1. Hazardous Materials/Waste Handling, Storage & Disposal
SDUSD

2. Yes, Hazmat Incidents Do Occur at Schools
Thirty students and one teacher were decontaminated, including seven taken to hospitals, after a mysterious hazardous materials incident
District spokeswoman stated the children had some sort of reaction to an irritant on the school playground. Parents reported children having itchy eyes and coughing.
Initially, officials suspected that fertilizer applied to a soccer field on the north side of the school might have been the source of the irritation, but fire officials have ruled that out as the cause.
Firefighters sent up a blue decontamination tent in front of the school and used a water-spray nozzle to decontaminate the 30 student, most of whom appeared to be elementary-school age children. Later they discovered some kind of irritation.

3. Hazardous Materials Incidents Can Affect Schools
Homes and schools within a four-block radius of a hospital were evacuated following the accidental release of large amounts of propane.
schools evacuated following propane release
Contractors working struck an underground propane tank. A message sent out on the Alert information system at 8:52 a.m. recommended residents should close their windows and stay indoors. In a follow-up message sent at 9:48 a.m., the alert system recommended all residents within the four-block radius evacuate the area. A temporary shelter for displaced residents was set up. Students at an Elementary School were moved to a High School, while another School was evacuated a Community Center.
The leak occurred when a contractor worked to remove an underground propane tank.

4. Hazardous Materials Handling
Know the hazardous materials being used – Review SDS
Label All containers
Inspect container prior to use
Maintain a written inventory of all hazardous materials being stored on campus. The inventory must be kept up to date.
Always have copies of SDS for each chemical/product you use. This is required by code as well as district policy. The SDS must be made available to staff and regulatory agencies. Manufacturers are required to prepare SDS for their products and supply them to consumers.
Make every effort to keep products in their original containers. If a product must be transferred to a different container you must label the container.
The district maintains lists of approved chemicals as well as unauthorized chemicals. To get approval for a new product you must submit a copy of the SDS to Safety Office for review.
Use district approved chemicals

5. Chemicals in food/beverage containers Containers not labeled correctly
Hazardous Materials
Mistakes
Unlabeled containers pose a risk to all staff and students. Many products we use appear to be similar, a clear liquid in a spray bottle for instance can easily be mistaken for water.
Storing chemicals in food & beverage containers is never a good idea. Many chemicals and mixtures can have the appearance of food & beverages such as sports drinks. In a recent incident a construction employee was gravely injured after taking a drink from a Gatorade bottle which actually contained a dark purple chemical mixture used for etching metal.
Another incident involved an employee placing a disinfectant into a PowerAde bottle and consumed the product causing them to be hospitalized for 1 ½ weeks.
Chemicals in food/beverage containers
Containers not labeled correctly
Unlabeled containers

6. Incompatible Chemicals
Review SDS to know how to safely use the chemical
Prior to pouring chemical into a container make sure the container has no residual chemical from a previous use
A reaction can possibly occur
When in doubt contact the Safety Office

7. Storing Hazardous Materials
Label All containers
Store in safe location
Chemical storage cabinets
Store by compatibility
Prep rooms or secure location
Review/Inventory chemicals annually
Check containers for damage and leaks
Keep what is needed
Properly dispose of old chemicals
Store Chemicals away from food/beverage
Avoid putting chemicals in food or drink containers
Some chemicals look similar to a beverage or foods and can be mistaken for a drink/food and consumed by an individual
Hazardous materials must be labeled & stored according to compatibility in areas which can be secured and are inaccessible to students.
You must maintain an inventory of the chemicals you store and ensure that you have SDS’s for them.
Protect yourself and others by keeping chemicals away from food or beverages. Avoid putting chemicals in food or drink containers. Depending on the chemical they can sometimes be mistaken for a beverage or food.
Please be aware that there are limits to the amount of materials that can be stored at sites. Storing quantities of materials equal to or greater than 500 pounds of a solid substance, 55 gallons of a liquid, 200 cubic feet of compressed gas, A hazardous compressed gas in any amount (highly toxic with a Threshold Limit Value of 10 parts per million or less), or Extremely hazardous substances in threshold planning quantities requires a hazardous materials business plan.
It is illegal to leave a hazardous material container open and exposed to the environment unless you are actively using the product.
Fume hoods should only be used when mixing materials and/or performing experiments. Upon completion of those tasks the materials should be properly labeled and either returned to the chemical storage area or treated as a hazardous waste.
Contact the Safety Office for disposal requirements and to schedule a waste pickup.

8. Hazardous Waste Removal
Make waste determination
Is it a usable product
Is it a hazardous waste
Contact Safety Office for removal of waste
Properly label waste
Hazardous Waste Label
Maintain Hazardous Waste Receipts – 3yr
When you decide that a product is no longer needed or is beyond its useful life you must first determine if it is a regular waste or a hazardous waste. This determination can be made based on knowledge of the product ingredients, the process used to create the product or on laboratory sampling.
If you determine that the product is a hazardous waste you must handle it in accordance with applicable codes and District policies.
If you are unsure of what to do or how to handle waste materials do not guess! Contact the safety office for assistance.

9. Hazardous Waste Labeling
Fill in the following:
Site Name, Address and Phone Number
Site EPA #
Middle & High Schools have permanent EPA # - Contact Safety Office
Elementary Schools have temporary # - Contact Safety Office
Accumulation Start Date
Type of waste – Physical State, Hazard Properties
Use this label when you start accumulating hazardous waste
When you determine that a product or mixture is a hazardous waste you must store it in an appropriate container and label the container.
Hazardous waste labels should not be placed on a container until you are ready to place waste in the container. When waste is placed in a container you need to ensure the label is properly filled out as shown in the example above, a common mistake is failing to list the accumulation date which is the date you first place waste in the container.

10. Hazardous Waste Mistakes
Forget to label waste
Disposing of waste into trash or dumping down the drain
Leaving containers open to dry
Having missing manifest receipts
Storing waste longer than the allowable timeframe
WHAT IS AN "EMPTY" CONTAINER?
1) If the container stored a hazardous liquid, then it must be completely drained, so that no liquid can drain from the container when it is tilted or held upside down.
2) If the container stored a solid or non-pourable hazardous material (powders, sludges, grease, thick resins, etc.) then it must be completely scraped out with no remaining buildup inside the container.
3) Aerosol containers are "empty" if the contents and pressure are completely dispensed and the spray mechanism is in place and not defective and it is not a reactive waste (…i.e., where the container may explode).
PLEASE NOTE: Containers which held a listed extremely hazardous material must be managed as hazardous waste or you must obtain authorization from the State DTSC to triple rinse or treat the container.

11. Additional Hazardous Material/Waste Mistakes
Accepting hazardous materials from outside sources – can create a problem
Companies
The Community
Friends or Family
Other Schools
Many sites have accepted donations of materials from a variety of sources. It is important to know what we can legally have & use at school sites and what quantities or products may trigger the need for a hazardous materials business plan.
When in doubt contact the safety office for guidance.
Contact Safety Office if site is having outside facility bringing hazardous materials onto site to perform lab experiments

12. For questions contact the Safety Office
Visit our Safety Office