Hazardous Materials Management

The Office of Environment, Health and Safety’s (EH&S) Hazardous Materials Management Team (http://www.ehs.berkeley.edu/whoweare/hazmat.html) is responsible for establishing and maintaining cost-effective hazardous material management programs in compliance with applicable standards. EH&S is responsible for developing hazardous material management procedures, providing orientation and training to campus personnel, picking up and processing unwanted hazardous material and waste, and coordinating the proper disposal of waste and redistribution of reusable material. Specific programs provide for management of chemical, radioactive, controlled substance, and "medical" wastes generated by the campus. EH&S is also responsible for pollution prevention programs, campuswide hazardous waste minimization efforts, hazardous material release response planning, the Chemical Inventory Program, and hazardous material shipping.

Deans, directors, department chairs, and principal investigators are responsible for the following activities under their respective jurisdictions:

Developing and enforcing procedures for the safe handling of hazardous materials;
Notifying EH&S when unwanted materials need to be picked up;
Funding the disposal of chemical waste;
Maintaining an accurate chemical inventory; and
Ensuring that all employees working with hazardous materials obtain the training necessary to be in compliance with the various regulatory agencies’ requirements. This training is offered by EH&S (http://ehs.berkeley.edu/whatwedo/opp/dsc/prgtrngmatrix2002.html).

Violations of laws, regulations, policies and/or procedures for handling hazardous materials can result in fines and other penalties being assessed to the campus, the department, and potentially even to the principal investigator. Noncompliance may also result in the loss of grant funding.