Practical and Inexpensive Waste Management Approaches at a Small/Medium Size University

Susan Fiscor, CIH, CSP, CHMMUniversity of Tennessee Institute of

Agriculture Safety Officer

UT Institute of Agriculture

In the Bigger Picture - UT

Knoxville

UTIA Overview• Approx 244 labs on Ag Campus• Approx 2,600 employees at UTIA• 10 research farms throughout the state• Three 4-H UT Extension regional camps + 95

county offices• Vet School• Two EHS staff at UTIA….plus….• UTK EHS provides special program support and

expertise in HW disposal, AED program administration, and fire extinguisher programs.

iAuditor iPad App

Using Free Technology to Improve Inspections• Schedule lab inspections with PI or their designee• Tailor the inspection questions to include waste

management emphasis• Quickly and easily include pictures of problems in

the report (keep everyone honest….a picture is worth a thousand words)

• Both PI/designee and inspector sign report at the conclusion of the inspection

• Report is emailed to PI the day of the inspection

Inspection Process• Simple data input: YES/NO/NA• Questions worded so that any NO answer

indicates a problem• If NO selected, get dropdown to enter description,

and can include picture from the iPad camera• At end of inspection, report is saved, and can be

sent as pdf or Word format via email.

The Report – Cover Page

The Report – Simple Format

Report – Picture Example

Report - Accountability

Documentation• Inspection reports get stored electronically in our

file sharing system, so they are easily accessible for reference by all in the office if there is a question or complaint.

Part 2 –A Program Win on a Shoestring Budget

One dose of institutional commitment +

Up-to-date email lists for the lab management +

easy-to-use internal audit tool =

Navigating a regulatory inspection to a constructive outcome.

Showtime• In September 2012 the Tennessee Department of

Environment & Conservation inspected UTIA• Visited 10 labs and found 4 HW violations• This high frequency of violations indicated a

general need to improve HW management in labs. Beyond remediating the specific issues, TDEC wanted to know how we would ensure ongoing compliance across-the-board

The Culprits

Who to send report to?

The Plot Thickens

The Process• With endorsement from the Chancellor, the

Safety Office developed and distributed a one-page (two sided) hazardous waste management checklist

• Each lab group was required to complete and return the checklist, as a way to prompt all the labs to evaluate waste management procedures for compliance

• There are 94 UTIA research groups. • Compliance status requests from Chancellor,

Deans & Dept Heads (what gets measured gets done!).

The Process, cont’d• Email message sent to the PI/manager for each

lab group, with 2-week deadline for them to complete it and send back to the Safety Office

• The message included pictures of the violations, so the lab personnel understood the specifics

• The message also noted that administration was monitoring compliance

The Tool

Outcome• Nearly100% return of checklists• Good feedback from the lab groups on using the

checklist as a training tool. How often do lab personnel thank you for focusing on violations in the labs?! In the process they identified and corrected a number of concerns.

• At the subsequent waste pickup, we shipped a record amount of haz waste from the Ag Campus. By having each lab specifically review their waste management, they decided to get rid of literally tons of material that fell into the “unknown, unwanted, or deteriorating” category.

• Peace of mind knowing legacy materials are reduced.

Questions?UTIA Safety OfficeSusan Fiscorsusan@utk.edu