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Facilities FAQs

Question 1: What do I do if my equipment room significantly overheats on the weekend?
Question 2: How do I make sure my new very large piece of equipment is delivered to the correct room?
Question 3: What should I do if I observe someone I do not know is trying to get on an elevator behind me or enter a secure door behind me?
Question 4: What do I do if I feel threatened and I cannot speak freely to ask for help?
Question 5: Am I required to have asbestos training?
Question 6: How do I surplus pure chemicals my lab no longer needs?
Question 7: What do I do with empty bottles that contain vacuum pump oil?
Question 8: What do I do with empty containers that contained chemicals?
Question 9: How do I recycle used batteries?
Question 10: How do I adjust my office chair so that it is comfortable?
Question 11: Where can I turn in lost and found items?

Question 1: What do I do if my equipment room significantly overheats on the weekend?

If you are experiencing an urgent maintenance issue in WH Foege after 5:00pm weekdays or anytime on weekends:

Call Facilities Services at 543-3010 and then press 0.  Or call UWPD’s non-emergency #, 685-8973.  Your request will be forwarded to FOMS (Facilities, Operations, and Maintenance Specialists). A FOMS staff person will come to the building to check on the problem.

When calling in an emergency, clearly provide the following information:

1. I have a RESEARCH AREA (heating, cooling, etc.) EMERGENCY and I need immediate assistance from Facilities Services.

2. The problem is located in South Foege [ROOM NUMBER].

3. My name is [YOUR NAME].

4. I can be contacted at [PHONE NUMBER].

5. The problem is [briefly describe problem: room too hot; equipment failure, etc.]

Here is the link to the FOMS website:
http://www.washington.edu/facilities/ops/foms

 

Question 2: How do I make sure my new very large piece of equipment is delivered to the correct room? 

Work with your vendor at the time you place your order.  Request the shipper provide an inside delivery to the specific room you would like the item placed in. Explain that Foege does not have a freight elevator or a pallet jack. Our elevator carries people and boxes but not pallets. The elevator door dimensions are 7’ X 4’8” and the length of the elevator is 8’6”.

Make sure the shipping company calls you prior to delivery so that you will be onsite to accept the delivery. Padding for the walls of the elevator is suggested for very large items.  Email gsadmin [ a t ] u.washington.edu at least one day before the delivery date to request padding.

Very occasionally the vendor cannot arrange for inside delivery.  Contactgsadmin [ a t ] u.washington.edu 7-10 days before the delivery date.  We will arrange to have UW Moving Services transport the piece of equipment from the loading dock to your room.  Your lab will need to provide a budget #.

Question 3: What should I do if I observe someone I do not know is trying to get on an elevator behind me or enter a secure door behind me?

Each GS staff person or student is responsible for being sure that only appropriate people enter secure areas of Foege.  If someone you don’t recognize gets on the elevator with you or tries to enter a secure door behind you, politely ask them to use their UW Health Sciences Access card.  If they are not carrying a card, direct them to the house phone in the lobby to request entry.  If the person does not comply, please notify GS Admin staff in S250.  Notify the UW Police if you feel the situation is urgent. 

Question 4: What do I do if I feel threatened and I cannot speak freely to ask for help? 

Should you or others feel physically threatened and it is safe to use a campus phone, call 911 and say the code words for Foege South.  If you cannot use a phone and co-workers are nearby, say the code words and they will call 911 for you immediately.  All GS staff are required to know the code words.  If you have forgotten the phrase, ask your supervisor or stop by the S250 Admin Office front desk.

Question 5:  Am I required to have asbestos training?  

Yes, annual asbestos training is required for all UW employees.  This includes ALL staff, faculty, post-docs, grad students, and paid undergrad employees.

The training is available online and takes approximately 15 minutes:
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/pubcookie/train/asbestosg/index.shtm 

You and your supervisor will receive a confirmation email that you have completed the training. 

Question 6:  How do I surplus pure chemicals my lab no longer needs? 

Contact Environmental Health and Safety for chemical pick up.
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/epowaste/chemwaste.shtm
Once your request has been submitted to E, H&S, expect a pick up in 2-6 weeks.  Please note that your chemicals are required to be in their original containers.

Question 7:  What do I do with empty bottles that contain vacuum pump oil?

Environmental Health & Safety collect used, clean empty metal and plastic drums from campus departments that receive bulk chemicals. The drums are reused to store and transport hazardous waste. This program saves the UW many thousands of dollars a year. Email chmwaste@u.washington.edu for more information. Do not leave drums out on the loading dock without first contacting EH&S.  They only pick up drums upon request.
Smaller plastic drums should be rinsed, dried, and placed in the trash or preferably recycled. If they previously contained chemicals, deface their labels, bag them, and label them "non-hazardous" so that custodial staff know that they are safe to handle.

Question 8:  What do I do with empty containers that contained chemicals? 

Whether recycling or disposing in the trash, plastic, metal, or glass containers must ALWAYS have their label defaced.

1. RECYCLE
Determine whether the container can be recycled or if it must be disposed of in the trash. Before recycling, make sure the container is empty and clean.  A partial list of plastic, metal, or glass containers that can be recycled is:

  1. acetone
  2. alcohols
  3. hexane, toluene, xylene
  4. nontoxic buffers, salts
  5. sugars, nutrients
  6. cleaning products

2. DISPOSAL IN THE TRASH
If the chemical in the container was extremely hazardous, then the container must be put in the trash.

First follow EH&S regulations for hazardous chemicals.
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/epowaste/ehw.shtm

If the bottle contained extremely hazardous chemicals, it can either be used as the collection bottle for similar hazardous waste and eventually to be sent to EH&S, or it can be trashed.  

If it's to be used for waste, deface its label(s) and affix a filled-out hazardous waste label to it: hazardous waste label.

If it's to be thrown away, rinse the container three times, collecting the rinse water into a labeled hazardous waste container.  (See FAQ 6.)  

Double bag the empty, defaced, rinsed container and put it in the trash receptacle.   Do NOT recycle it.  If a glass bottle is broken, treat it as any other laboratory sharp by putting it in a lidded plastic tub for disposal.

Double bagged laboratory glass and plasticware not contaminated with biohazardous material, chemicals, or radioactive materials may be placed in sturdy cardboard boxes.  When full, the box cannot weigh more than 40 pounds. Boxes must be labeled with the room number and PI's name and sealed with special "laboratory glass" tape. Place the sealed box alongside or into your regular waste container for collection.  Note: This is NOT recycling, which you should try to do whenever possible.

Never use boxes for the disposal of:

  1. Sharps
  2. Biohazardous materials that have not been autoclaved or decontaminated
  3. Liquid wastes
  4. Chemically contaminated laboratory glassware/plasticware
  5. Chemical containers that cannot be disposed of as regular solid waste.

 

Question 9:  How do I recycle used batteries? 

There are two locations for you to recycle your used batteries:

  1. S250E GS Supply room.  Look for the box on the counter.
  2. BioChem Stores in Health Sciences J-Wing Basement

 

Question 10: How do I adjust my office chair so that it is comfortable? 

For Steelcase Criterion chairs, see the following website:
http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/criterion/pages/overview.aspx
You’ll find an easy to use interactive guide for adjustments.

For Steelcase Leap Chairs, see the following website:
http://www.steelcase.com/en/products/category/seating/task/leap/pages/adjustability.aspx

 

Question 11: Where can I turn in lost and found items? 

You have a variety of options:

  1. The Admin Front Desk in S250
  2. UW Medical Center (University Hospital) 598-4909
  3. Health Sciences Building Management Office T283A 685-0143
  4. UW Police Station on Boat Street 543-9331
  5. Health Sciences Shuttle 685-3146
  6. Husky Union Building at Condon 543-1447