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Purpose

To establish guidelines and responsibilities for students, faculty, and staff that are moving their laboratory within or out of the University.

General Information

REHS must be contacted prior to vacating your laboratory to schedule an exit inspection to ensure any chemical, biological, radioactive and physical hazards are identified and properly discarded or relocated.

Please read and follow all applicable sections:

The Principal Investigator (PI) is responsible for the following:

Biological Materials

  • Assess all of your biological materials and determine which materials will be transferred to your new laboratory. If you wish to dispose of any stock cultures in order to discontinue research with a particular agent, you must contact REHS for advice, as some materials require notification of regulatory agencies prior to disposal. Dispose of any working stocks in the same way as you would have during the course of your normal experimentation. Here is our Bio Waste Policy
  • As you prepare your samples for transport, consider updating or creating a computerized inventory of your lab's biological materials.
  • Dispose of any waste materials (partially full sharps containers, used pipette tips, unwanted plastic/glassware) prior to moving.
  • REHS must be notified if any biological materials will be transported off Rutgers University property or transferred to another PI (either within or outside of the University). This notification should be made as soon as possible so that special shipping and receiving arrangements can be made, if necessary. See Shipping Biological Material.
  • Clean all work areas with a freshly prepared 10% bleach solution.
  • All biological safety cabinets require a REHS evaluation to determine if they require decontamination, even if the unit is not being moved to a new location. If the cabinet is moved, it must be certified to ensure filter integrity and worker protection capabilities. To allow contractors to meet your schedule, contact REHS to make arrangements for this work in advance.

Chemicals and Other Physical Hazards

  • REHS has a Chemical Reuse Program for unused and unopened chemicals that can be redistributed within your department or REHS will take them for storage and redisbursment.
  • You must label all unmarked or unclearly labeled containers. Identification and disposal of unknown substances can be one of the more hazardous and costly closeout activities. If an item is truly an unknown, please segregate it for identification during waste collection.
  • All chemicals that are not transferred to the Chemical Reuse Program or to your new laboratory must be disposed of through REHS. Dispose of these materials, in the same way, as you would have during the course of your normal experimentation. See Hazardous Waste Disposal Policy and Procedures. Contact REHS for assistance in disposing of your chemicals, especially if there is a large quantity.
  • Due to Department of Transportation (DOT) shipping requirements, it is imperative that REHS is notified if any chemicals are going to be transported off Rutgers University property. This notification should be made as soon as possible so that special arrangements can be made, if necessary. (Note that REHS can be contacted with any transportation questions for transfer of these materials off Rutgers University property or for transfer within Rutgers University property.)
  • Separate any Rad/biological, chemical/biological, and Rad/chemical mixed waste from other wastes. Be sure that the mixed wastes are addressed in inventories for inclusion in waste disposal planning.
  • Gas cylinders and lecture bottles that are no longer used should be returned to the supplier or transferred to another PI.
  • Tubing and regulators connected to corrosive or hazardous compressed gas cylinders should be detached using safe procedures such as purging and venting to a hood or ventilated area. Contact REHS for assistance or direction on this process.
  • Any equipment, such as refrigerators or centrifuges, that you plan on moving must be surveyed (and decontaminated if necessary) for radioactive, chemical or biohazardous material and cleared.
  • Any broken equipment may be discarded through the Rutgers University Materials Services Department; however, if the equipment could possibly be contaminated with radioactive, chemical or biohazardous material must be decontaminated, checked and cleared first.
  • If you are moving to another Rutgers University laboratory contact REHS to determine if there are any special requirements needed and for information regarding revised approvals or authorizations for the use of biological and radioactive materials and hazardous chemicals.

Radioactive Materials

REHS must be contacted before a posted radioactive material laboratory is renovated or vacated, and when the lab stops using licensed materials.  Complete the following checklist and fax it to REHS.  We will contact you for further information.

Laboratory Radiation Clearance Checklist

NOTE: Make sure you check beneath hoods, in shared labs, within equipment, in refrigerators and freezers, and in any warm or cold rooms for any biological agents, chemicals or radioisotopes that might easily get left behind.

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