Selected School Safety Notices from August 2005 onwards (in reverse chronological order)

2 October 2007: Checklist for CHARM Risk Assessments

1. Risk Assessments should define procedures, not individual experiments.
2. A Risk Assessment must be signed by all named users.
3. The List of Substances, and the Procedure section must be consistent.
4. Workplace Exposure Limits (STEL & LTEL) require units.
5. It is University policy that the type of gloves to be used must be specified in the Risk Assessment.
6. All routes for the disposal of waste must be specified, including methods to make waste safe prior to disposal.
7. Actions in case of fire should specify the type of fire extinguisher to be used. Do not specify calling the fire brigade, as Fife Fire & Rescue Service attend whenever the alarm system is activated.
8. In cases of suspected poisoning, do not specify calling an ambulance: call a first aider who will make a judgement on further actions.
9. Do not specify actions which are irrelevant to the procedure, e.g. matters involving compressed gases or biohazards when none has been specified as present.
10. For work involving HF or any HF precursor, calcium gluconate gel must be on hand before work begins.
11. For work involving ionic cyanides and any potential cyanide precursor, a Cyanide Procedure form must be completed for each experiment.

01 October 2007: Revised Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs)

Revised Workplace Exposure Limits (WELs) for a small number of substances came into force on 01 October 2007. Please use the revised values from now on when preparing Risk Assesments.

23 April 2007: Waste glass disposal

In recent days a number of waste glass containers have been dumped on the ground beside the waste skips. This is not acceptable. At present, the School is producing waste faster than Fife Council are able to remove it, and we are currently attempting to increase the rate at which Fife Council can remove waste from the School. At the same time, all workers in the School should make serious attempts to reduce the rate at which they are generating landfill waste. If at any time you find that all the skips are full, your waste must be taken back to your laboratory pending the next waste uplift by Fife Council: it must not simply be dumped on the ground in the Level 1 carpark.

17 April 2007: Monday's Fire incident

Two lessons, one rather specific and one very general, can be learned from yesterday's fire, which was fortunately a fairly minor event.

• If flammable solvents are to be heated for the purposes of extractions, steam or water baths should always be used as heat sources in preference to electrical heating. Alternatively use a Soxhlet extractor or some similar device.
• After inspecting the scene of the fire, Fife Fire & Rescue Service immediately requested a copy of the risk assesment relevant to the experimental procedure involved in the fire. Had a copy of the relevant risk assessment not been immediately available, the consequences for the School, both practical and legal, could have been very serious. Let me therefore emphasize, once again, that all chemical operations within the School must be subjected to rigorous risk assessment before work is begun, and that all safety measures identified in risk assessments must then be adhered to in full, without exception.

As an adjunct to this, for all overnight/weekend procedures, copies of both the overnight permit and the relevant risk assesment should be posted outside the laboratory concerned, so as to be readily available should the emergency services be called to attend outside normal working hours.

10 April 2007: Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL) Data

The Health and Safety Executive have now published the WEL from the EH40 publication on their website. Paul Szawlowski has modified the guidance on the CHARM programme to provide links to this site so that all workers will have easier access to the WEL information for completing the CHARM risk assessments. WEL information is now freely available from these weblinks.

16 March 2007: Safety in UG laboratories

It is timely to remind all who may be in charge of undergraduate students in laboratories that all such students must wear proper eye protection at all times in laboratories. Any student who, having been clearly warned by a demonstrator, a technician or a lab supervisor, persists in refusing to wear proper eye protection should be excluded from that lab, and the facts reported without delay to me and to the course coordinator. Please would lab supervisors ensure that all their demonstrators are aware of the need to enforce this?

08 March 2007: Use of hand protection

It is timely to remind all members of the School of two important matters concerning the use of protective gloves: 1. These should only be used as personal protection when handling significantly toxic or otherwise dangerous materials. 2. They should not be worn outside laboratories. The wearing of possibly contaminated gloves outside laboratories risks spreading contamination to computer keyboards, door handles, stair handrails and so on; even within laboratories the long-term wearing of possibly contaminated gloves risks spreading contamination to notebooks, taps, door handles, telephones and so on. All of this is noted clearly in section 7.4 of the School Safety Handbook.

13 February 2007: Toxic waste and pathogens

This message concerns only those research groups who are likely to be handling pathogens and /or toxins: all others can ignore it. Notification has been received from Environmental, Health & Safety Services of substantial modifications to the list of notifiable pathogens and toxins, as regulated under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime & Security Act 2001 (the very same Act that enables the arrest of stationary old-age pensioners in Whitehall). Copies of the modifications are held by me and by Dr N J Westwood: any PI within the School of Chemistry who is contemplating any use of materials likely to be covered by these regulations should consult one of us in advance of initiating any acquisitions. Notification involves both Fife Constabulary, who will specify mandatory security measures, and the Home Office.

28 November 2006: safety reminders

Following recent incidents within the School it is necessary to remind all research workers of some basic safety matters.

1. All chemical operations must be subjected to proper Risk Assessment (see School Safety Handbook, section 9).
2. Any equipment or experimental set up left on out of normal working hours must be accompanied by a properly completed overnight permit, which must then be displayed in such a way as to be visible to the emergency services etc,. (see School Safety Handbook, section 12).
3. All laboratory doors should routinely be kept closed. In particular, such doors must always be closed out of hours and during emergency evacuations: in no circumstances must fire doors be wedged open (see School Safety Handbook, section 4).

All of these points are spelled out in the School Safety Handbook.

15 November 2006: use of LiAlH₄

During the course of 2006 there have been three fires within the School which involved old samples of lithium aluminium hydride, LiAlH4; two of these provoked the evacuation of the buildings and the attendance of Fife Fire & Rescue Service. Accordingly, the following procedures are proposed to minimise the risk of further such occurrrences.

1. Whenever possible, new samples of LiAlH₄ should be used in their entirety by scaling the experiment to match the LiAlH₄ package size. If this is not possible, small residual quantities should be destroyed immediately after the experiment: larger residual samples should only be stored for short periods and only then in closed & labelled containers in desiccators which contain no other chemicals apart from an inert desiccant such as silica.
2. All old samples currently in storage should be disposed of: particular care needs to be taken with old caked samples, which are liable to ignite if attempts are made to break them up.
3. Appropriate methods for disposal of small quantities include the slow addition of a dilute solution (~5%) of ethyl acetate in an inert diluent solvent such as toluene or dry THF: the temperature should be kept below 50 degrees C, and the disposal carried out behind a protective screen in an otherwise empty fume cupboard. Whatever method is selected for disposal of LiAlH₄, the procedure must be subjected to proper Risk Assessment beforehand, and all control measures identified in the assessment must be implemented in full.

Would any member of the School who can suggest any improvements to the proposals above please contact me as soon as possible? Otherwise this procedure will be incorporated into the next revision of the School Safety Handbook.

14 November 2006: use of cyanides

Recent months have seen a growing tendency to submit approval forms for cyanide experiments at very short notice, sometimes no more than an hour or so before the intended time of the experiment. Such tight timing is less than ideal, and will become impractical once I resume taking undergraduate practical classes later this week. Accordingly, for at least the rest of this term I do not propose to approve any cyanide experiments for which the approval form is submitted less than 24 hours before the declared time of the experiment. This change will require more forethought on the part of cyanide users, but not very much more.

03 November 2006: Message from Head of School regarding recent incidents

Analysis of recent accidents and near-misses within the School has revealed a number of common features which taken together suggest some real deficiencies in our general attitude towards safety matters. If we are to remedy such deficiencies, and this is essential, research supervisors will need to improve the safety culture within their groups. As specified clearly in the School Safety handbook supervisors are responsible, inter alia, for:

• Instructing members of their research groups and technicians under their supervision in safe working practices.
• Ensuring safe working practice and good housekeeping in laboratories and workshops designated as their particular responsibility.
• Requiring that School safety rules are obeyed.
• Engaging the interest and commitment of all persons under their supervision to healthy and safe working practices.

In the context of recent incidents, it cannot be emphasized too strongly that all operations within the School which have any foreseeable degree of risk must be subject to a proper risk assessment. Chemical operations For chemical operations risk assessment should be straightforward using the CHARM system. However, the School Safety Coordinator reports that since the launch of the CHARM system almost a year ago, around three-quarters of all risk assessments involving category 5 materials, which he routinely sees, have had to be returned to their authors because of significant errors and/or omissions: this is despite the fact that every one of the these rejected assessments had previous been approved by the research supervisor. Random spot-checks on a sample of risk assessments not involving category 5 materials, and thus not routinely seen by the School Safety Coordinator, have found that a non-trivial proportion of these also contain significant errors or omissions. An obvious inference here is that risk assessments may sometimes be given approval by supervisors after only a cursory, and plainly inadequate, scrutiny. Instrumental operations These operations cannot readily be subjected to risk assessment via the CHARM system, and so all managers of large instruments or fixed rigs such as NMR, mass spectrometers, X-ray equipment of all types, high-pressure rigs, high-vacuum systems, high-power lasers, and so on (this list is not intended to be exhaustive) are now asked to prepare a specific risk assessment for each such item under their control. Each assessment (maximum one A4 side) should include a definition of the hazards involved; the risks associated with the normal use of the equipment; the control measures put in place to minimise risk; and the emergency actions required in case of reasonably foreseeable failure, either of the equipment itself or of the supporting and surrounding infrastructure. These assessments should be signed and dated, and copies lodged with the School Administrator not later than 30 November 2006. If any substantial additions or modifications are made to the equipment at a later date, then a new assessment should be prepared. All persons using the equipment must keep a record of the assessment signed by the individual concerned and their immediate supervisor, and a duplicate signed copy must be lodged with the School Safety Coordinator. Control measures Once a risk assessment has been prepared for any kind of operation, all control measures which have been identified in the assessment must then be implemented in full and without exception. Not only is it pointless to prepare a risk assessment and then to ignore its recommendations, but this could well be regarded by the HSE, in the event of an accident, as a wilful disregard of defined safety procedures.

17 October 2006: Toxic waste

A form must be completed if you have toxic materials requiring disposal via specialist contractors. If you have any such material please complete this form with the same level of detail as given in the example attached. Please leave the Hazard Code column blank as the coding system required for this purpose is, of course, completely different from the system used for all other purposes: I will add the appropriate codes once the forms are otherwise completed. Please also add the name of the group or originator at the bottom left-hand corner beneath "Chemistry" so that forms can be readily identified. Forms should be returned to me, via e-mail, not later than Friday 3 November (week 6), incorporating your initials into the file name (i.e. replace "blank" by your initials), so that the tendering proces can then begin: meantime, please retain all such materials until they are called for shortly before the eventual date of the uplift.

28 July 2006: Dumb waiter

The dumb waiter in Purdie is currently out of service & likely to remain so for some considerable time. NO person may travel in the Purdie lift accompanied by solvents or laboratory chemicals: if it is necessary to move solvents or chemicals via the lift, the same procedure should be employed as for liquid nitrogen. Call the lift, load the goods, proceed to your destination floor via the stairs and then call up the lift.

25 July 2006: IMPORTANT - Protective gloves

It is now University policy that where hand protection is identified as a requirement in a Risk Assessment, the type of glove required must be specified. From now on, Risk Assesments which merely specify "hand protection" without further detail should not be approved, and all authorised approvers of Risk Assesments are asked to adhere to this policy. Advice on glove selection can be found in paragraph 7.1.

21 July 2006: Risk assessments

It is timely to remind all members of the School of some basic points concerning Risk Assessments:

1. All chemical operations must be properly assessed before work is initiated.
2. All safety measures required by a risk assessment must then be implemented without exception.
3. All risk assessments must be signed by all users named in the assessment: anyone uncertain about how to apply an electronic signature to a CHARM risk assessment should consult the System User Notes, to which there is a link from every page of the CHARM system.

12 July 2006: Use of syringes

A recent incident has highlighted the disadvantages of using syringes equipped with snap-in needles when handling hazardous materials: such a needle can, on occasion, become detached fron its syringe without warning, leading to disagreeable consequences. For the handling of hazardous materials, the use of syringes equipped with screw-in needles should always be considered, and only rejected with good reason.

01 June 2006: Fire incident

Today's fire appears to have been caused by the close proximity of a flammable organic solvent and a naked flame. Please refrain from employing naked flames in the vicinity of flammable solvents: electrical or other heat sources should be employed, selected with the specific aim of preventing ignition. Please ensure also that all operations involving flammable materials have been subjected to proper risk assessment, and that the requirements of such assesments are then carried out.

29 May 2006: SAFETY-Edwards rotary pumps

BOC-Edwards have advised that small numbers of rotary vane pumps in the E2M0.7, E2M1 and E2M1.5 series are liable to capacitor failure leading in some cases to fire. A simple retrofit of the faulty component can eliminate this risk. All owners of such pumps should visit the site http://www.bocedwards.com/service/em/ which will allow (a) exact identification of pumps requiring attention, and (b) on-line ordering of the remedial retrofit kit. Any pumps requiring attention should then be delivered, with the retrofit kit, to the electronic workshop for upgrade. Meantime, such pumps should not be used until the remedial work has been completed.

8/9/11 May 2006: Empty Winchester bottles

ONLY clean Winchesters are to be placed in this container, as agreed with Fife Council. The only items permitted in the brown skip, as agreed with Fife Council, are clean empty Winchester bottles: the plastic caps should be removed, and the bottles rinsed out and decontaminated before deposition in the skip.

05 May 2006: Cooking in Purdie/BMS

Following the circular earlier today from Professor Russell Morris, I draw attention to three points: 1. The School of Chemistry Safety Handbook, whose provisions apply to all members of the School, states in Section 7.4: "the installation or use of conventional or microwave ovens for cooking or heating food is not allowed, and items such as toasters and sandwich makers are also forbidden. " 2. Accordingly, would the owners of the ovens and toasters currently installed in the kitchens on Levels 3 and 4 of BMS, and in any other Chemistry areas of Purdie/BMS, now arrange for their immediate removal from the building: failing this, these items are liable to be impounded. 3. Further antics of today's type may seriously prejudice the willingness of Fife Fire and Rescue Service to attend future incidents in this School.

24 April 2006: Contractors working in Chemistry labs

Members of the School who are based in labs will be aware that from time to time external contractors, as well as maintenance workers from Estates, come into labs to conduct various maintenance, repair or testing jobs. You are reminded that all such staff are subject to the local requirements on the wearing of eye protection in areas where signage to that effect is displayed. Such staff who arrive without eye protection should, with due courtesy, be advised that in areas these signs are displayed, the wearing of eye protection is mandatory: please offer to loan safety specs, where required. If the visiting workers concerned refuse to wear them (a) ask them to leave your lab without delay, and (b) report the matter immediately firstly to your lab supervisor and then to me. I recognise that this may lead to some tricky situations. However, this is a recurrent problem, of which the University Safety Office are aware: we have their full support in this matter.

13 April 2006: SAFETY - 1-Hydroxybenzotriazole

If any research group holds any stock, however small, of 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, please let me know as soon as possible. Purchase of (and probably simply holding) this substance now requires an Explosives License, which this School does not currently hold.

27 March 2006: First-aiders in BMS

This message is directed specifically towards members of School based in the BMS building: apologies to all others. An increasing number of chemistry personnel within the BMS building are routinely using ionic cyanides, and this points to the need for more First-aid workers based in BMS who have undertaken the necessary training to deal with incidents involving cyanide poisoning. Because of the specialist training requirement, the ideal candidates would be persons with a medium to long term commitment in the School: but this does not debar others. Would anyone who wishes to volunteer for this please contact me by e-mail.

23 March 2006: Emergency evacuations

All members of the School of Chemistry are reminded of the appropriate areas for assembly after leaving the  buildings in cases of emergency. As specified in the School Safety Handbook (section 4.2), you should leave by the nearest safe exit and proceed immediately to the car park in front of the level 2 entrance, if exiting from Purdie, or to the grass across the road from the main entrance of BMS, if exiting from that building. Thereafter, the ONLY School of Chemistry personnel permitted in the level 1 car park during emergencies will be those with emergency duties there, as specified in the Major Incident Recovery Plan. Any member of the School who has difficulty with these arrangements should bring this to the attention of the School Safety Coordinator without delay.

14 March 2006: Special disposal of toxic wastes

It is now time to prepare the extensive paperwork required for the annual disposal of toxic waste materials. It you hold any such materials requiring disposal please provide, by e-mail only and NOT LATER than Friday 31 March, the following information in respect of each individual sample: Physical form (solid, liquid) Total quantity (estimated to nearest 5%) Types & sizes of containers (eg, 5-litre plastic bottle, etc) Chemical components present which require special disposal When completed, the School inventory will go out to tender. Please therefore hold all such materials until I request delivery of these: this is unlikely to be before May.

22 February 2006: Sulfur hexafluoride

This notice is relevant to you only if your research group has recently used, is currently using, or is likely soon to be using sulfur hexafluoride, SF6: otherwise it can be ignored. Obligations under both the Kyoto protocol and the EU fluorinated gas regulations impose stringent requirements on the prevention of escape of SF6 to atmosphere. To assist in meeting these obligations BOC are now offering a customised supply, handling & recovery service for SF6: the number to call is 0800 02 0800. All those to whom this message applies should contact BOC directly for up to date advice on legislative, regulatory & handling matters relating to SF6.

16 February 2006: Emergency evacuation

There are a number of lessons to be learnt from yesterday's incident, which could easily have turned into something more serious.

1. All chemical operations within the School must be subjected to proper risk assessment before the work is begun.
2. All research groups should undertake an immediate review of their holdings of organic solvents, and should reduce these to levels which can be safely accommodated in the fire-proof solvent cabinets provided.
3. All research groups should conduct an immediate review of their general laboratory housekeeping to ensure that in every laboratory there are clear & unimpeded escape routes to the exit doors from all parts of the laboratory.
4. Fume cupboards used for chemical operation should not, in general, also be used for the storage of stock chemicals and waste solvents.
5. When an emergency evacuation is called for, personnel should close all laboratory & office doors behind them. Laboratory doors must not be propped open.
6. Members of the School whose emergency exit route takes them via the main Level 1 car park should then proceed to the main assembly point adjacent to the Level 2 entrance: alternatively they should choose an altenative exit route. During emergencies, the Level 1 car park must be kept clear of casual pedestrians, who are at significant personal risk there, and whose presence provides a serious distraction for the emergency services, particularly for the drivers of fire appliances.

13 February 2006: Waste glass

It is once again necessary to remind all research workers of the approved procedures for the disposal of waste glass. Winchester bottles should have the tops removed and should then be thoroughly washed out before being placed in the brown skip in the Level 1 car park. Note that this means IN the brown skip not merely NEAR this skip. Waste glass other than empty Winchester bottles should be freed from significant chemical contamination and then placed in one of the white skips in the Level 1 car park. Note that this means IN one of the white skips not merely NEAR these skips.

02 February 2006: IMPORTANT SAFETY ADVICE - PLEASE NOTE FOR ACTION: Waste containers

Following a recent incident within the School, involving the explosion of a chemical waste container, it is necessary for all laboratory workers and their supervisors to review their handling of chemical waste in order to prevent repetition of this incident.

1. Particular care should be taken to ensure proper segregation of waste materials.
2. Accumulating waste materials should be stored in vented containers until they are ready for final disposal.

Personnel requiring specific advice on these matters should contact CG.

23 November 2005: Fire alarm system

Today's activation of the Fire Alarm system, requiring the evacuation of Purdie and BMS, was caused by dust expelled from a small vacuum cleaner. This indicates that the new smoke detectors are very sensitive: they are likely to be activated not only by dust generated in this way, but also by such items as air fresheners and similar aerosols. It is therefore important that you all take steps to minimise the likelihood of accidental activations of this type.

23 November 2005: Gas cyclinders

New EU regulations will come into force on 1st July 2006 requiring the harmonisation of gas-cylinder colours across the European Union. Implementation of these regulations requires, of course, the repainting of nearly every gas cylinder within the EU; the changeover for some products has already started but BOC estimate that completion of the changeover could take as long as five years. During that period, the old and new colour schemes will co-exist, side by side. Hence it must be emphasised that the cylinder label is the over-riding product descriptor, with the cylinder colour acting as an additional guide but not as the primaty indicator. Colour charts illustrating the new scheme are now in place in the gas-cylinder store and at the Main store. As ever, responsibilty for the correct use of the correct gas lies solely with the individual user.

23 November 2005: Home-made chemicals and the new CHARM system

Chemicals prepared in-house to which hazard codes have not been assigned (and which are thus not in the University database) should not be entered into the initial list of substances used, but should be specified in the account of the procedure. If all such chemicals are flagged up there, e.g. by the addition of some phrase such as "home made", then those approving the assessment would not need to waste time looking for hazard codes.

16 November 2005: HSE Inspection

I understand that the HSE will conduct an institutional inspection of laser safety early next month. Would all those of you who use lasers in any way, whether in research or in teaching, please ensure that your operations are fully compliant with the University local rules then follow the links on Radiation Protection.

03 November 2005: Workplace Exposure Limits (WEL)

The exposure limit data in EH40 can be obtained from: www.shef.ac.uk/safety/guidance/WEL2005.pdf.

Please ensure that full use is made of this source when preparing risk assessments; this should save time all round.

31 October 2005: CHARM presentation

This message clarifies a couple of points raised in the questions after Paul Szawlowski's presentation on the new CHARM system . 1. Under the new system, there will be no need for paper copies to be submitted either to the School Office or to me: you can of course print copies for your own reference, but they should not be deposited. 2. Under the new system, the School Safety Coordinator will NOT be able to make additions and modifications to your Category 5 forms as at present: if these are unsatisfactory, they will have to be re-made. Hence more attention to detail may be required in some areas.

20 October 2005: COSHH training session

Dr Paul Szawlowski of the University Safety Office will lead a training session on the new COSHH system on Monday 31 October 2005 at 4 pm in Theatre A, when the use of the new system will be demonstrated. All users are recommended to attend this session, and supervisors of final-year project students are asked to inform their project students about this session and to encourage their attendance at it. All users are reminded that the old system will be withdrawn as from Wednesday 2 November 2005.

13 October 2005: SAFETY NOTICE: PLEASE READ and TAKE NOTE: Gas cyclinders

It is timely to remind all members of the School whose work may involve the use of gas cylinders in chemical operations that at the conclusion of use, both the main cylinder valve and the valve in the regulator head should be left closed, to prevent any passage of gas. Similarly, before using any cylinder, the setings of both valves should be checked, and closed as necessary. In use, the main cylinder valve should always be opened before the regulator head valve is opened. Adherence to these simple procedures should go a long way towards the prevention of unexpected escapes of gases.

20 September 2005: UG labs

This is the annual request to all of you who may be running undergraduate laboratory classes in the coming session, that you ensure that the students in your care dispose of all their laboratory waste in the appropriate manner. Both teaching labs will be using closable cardboard bins (available from the main store) for broken glass: please ensure that both the students and the demonstrators are aware of these and make proper use of them.

15 September 2005: Waste

Despite my e-mail dated 16 August 2005 which specified that NO materials other than clean Winchesters are to be deposited in the waste container marked "Brown glass bottles and jars" , general waste (including sample vials, pipettes, can lids, wine bottles, cuvettes, etc.) is nonetheless being dumped into this skip. If any members of the School of Chemistry have difficulty in following the instructions issued on August 16 2005, they should take their concerns firstly to their supervisors and then to the Head of School. I repeat, yet again, that if this School does not satisfy Fife Council's requirements for the segregation of waste materials, the Council will simply refuse to uplift any of our waste.

12 September 2005: CHARM

Information on the new Web-based COSHH system by the Business Improvements unit can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/business-improvements/projects/COSHH/charm_pdf Any technical comments should be addressed directly to the system's author Kevin Thomson, e-mail kjt

08 September 2005: Waste

Following further discussions with Estates and Fife Council, new procedures for the disposal of silica and alumina from columns are now required under the Pollution Prevention and Control Regulations, and these measures will be introduced shortly. It would be helpful if these materials could be held in laboratories pending the introduction of the new procedures. Further information on this matter will be circulated as soon as possible.

08 September 2005: The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005

These Regulations are now in force, intended "to protect employees who may be exposed to risk from either hand-arm or whole-body vibration at work". If any members of the School of Chemistry have reason to believe that they may be exposed to such risks at work, e.g. from the regular and frequent use of hand-held power tools or powered machines processing hand-guided materials, they should see me without delay, so that their work may be risk-assessed and appropriate control measures instituted.

06 September 2005: Recycling Containers in Laboratories

The University Health and Safety Committee has ruled that from now on recycling containers should not be provided in chemical or biological laboratories. If any laboratory within the School of Chemistry has any such containers, please ensure that these are now emptied into one of the Controlled Waste skips, thoroughly cleaned, and then returned to the Janitors for re-use.

16 August 2005: IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ THIS and THEN ACT UPON IT: Waste

Following extensive negotiations involving both the Estates department and Fife Council, new arrangements for the disposal of glass and controlled waste are now in force. Uplifting of waste under the old arrangements was suspended by Fife Council because of inappropriate materials deposited in certain of our bins. There are now just two kinds in waste skip in the Level 1 car park, one labelled "Brown glass bottles and jars" and three labelled "Commercial waste". The new arrangements must be followed in full, otherwise Fife Council may again suspend the uplift of waste from this School.

Recycling of Winchesters

Winchesters which cannot be returned to the suppliers must be disposed of as follows: the plastic cap must be removed and discarded in the normal waste bin, the original contents must be completely removed, and then the bottle must be thoroughly washed with excess water to remove all traces of chemicals. The clean bottle must then be placed in the large container marked "Brown glass bottles and jars" situated in the waste disposal enclosure in the Level 1 car park. NO other material may be placed in this container, which must be kept free of all chemical contamination. It is essential that this skip be kept free of contamination, otherwise Fife Council will simply refuse to uplift it.

Other controlled waste

Waste which was formerly placed in the small blue skip must now be placed in one of the large skips labelled "Commercial waste", but all items must be decontaminated before deposition. Again this decontamination is crucial, as Fife Council will not uplift offending skips. NB NO syringes or needles, and NO clinical waste must go into these skips.

Sharps

These must, as before, be disposed of only into the special sharps bins available from the Purdie main store.

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