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| Safety Instruction 64 |
Equipment Clearance |
Update
10/25/2007
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In addition to the administrative requirements outlined in the OSU Property Policy, users of laboratory and analytical equipment must properly decommission and decontaminate equipment which was used in conjunction with biological, chemical or radiological materials. Clearance must occur prior to releasing the equipment under their control. Examples of equipment include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, freezers, centrifuges, incubators, chromatography systems, lyophilizers, biological safety cabinets, and liquid scintillation counters.
Equipment that uses chemicals in a process, e.g., chromatography unit, must be completely drained and chemical wastes collected for disposal. Any surfaces contaminated with residual chemicals must be decontaminated and the waste collected for proper disposal. Equipment with visible insulation, gaskets, heat resistant pads, etc. should be cleared for asbestos.
Equipment used in conjunction with biological materials must be properly decontaminated using an appropriate disinfectant and/or sterilization process. See Si 39 - Biohazard Spills for proper biological decontamination procedures. Prior to moving a biological safety cabinet, the cabinet may need to be decontaminated depending on the agents used. Contact the OSU biosafety officer for clearance instructions.
Equipment used in conjunction with radiological materials must be properly surveyed and decontaminated per campus policy. Liquid scintillation counters contain a radioactive sealed source and must be decommissioned by EH&S.
All users must decontaminate their equipment as needed prior to it being transported for reuse, resale or disposal. Once cleared by EH&S, the users must remove any hazard warning labels and attach a “CLEARED” tag signifying that the equipment has been decontaminated by the users and cleared by EH&S. “CLEARED” tags may be obtained from EH&S. (Note: Radioactive labels must only be removed by EH&S).
It is the equipment user’s responsibility to adequately decontaminate their equipment, then notify EH&S for clearance. OSU Property Surplus will not pickup laboratory equipment until this process has been completed. Property Surplus may charge a fee for equipment pickup.
Clearance Procedure Overview (stepwise)