Mississippi State University has consented to pay a fine and created a new training procedure after last spring’s surprise inspection by Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality.
The EPA and the DEQ visited the campus unexpectedly in March and discovered inadequacies varying from the inaccurate labeling of dry cleaning fluids to the storage of some materials for longer than the permitted 90 days.
The DEQ imposed a fine of over $28,000 for 10 individual violations regarding the labeling, storage and maintenance of hazardous waste, in addition to violations related to personnel training.
“We’re subject to scheduled and unscheduled inspections by the DEQ–they are not required to let us know when they are coming,” Hughlett said.
As a result, the Office for Regulatory Compliance has initiated a new online training program for all faculty, staff and students who deal with hazardous waste materials. The new program, combined with regular training, has been designed to acquaint people with federal and state requirements concerning hazardous waste management.
Everyone involved with the storage, disposal and maintenance of hazardous materials is required to take follow-up courses each year.
Marian Hughlett, the hazardous waste officer for the campus regulatory compliance office, said, “Every university employee who handles hazardous waste, whether a faculty or staff member or a student, must be trained in the proper policies and procedures for storing and disposing of hazardous waste materials on campus.”
State and federal guidelines have classified hazardous waste materials as paint, pesticides, herbicides and chemicals used for photography, printing and research.
According to the Office for Regulatory Compliance’s home page on the MSU Web site, every department should have submitted for registration a list of all departmental personnel, including students, who handle waste materials. After registration, the ORC notified each person about the online training and annual refresher course. Records of the training and refresher courses are kept by the ORC.
The Web site also warns those dealing with hazardous materials that the recent inspections have given cause for cleaning out surplus and waste chemicals. All surplus chemicals should be disposed of after they reach their expiration dates, and all waste chemicals should be identified in order for a hazardous waste officer to collect them and dispose of them properly.
Failure to adhere to these guidelines regarding hazardous waste may be addressed with costly fines.
Despite expected and unexpected visits from the DEQ,, Mississippi State is making changes to correct their mistakes.
“Mississippi State now complies with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and regulations established by DEQ and the State of Mississippi,” Hughlett said.