Table of contents

• Your Safety Responsibilities
• Hazardous Waste Emergencies
• GBSF Safety Program
• GBSF Safety Officer
• Safety Services
• Chemical and Hazardous Waste
• Pharmaceuticals
• Controlled Substances
• Medical Waste
• Laboratory Glass
• Police
• Animal Remains
• Lost & Found
• Aggie Host Safety Escorts
• Lighting Instructions

Hazardous Waste Emergencies

Call 9-1-1 from campus phones for chemical spills and hazardous waste emergencies. From cell phones, or as an emergency backup number, call 530-752-1230. Be prepared to provide:

• A description of the problem
• Location of the emergency
• Name and telephone/pager number of the caller

Persons reporting emergencies should stay in a safe area nearby to provide further information and should attempt to make contact with the emergency responders when they arrive. Return to top.

GBSF Safety Program

The GBSF Safety Management Program promotes a safe workplace, fosters effective safety communications, and provides training to minimize potential hazards to faculty, staff, students, and visitors. The program sets a standard for GBSF safety management and complements individual laboratory safety programs and activities. Specific elements of the Safety Management Program include:

• Injury Illness Prevention Program
• Chemical Hygiene/Laboratory Safety Program
• Radiation Safety Program
• Emergency Action and Fire Prevention Program
• Bloodborne Pathogen Program
• Biohazardous (Medical) Waste Management Program
• Hazardous Waste Disposal and Transportation

Return to top.

GBSF Safety Officer

The GBSF Safety Officer provides health and safety information, training, and assistance with identifying program deficiencies. The Safety Officer is also responsible for monitoring safety program compliance, and acting as a liaison with safety committees, and faculty, staff, and students. Return to top.

Safety Services

Safety Services (formerly EH&S) is a resource for UC Davis departments and personnel who want to know more about how they can keep their workplace safe.  Safety Services is the primary contact for local, state, and federal agencies to inform the UC Davis community of regulatory requirements and to perform mandatory compliance functions related to health, safety and environmental issues.  Safety Services is the campus liaison with regulatory agencies. Requests for safety information and training, regulatory interpretation and applicability, approval of potentially hazardous procedures, resolution of safety problems, surveillance and monitoring are handled by Safety Services. Each campus college/school has been assigned a Lab Safety Professional.  These individuals work together with GBSF Safety Officer Diane Hoffmann, to assist with your health and safety issues. The LSPs for the various departments occupying the GBSF are: College of Biological Sciences - Genome Center/Core Facilities Crystyn Chase 530-848-1422 cachase@ucdavis.edu College of Engineering - Biomedical Engineering/CMGI Veronica Thron 530-848-1507 vthron@ucdavis.edu School of Medicine John Lomas 530-848-1510 jlomas@ucdavis.edu Return to top.

Chemical and Hazardous Waste

Safety Services provides chemical hazardous waste pick up and disposal services on a re-charge basis.  To request pick up of the hazardous waste, access the Safety Services website.  Make sure all hazardous waste is picked up from the lab within 9 months of the accumulation start date.  Safety Services recommends a pick up every 90 days. All chemical hazardous waste must be labeled with a hazardous waste label.  The approved label is available at the Safety Services website.  Improper management of waste (exceeding accumulation times, improper labeling, etc.), may result in fines from Yolo County Environmental Health. EH&S also provides pick up and disposal of radioactive waste, on a re-charge basis. To request a pick up of radioactive waste, please visit the Safety Services website. Return to top.

Pharmaceuticals

Expired or waste pharmaceuticals that are not controlled substances are disposed through the hazardous waste program. Make a request for pick up at the Safety Services website. Return to top.

Controlled Substances

In order to obtain or store controlled substances, the location must be secure and approved by Safety Services at 530-752-1493. Please refer to Policy and Procedure Manual Section 290-70, Controlled Substances, for detailed information on controlled substances. Return to top.

Medical Waste

All locations that generate medical waste must have in place a Medical Waste Management Plan http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/medresearch/medsp/includes/60SOMGBSFMedicalWasteManagementPlan.pdf .  Medical waste is collected at the GBSF in Room 1704.  Please complete sign-in and required paperwork, and dispose of medical waste in the appropriate red toter (Genome, BME, or SOM) as indicated by signage on the north wall.  For questions regarding medical waste, please contact GBSF Safety Officer, Diane Hoffmann at 530-752-9996. Return to top.

Laboratory Glass

Laboratory glass could puncture regular waste bags and endanger waste handlers. Do not pick up broken glass with your hands. Wear cut-resistance gloves, use tongs, or a disposable broom and dustpan to pick up broken glass. Collect broken glass as carefully and completely as possible.

Clean or contaminated with nonhazardous materials:

• Place clean glass into a sturdy container marked “Clean Lab Glass."
• Custodial will dispose as nonhazardous waste.
• See SafetyNet #12, “Why Didn’t the Custodian Pick Up my Trash” for more information .

Contaminated with biohazardous agent:

• Place into a hard walled sharps container (red with biohazard label).
• Label contents, room number and building and place in approved medical waste container or contact Safety Services for pick-up.

Contaminated with toxic or hazardous chemicals:

• Place into a hard walled sharps container (non-red without biohazard label).
• Label with a hazardous waste label, and contact Safety Services for pick-up as a hazardous chemical waste.

Contaminated with radioactive waste:

• Place into a hard walled sharps container (non-red without biohazard label).
• Label with radioactive tape, and place full sealed container in a dry radioactive waste box.
• Contact Safety Services for pick-up as radioactive waste.

Contaminated with biohazardous agent and carcinogenic or hazardous material:

• If the chemical disinfectant for the biohazardous agent is compatible with the hazardous material, disinfect the material and place into a hard walled sharps container (non-red without biohazard label).
• Label with a hazardous waste label, and contact Safety Services for pick-up as a hazardous chemical waste.
• If the disinfectant is not compatible with the hazardous material, cover the spill with paper towels and call Safety Services for assistance.

Contaminated with biohazardous agent and radioactive material:

• Cover the spill with paper towels and call Safety Services for assistance (530-752-1493).

Return to top.

Police

The University of California Police Department (UCDPD) is a State law enforcement agency whose authority and jurisdiction is derived from Section 92600 of the California Education Code. For more information visit the UC Davis Police Department website. Non-emergency Police Department Numbers:

Return to top.

Animal Remains

Animal remains that are not infectious are disposed off-campus by Stericycle.  Teaching Research and Animal Care Services (TRACS) administers this contract and Room 1706 is available to drop off animal remains. Return to top.

Lost and Found

The UC Davis Police Department is the central repository for lost and found items on the Davis and Medical Center campuses. The police department on the Davis campus is located at 625 Kleiber Hall Drive next to the fire department.  The UC Davis Police Department on the Medical Center campus is located on V Street in Sacramento. Found items are held at the police department for 90 days. Found items can be retrieved from the Davis and Medical Center campuses Tuesday through Friday, 8a.m. to 12p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., except during holidays.  Additional information can be found at the UC Davis Police Department website. Return to top.

Aggie Host Security Officers

The Aggie Host Security Officer Program provides security and support at UC Davis campus events.  In addition, AHS personnel facilitate the UC Davis safety escort service that is free of cost to UC Davis students, faculty and staff.  Visit the UC Davis Police Department website for additional information. Return to top.

Lighting Instructions

The GBSF is one of forty-three building chosen by campus to participate the UC Davis Smart Lighting Initiative to upgrade lighting in various spaces to reduce lighting energy.  This project is part of the University of California’s 2020 Greenhouse Gas Reduction goals, and the lighting and lighting controls retrofit is anticipated to reduce the lighting energy in the GBSF by approximately 56% on an annual basis. More information about the project can be found in this PDF document.  Additionally, instructions for using various lighting controls throughout the GBSF building are also available. If you need assistance or repair to the lighting in your area, please submit a workorder to Facilities by calling 530-752-1655, or email at facilities@ucdavis.edu. Return to top.