Hazard Clearance and Declaration
This page explains the purpose of the Hazard Clearance and Declaration Form. Facilities Operations Building Services personnel are not expected to handle equipment that is contaminated with hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of the person making the work request to ensure that all surfaces have been properly decontaminated.
The purpose of the Hazard Clearance and Declaration Form (a.k.a. Clean Sheet) is to make Building Services personnel aware of the potential hazards that may exist in areas where they are requested to perform work. Building Services personnel are not expected to handle equipment such as fume hoods, refrigerators, freezers, furniture or other laboratory accessories that is contaminated with hazardous materials. It is the responsibility of the person making the work request (customer) to ensure that all surfaces have been properly decontaminated before Building Services personnel arrive to perform work in the area. It is also the customer’s responsibility to declare any unique hazards (e.g., electrical, physical) that may still remain in the area. Even though decontamination of surfaces potentially contaminated with hazardous materials is required, all personnel should still wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling the equipment as a precautionary measure (e.g., chemical-resistant gloves).
The Hazard Clearance and Declaration Form facilitates the necessary communication between the customer and Building Services personnel. The Hazard Clearance and Declaration Form will be initiated by Building Services personnel if there is a need to request more information about the potential hazards of an area, or it can be initiated by the customer at the time work is requested to lessen the potential for work delays. However, it is always the customer’s responsibility to complete Section 1 of this form when asked to do so.
Environmental Health and Safety’s Role
If radioisotopes have been used, the form must be completed and Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) must be contacted at 765-494-6371. Radioisotope use is the only circumstance where it is necessary to contact EHS. If the customer properly decontaminates an area and declares the hazards that may still remain on the form, then it is not necessary for EHS to get involved. However, if the customer or Building Services personnel need EHS to provide a professional opinion about possible needs for more cleaning, analytical testing or additional PPE requirements they can do so by calling 765-494-6371.
Decommissioning and Cleaning
The following procedures must be completed by the customer before Building Services personnel perform services:
- If radioisotopes were used, decontaminate all accessible surfaces and contact EHS at 765-494-6371 to verify that no detectable surface contamination exists.
- If biological agents were used, decontaminate all accessible surfaces with an appropriate disinfectant (e.g. 10% bleach solution). Indicate the type of decontamination procedures that were used in Section 1 of the Hazard Clearance and Declaration Form. Explain any stains or other evidences of spills that may still remain after cleaning has been performed.
- When requesting Building Services personnel to dispose of equipment, ensure that all surfaces have been decontaminated if necessary. Explain any stains or other evidences of spills that may still remain after cleaning has been performed. Ensure that all hazard labels (e.g., Biohazard, Carcinogen) have been removed or defaced. The exception to this rule is for radioactive labels; EHS will remove these labels once the equipment is confirmed to have no contamination.
- Remove all chemical containers, beakers, test tubes, sharps and all other potentially hazardous materials from the immediate area (e.g., remove chemicals from the hood before Building Services personnel arrive to work on the hood). Any additional hazards that may be present should be abated or clearly stated in Section 1 of this form if abatement is not possible.
- Communicate all potential hazards and recommend appropriate PPE in Section 1 of this form. Building Services personnel will be able to perform their job more safely if they are aware of all hazards that are present.