Research Equipment Disposal and Release to Surplus

10/21/98

Note: It is the responsibility of the Department and/or user to follow these procedures for disposal of research equipment.
I.	History of Use and Spills: Before proceeding with decommissioning procedures, the laboratory personnel must determine the materials currently and previously stored in the equipment and whether any spills occurred. Consult chemical inventory found in your life safety box and your and self-inspection reports for this information. The EH&S Chemical Inventory group can assist with historical information for the previous two years; call 723-0448 for assistance. Visually examine the equipment for evidence of spills such as staining or damage to the inner surfaces. If there is evidence of a spill, but you cannot determine its nature (amount and identity of material), you will need to eliminate from consideration as many potential hazards as possible through your knowledge or the knowledge of previous users. If this knowledge is unavailable, expensive and time-consuming chemical analysis will be required.
II.	Laboratory Deactivation Guidelines: Refer to the Stanford Safety Manual, pp. 4-38 through 4-40 for general deactivation procedures. All cleaning of equipment prior to disposal or surplus is the responsibility of the laboratory personnel and the Principal Investigator(PI).
III.	Biological and Biohazardous Materials: Dispose of all biohazardous materials as medical waste before requesting assistance from the Chemical Waste Program or Health Physics. Disinfect all surfaces of the equipment that were in contact with infectious agents. If you need assistance with selecting disinfecting agents, consult the Biosafety Manual or contact the Biosafety Officer at 725-1473.
IV.	Hazardous Waste Disposal: Determine which hazardous materials were stored in the equipment that you wish to dispose. Label each container to be disposed with a Stanford University Hazardous Waste label. Submit a Chemical Waste Pickup Request (BHS-101) to have the materials removed from the equipment.
V.	Radiological Survey: Notify Health Physics (723-3201) if the equipment was used to store, contain or use radioisotopes. Determine if any radioisotopes were spilled or handled in the equipment. Perform a Removable Contamination Wipe Survey. Document results in your radiological logbook.
VI.	Cleaning and Chemical Decontamination: Disconnect power and release or restrain any stored energy before cleaning (follow appropriate Lockout/Tagout procedures if applicable). Drain oils from vacuum and other pumps. Cleaning of residual chemicals can be accomplished by wiping all surfaces with the appropriate solvent (soap and water, alcohol, etc). Note: Use care if water reactive materials or other materials potentially incompatible with cleaning solutions were stored. Collect contaminated wipes in a suitable container, label the container and dispose as hazardous waste, or mixed radioactive/hazardous waste, as appropriate. If you need additional information, call the Chemical Waste Program at 725-7520.
VII.	Radiological Safety Decommissioning: If results from the initial wipe survey (see step V) indicate that the equipment is contaminated, follow general cleaning procedures to remove any radiological residue. Dispose of cleaning materials as radioactive waste or mixed radioactive/hazardous waste as appropriate. Notify Health Physics to perform a decommissioning survey after you have completed the cleaning. Health Physics will remove or deface the radioactive warning labels once decommissioning is complete.
	If the equipment contains a radioactive source (e.g. liquid scintillation counter, gas chromatograph with ECD) the sources must be removed from the equipment prior to disposal. If transferred to another area or to another company, the equipment must be tested prior to transfer. Call Health Physics (723-3201) to arrange source removal or testing.
VIII.	Other Hazard Warning Labels: Once all cleaning and decommissioning is complete, remove all chemical/biological hazard-warning labels from the equipment. Tape a note to the equipment which says: "Decontamination of this equipment, as detailed in EH&S procedure Research Equipment Disposal and Release to Surplus, 10/21/98, has been completed. Include date and signature of person responsible for cleaning.
IX.	Property Administration: Once any chemical, radiological and biological hazards have been mitigated by the above procedures, ask your Departmental Property Administrator (DPA) to initiate a disposal request to the University Property Administration (UPA) department. The request must state the following:
	"Decontamination of this equipment, as detailed in EH&S procedure Research Equipment Disposal and Release to Surplus, 10/21/98, has been completed.
	If radiological decommissioning survey was required, submit a copy of the report to the UPA.
X.	Removal and Draining of Refrigerant from Refrigerators and Freezers: After the DPA confirms completion and approval of the equipment disposal request, submit an on-line service request to Facilities Operations to request removal of the refrigerant. Include in the text the following information: Make, model number, serial number and barcode number. The request must also state the following: "Decontamination of this refrigerator, as detailed in EH&S procedure Research Equipment Disposal and Release to Surplus, 10/21/98, has been completed. An approved equipment disposal request has been obtained from the University Property Administrator and is in the unit. If radiological decommissioning survey was required, a copy is included in the unit." If you have any questions about removal of refrigerant, contact the Peninsula Sanitary Service at 321-4236.