If the actual SDS/MSDS’s are needed, please contact the EHS assistant at x8935 or safety@plu.edu

Contact the Environmental Health & Safety Officer Safety@plu.edu to request the PLU chemical inventory file.  All Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are managed and maintained on a departmental basis and hard copies of relevant SDS can currently be readily accessed within each department during staff work hours. For quick reference and convenience only, online SDS links are provided in the right sidebar of this page to enable students and staff to access information about any hazardous chemical.  It is not intended as the primary or secondary SDS resource, but simply an additional reference.

• https://ecology.wa.gov/Regulations-Permits/Guidance-technical-assistance/Dangerous-waste-guidance/Common-dangerous-waste