Abstract
Waste handling within chemical manufacturing facilities was discussed. Establishing a hazardous waste management system involved five steps: identifying all applicable governmental regulations; drafting standard procedures, including standard forms, recordkeeping, and designating responsibilities; obtaining the cooperation of departments within the organization that have expertise to carry out the various functions; auditing the procedures to ensure that they are working properly; and updating or modifying procedures when necessary. It is noted that since a waste management system requires the use of manpower resources and cooperation between departments, it will be necessary at the beginning to obtain the backing of management. The hazardous waste handling system at Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc., Nutley, New Jersey, was described. Initially, production supervisors assigned a waste identification code to each individual waste stream. The streams were then classified to determine if they were hazardous. Responsibilities for classifying materials for shipping was assigned to the packaging development group. If a particular waste stream was to be sent offsite for disposal, the production supervisor was responsible for insuring that the waste stream was placed in the proper container and properly marked and labeled. Selected wastes were processed in noncommercial fuel blends for beneficial use on or off site, depending on their nature or quantity. Aqueous waste streams were usually discharged into the facility's sewer where they were treated, if necessary. In the case of air emissions, controls could be applied to individual streams or to several streams that were combined or manifolded into a single discharge.
Source Name
Symposium on Control of Workplace Hazards in the Chemical Manufacturing Industry, March 11-12, 1981, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, NIOSH, Cincinnati, Ohio
