Biological safety cabinets (BSC)
The BSC (download detailed BSC instructions (pdf)) must be cleaned inside and out of all visible residue and encrusted material. Sharps and other instruments must be removed. Labels, signage, and hazard warnings (e.g., universal biohazard symbol) must be removed or defaced. Find your building’s BSC contact (pdf) to schedule a decontamination at least two weeks prior to the scheduled move date. After EH&S decontaminates the BSC with gaseous paraformaldehyde, a certificate will be attached to the BSC indicating it has been decontaminated and is safe to move.
Contaminated equipment
Any equipment contaminated or potentially contaminated with biological material, chemicals, or radio-isotopes must be cleaned and decontaminated prior to delivery to UW Surplus Property warehouse. Equipment must be non-porous, and cleaned inside and out of all visible residue and encrusted material. Cabinets and drawers must be emptied, and all locks must be unlocked. Labels, signage, and hazard warnings (e.g., universal biohazard symbol) must be removed or defaced. All laboratory tubing must be removed. A Notice of Cleaning and/or Decontamination Form must be completed and affixed to the item. These items include, but are not limited to:
- Anaerobic chambers
- Balances or scales
- Benchtop instruments (refractometers, spectrophotometers)
- Biological safety cabinets
- Centrifuges
- Circulators and chillers
- Cryostats
- Dead tanks
- Dryers and freeze dryers
- Environmental chambers
- Evaporators
- Flammables cabinets
- Freezers
- Fume hoods
- Furnaces
- Gas cylinder holders
- Glassware
- Glove boxes
- Homogenizers and grinders
- Hoods
- Incubators
- Magnetic stirrers and hot plates
- Meters (pH meters, voltmeters)
- Microfuges
- Microscopes
- Microwave ovens
- Mixers
- Mobile work stations
- Ovens
- PCR chambers
- Pipettors
- Refrigerators
- Rotators
- Shakers
- Sinks
- Storage cabinets and lockers (used to store chemicals or hazardous waste)
- Vibrators and sonicators
- Water baths
Equipment containing fluid
Any equipment containing fluid must be drained prior to pick up or delivery to the UW Surplus Property warehouse. These items include, but are not limited to:
- Engines and motors
- Metal lathes
- Milling machines
- Vacuum pumps
- Water jacketed incubators
Contact EH&S to set up an appointment for oil draining.
Patient care environment
Equipment and furnishings used in a patient care environment must be cleaned and/or decontaminated regardless of whether or not they came into contact with any biological materials. Equipment must be cleaned inside and out of all visible residue and encrusted material. Cabinets and drawers must be emptied, and all locks must be unlocked. Labels, signage, and hazard warnings (e.g., universal biohazard symbol) must be removed or defaced. A Notice of Cleaning and/or Decontamination Form must be completed and affixed to the item. These items include, but are not limited to:
Radiation items
Equipment that produces radiation, or equipment that is used for working with or detecting radioactive materials must have a Radiation Safety Clearance Form before it can be sent to UW Surplus. Please contact Radiation Safety to initiate proper transfer or disposal of radiation producing device. Refer to the Preparing Radiation Items for Surplus guidance for more information. These items include, but are not limited to:
- Any item with a radioactive sticker
- C-arm systems
- Computed tomography (CT) scanners
- Dosimeters
- Electron microscopes
- Exit signs
- Fluoroscopy units
- Gamma irradiators
- Gas chromatographs
- Geiger counters
- Ionization chambers
- Lasers (class 3B and class 4)
- Liquid scintillation counters (LSCs)
- Mammography machines
- Neutron generators
- Nuclear medicine equipment (e.g., SPECT, PET scanners)
- Radiation therapy linear accelerators (LINACs)
- Shielding, storage containers, etc.
- Smoke detectors
- Static eliminators
- X-ray devices
- XRF, XRD, and electron-based spectrometers
Refrigerators and freezers
All refrigerators and freezers must be cleaned and/or decontaminated regardless of whether or not they came into contact with any biological, chemical, and/or radioactive material. Equipment must be cleaned inside and out of all visible residue and encrusted material. Labels, signage, and hazard warnings (e.g., universal biohazard symbol) must be removed or defaced. A Notice of Cleaning and/or Decontamination Form must be completed and affixed to the unit. If the unit was used to store radioactive isotopes, contact the Radiation Safety Office for assistance.
Removing surface mounted items (UW-owned & leased buildings)
To satisfy WA L&I hazard communication regulations, University departments and units must avoid potential exposures to regulated building materials when uninstalling furniture, equipment, and fixtures from a wall, floor, or ceiling. This includes but is not limited to: removing pictures or wall boards, uninstalling cubicles, cabinets or bookshelves, uninstalling audio/visual equipment and TVs, etc. Before removal occurs, a Building Materials Survey (or Historical Data) must be conducted to determine whether the wall, floor, or ceiling contains regulated building materials. A Building Materials Survey (or Historical Data) will identify the presence (or absence) of regulated materials. All building surfaces must be assumed to be asbestos and/or lead, unless proven otherwise by survey or historical data, regardless of installation date.
The department must prove there is no lead or asbestos present by attaching a copy of the building survey to the removed item. By attaching a survey, the department communicates to all parties involved, including UW staff and contracted vendors, that the item is free of asbestos fibers and lead dust, thus ensuring a safe working environment.
Moving & Surplus staff are not permitted to impact building materials or remove items affixed to a building surface. Only trained and authorized UW Facilities personnel are permitted to affix or detach items from a building surface. Prior to the commencement of work, UW Facilities personnel will request historical data and/or a survey from Regulated Materials Office. For more information, please contact Regulated Materials Office at uwrmo@uw.edu
For buildings at other University locations or leased buildings, contact the facility manager for this service.
Lastly, make sure all screws and nails (used to secure an item to a building surface) are removed from the item. Protruding screws and nails pose significant impalement and cutting hazards. Failure to provide a survey or remove screws/nails will result in non-acceptance.
Suspect asbestos-containing items
All items suspected of being asbestos-containing must be reviewed and approved by the Regulated Materials Office prior to being surplused. These items include, but are not limited to:
- Ceiling tiles and lay-in panels
- Equipment with insulated linings (ovens, centrifuges, etc.)
- Fire-proof cabinets
- Fireproof gloves, mitts and sleeves
- Laboratory benchtops
- Laboratory fume hoods lined with transite asbestos cement
- Light fixtures
- Mastic (used to attach flooring, ceiling tiles, carpet, cove base, cork board, etc.)
- Safes
- Solid-core doors
- Vinyl floor tiles or
- Vinyl sheet flooring
To request assessment by the Regulated Materials Office, please submit a request. Note that you will need to provide a payment worktag for the assessment.
X-ray machines
Special care must be taken to safely dispose of X-ray machines. Regulation (WAC 246-224-0090) requires that UW maintain records of receipt, sales, transfer or disposal of all X-ray machines. X-ray machines must be free of hazardous materials and permanently disabled by the Radiation Safety Office prior to pick up or delivery to the UW Surplus Property warehouse. Common hazardous materials include, but are not limited to:
- Radioisotopes
- Beryllium
- PCBs
Labels, signage, and hazard warnings (e.g., universal radiation symbol) must be removed or defaced. A Notice of Cleaning and/or Decontamination Form must be completed and affixed to the unit. Contact the Radiation Safety Office at 206-543-0463 for assistance.