How does the EPA prioritize what to look at in their inspections of UVM laboratories?
Because we have been part of a pilot program with Project XL (see #6 above), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspectors have been inspecting our laboratories based on UVM’s Environmental Management Plan (EMP) rather than on the Federal laws applied to most other colleges and universities. Historically, the EPA has been very concerned about UVM’s handling and disposal of hazardous chemical waste and about UVM’s training and self-inspection programs, which are the basis of safe laboratory management under Project XL. UVM’s EMP requires that every container of waste must be labeled completely. This means laboratories must • use the ESF waste labeling system: 1) ‘Laboratory Waste Accumulation Container’ stickers must be completely filled out with full chemical name/s, hazard/s, and date accumulation started and 2) White multi-part waste tags completely filled out and dated within the last 30 days when the container is ready to be picked up for disposal, • for all containers to be clo
