Transport, storage and waste

Contact the OHS service. The OHS service has experts who can advise you; an ADR safety advisor, for example, can help.

No, when transporting a blood tube (the primary packaging) in the Netherlands, it must be wrapped in absorbent material that can absorb the entire contents of the tube.

This must be placed in leak-proof packaging (secondary packaging) in its entirety. This, in turn, must be placed in its entirety in an outer package (tertiary packaging) of sufficient strength.

The packaging must meet certain requirements. There is no need to send a special transport document other than a consignment note. No special labels are required on the packaging either, as long as it says 'Biological substance category B' on the outer packaging. It is permissible to pack multiple blood tubes in the secondary packaging safely (break-proof and no contact between tubes). There are no special requirements for the driver or the vehicle. Additional requirements may apply to foreign countries and air transport.

Yes, blood samples suspected of being a class 4 pathogen and cultured material of classes 2, 3 and 4 require the same packaging method as above, but the packaging must be UN-approved.

In accordance with the ADR, special labels must be affixed to the outer packaging. A specified table of contents must also be inserted between the secondary packaging and the outer packaging. A consignment note, a transport document and a hazard card must also be enclosed. The driver must meet the ADR requirements. Additional requirements may apply to foreign countries and air transport.

Yes, if a package contains ice, dry ice or another refrigerant, the packaging must be suitable and approved for this purpose. Suppliers have special approved packaging or suitable outer packaging with labels and with specific instructions available. When sending infectious material (contaminated with microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria), the outer packaging must also comply with the UN test requirements.

Yes, provided that leak-proof cartridges and packaging are used. A separate tube system is recommended, i.e. solely for the transport of cytostatics. However, because of the risk of breakage and therefore leakage, it is recommended to keep the use of pneumatic tube transport for dangerous substances to a minimum. If a pneumatic tube transport system is used, please refer to the internal rules for its proper use.

It is permitted to store work quantities in the workplace. This should not lead to large quantities of dangerous substances in a room. As a rule of thumb, the storage volume should not be more than 25 kg or litres of dangerous substances per room. If this quantity is exceeded, additional storage facilities are required, such as special storage cabinets and drip trays. Your OSH service can advise you on this.

No, a fire protection cabinet is for the storage of flammable liquids. All flammable, highly flammable or extremely flammable substances, such as ether, alcohol, acetone and xylene, should be stored in it.

Other dangerous substances such as acids and lyes and solids are best stored in other special cabinets. Acids and lyes can damage the interior of a fire protection cabinet and cause it to lose its function.

It is better to separate the chemicals as much as possible. And it is also better to store them in a chemical cabinet (see 20). If acids, lyes and oxidising substances are stored in one cabinet, they must all be placed in separate drip trays. If the shelf is also a drip tray, the various groups of substances are placed on their own shelves, separated from each other. However, a sealed poison cabinet can be placed in a fire protection cabinet, separated from the other substances.

No, ether should not be stored in a household refrigerator. A household refrigerator is not explosion-proof. In hot weather, ether is sometimes stored in a cool place because of its low boiling point of 36°C. This must then be done in an explosion-proof refrigerator, where no sparks can form in the storage compartment.

A small amount of spilling or leakage due to the rapid evaporation of ether (ether has a high vapour pressure of 587 mbar) can easily become an explosive vapour-air mixture. The explosion limit is as low as 1.7%. Due to the low flashpoint (-45°C), an explosive mixture can also form in a refrigerator. A single spark through the door switch of the refrigerator light suffices to cause an explosion.

No, storing food and drink in a laboratory is not permitted. You are also not allowed to eat, drink or smoke in a laboratory area.

No, usually not. If a fire protection cabinet cannot be placed in the laboratory, it can be placed in the hallway, provided that it is not within one metre of a door, the hallway does not serve as an escape route, the hallway is not accessible to visitors/patients (i.e. always locked) and this is not contrary to the local fire regulations or the UMC's permits.

Yes, this is mandatory under the Working Conditions Decree Article 4.1c et seq. The label must contain the name of the mixture, the percentages of the substances, the hazard pictogram, the H and P phrases (R and S phrases), the date of manufacture, the expiry date and the initials or name of the concoctor.

This is also a standard that is followed by various organisations that accredit laboratories.

If the mixture contains a carcinogenic, mutagenic or highly toxic substance, you must affix a pictogram indicating this type of hazard. A solution is a mixture of compounds, so in the case of aqueous solutions, the common names of the dissolved substances must be given. In the case of a solution in an organic liquid, the name of the solvent must also be stated. This applies to all (work) solutions that are stored for longer than one day.

Yes, you generally can. Buffered saline solutions are not dangerous substances and have no H phrase or R phrase. According to the European Waste List (EURAL), these substances do not classify as hazardous waste. You can therefore discharge them in the sink, provided that no other dangerous substances have been dissolved in them above the specified concentration limit.

Yes, this also applies to this group of medicines. Staff who work with (solutions of) cytostatic medicines follow the normal rules for handling carcinogenic and reprotoxic substances and hazardous waste. In the care units, disposable materials contaminated with cytostatics must be discarded into the specific hospital waste container.

See also the OHS Catalogue of Cytostatics on the doctorhoe.nl website.

Yes, certainly. For example, chemicals belonging to the group of Substances of Very High Concern. In the past, this list was known as 'Black list substances’.

They are so harmful to the environment that their disposal is prohibited under any circumstances. This list includes heavy metals, organic halogen compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The permit under the Pollution of Surface Waters Act refers to these as 'Substances of Very High Concern'.

For some substances or categories of substances, the concentration limits that must not be exceeded in the waste water are given. The list is updated on a regular basis. For an overview of these substances, see: SVHC list.

Yes, every hospital has a number of categories of waste that must be collected separately. For example, there are waste streams for GMO waste, microbiologically contaminated waste, aqueous waste, organic fluids, high in halogen and low in halogen.

Please note: some substances react violently with each other or produce dangerous substances when in contact with each other, for example the combination of acid and lye. Familiarise yourself thoroughly with your UMC's waste separation instructions. For advice, please contact the OHS service.

Yes, every UMC has a number of types of waste that must be collected separately. Some substances react violently with each other or produce dangerous vapours when in contact with each other. Special attention must be paid to the combination of acid and lye, chlorite or hypochlorite, cyanides, sulphides and to the combination of nitric acid and formic acid, acetic acid, toluene and formaldehyde. Familiarise yourself thoroughly with the instructions for waste separation in your hospital. For example, there are separate waste streams for specific hospital waste.

Dispose of drug residues in accordance with the UMC rules. The pharmacy plays a central role in medicines; not only in their issue but also in their disposal. The exception to this rule are cytostatics. Residues of cytostatics are hazardous waste that is to be disposed of via the specific hospital waste stream.

No, loose drums must not be stacked, unless they are suitable for stacking or additional devices are provided. Fragile containers must not be stacked under any circumstances.

No, the gas cylinder can only be launched as a projectile or even explode due to improper use of the pressure regulator, if the pressure regulator breaks off, if the cylinder falls, if heated or if the cylinder is rusting. The cylinders and their pressure regulators must be part of a maintenance system, with the supplier testing and, if necessary, replacing the cylinders with pressure regulators at regular intervals.