Academic (teaching and research), industrial, governmental, and hospital laboratories are constantly adapting their physical plants to accommodate ever-changing technical needs. It is estimated that laboratories undergo some type of renovation every 20 years. Some industrial R&D labs, such as pharmaceutical labs, renovate as often as every 5 years; whereas others, such as universities and government labs, may not renovate for 30 years or more. A recent survey of laboratory owners revealed that more than 50% of their labs were 20 years old, about 25% were between 11 and 20 years old, and the rest less than 10 years old (1).
In a few cases, large-scale renovations may involve an entire laboratory, suite of laboratories, or entire buildings. Any move involves transporting chemicals, biologicals, and radioactive materials along with equipment to a new facility or a holding area until the laboratory renovation is completed; decontaminating remaining equipment and building structures, such as benches, fume hoods, or biological safety cabinets (BSCs); and unpacking.
In this article, we provide an overview of the variety of problems that may be incurred and present a series of procedures and checklists that can be used to manage the activities associated with a move or renovation. It is helpful to think of these activities in phases: planning, decontamination and moving, construction and renovation, and occupancy. The hazards depend on the types of laboratories involved; however, the approach applies to all labs, including chemistry, biology, engineering, physics, geology, clinical, and radiation. Previous work has described specific decontamination procedures (2-4).
Planning
Moving a lab requires careful planning to account for the safety and health of
those involved-laboratory occupants, moving personnel, renovation
contractors, and occupants of surrounding areas who are not involved in the
move. Health and safety personnel and relevant facilities personnel must
maintain open, continuous communication among these groups.
We recommend appointing a project or move coordinator to obtain all the required facts related to the move or renovation and coordinate various activities. For large projects (i.e., an entire floor or building), a committee that includes representatives of all involved parties and is chaired by the move coordinator is desirable.
The laboratory occupants can identify current and past practices that may reveal potential problems. For example, use of perchloric acid at elevated temperatures without a scrubbing system may lead to the formation of explosive perchlorates in exhaust ducts or vacuum systems (2, 4). Use of toxic materials such as aflatoxin, acrylamide, metals, and arsenic may contaminate surfaces and lead to skin contact problems for movers and construction workers. Hazardous chemical spills that were not properly remediated may result in mercury that remains in plumbing systems or under floors or cabinets. The use of azides in plumbing systems may lead to explosions. Improper disposal of radioactively contaminated materials may result in exposure to fixed or removable radioactive contamination. Finally, the presence of animals may result in allergic reactions.
The occupants must also identify what equipment and chemicals are to be moved to their new location and appropriate handling procedures. They may also be responsible for decontaminating equipment and surfaces.
Health and safety professionals will ensure that all the right questions are asked. They will also provide advice and assistance in assessing potentially hazardous conditions (e.g., surface or air sampling) and specifying appropriate decontamination procedures.
By asking contractors to describe their work, you can identify potential construction-related hazards. For example, workers may disturb asbestos-containing material, lead paint, and surfaces that may be contaminated with radioactive material.
There are several important steps to incorporate in the planning phase.
Identify potential hazards (see sidebar below) and specify mitigation techniques.
Initiate a program to minimize the amount of hazardous materials to be moved. Reducing the volume and weight of materials will also reduce the potential for a disastrous accident.
Anticipate finding unknown and unlabeled materials. If possible, arrange to have one of your labs or a contract lab perform identification. If identification is not possible, these materials must be disposed of as unknowns, which is costly.
Any move or relocation should be viewed as an opportunity to review equipment and material needs and discard items that are not needed. This is the time for major house cleaning.
Identify who must be notified about your move (e.g., the radiation and biological safety offices for your facility or outside agencies such as USDA for veterinary service or plant service permits that are laboratory site specific). Because the use of radioactive materials requires U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) or state licensing, moving or decommissioning a laboratory may require prior approval of the regulators via an amendment to the license. This process can be time-consuming and may delay the actual move schedule, so it must be included in this early planning stage. In addition, if the laboratory is being moved to an entirely new facility, that facility will need appropriate licensing and permitting. A record of the license and material shipped must be maintained for inspection by regulatory agencies.
List what must be decontaminated and make plans to decontaminate the facility that is being vacated. Equipment that has been chemically, radioactively, or biologically contaminated must be decontaminated before the move. For example, cages may need to be decontaminated if the animals were excreting oncogenic chemicals, infectious agents, or radioactive markers. Request pesticidal treatment of equipment before moving it to the new location to minimize pest transfer.
Complete a thorough radiation survey to determine contamination levels. The radiation safety office is a good starting place to examine records of prior contamination incidents, radiation survey results, and so forth. See Appendix 1 and Reference 5 for instructions about surveying and preparing facilities and equipment for unrestricted use. Hoods or ventilation systems used for radioactive labeling must be surveyed by the radiation safety office. This survey should include any engineering controls such as filters and filter plenums used to reduce release of radioactive materials.
Collect all packaging items needed before the moving date. Carts, plastic bags, toweling or other cushioning, absorbent materials, sealable plastic or plastic-lined boxes, labels (e.g., Fragile, Universal Biohazard, ID, location, Caution, Radioactive Material), sturdy tape, and spill kits should be readily available.
Establish safety and emergency procedures for all phases of your move. For chemicals, biologicals, and radioactive materials, it is important that all handlers be properly trained in potential health hazards and handling techniques. Potential emergencies include material spills, fires, slips and falls, and cuts. Protective clothing and spills-absorbent material should be readily available during packing, moving, and unpacking. Ample fire extinguishers should be available and personnel appropriately trained to use them. Labeling is of prime importance. Each container or piece of equipment must have adequate labels identifying the agent, hazards, and precautions.
Arrange orientation and training for your personnel to cover the safety changes in the new facility (equipment, procedures, etc.).
Decontamination and move
All equipment, apparatus, and fixed structures must be prepared for moving and
decontaminated as necessary. Most of the preparation can be done just one
day before the move, thus minimizing disruption of the laboratory work.
Once decontamination is done, any work that can recontaminate the premises
must be prohibited.
Many laboratory materials are regulated. Regulated biological materials include all genetically engineered microorganisms; recombinant plants and seeds; organisms requiring USDA permits; and human tissue, blood, or body fluids. Although human pathogens are generally not regulated, care must be taken to ensure that they will be contained during the move.
All biological materials must be packaged before the move. Proper packaging consists of a primary sealed container placed within a secondary, sealed, unbreakable container, with enough absorbent material in between to contain and absorb any spill. Some examples are Petri dishes in a plastic sleeve surrounded by paper towels, within a plastic-lined box; stabs in a sealed plastic container with paper towels to cushion vials; sealed tubes in racks placed in plastic sealable containers with enough paper towels to absorb any spilled contents; tissue culture dishes taped closed and placed in sealed waterproof containers with an absorbent. Do not cut corners when packaging and labeling your biological, radiological, or other potentially hazardous materials.
Once packaged, all biological materials must be properly labeled. Labels must include the name of the principal investigator (PI), new location, identification of agent, Biosafety Level, telephone number for assistance in the event of breakage, and a Fragile notice if the package contains a Biosafety Level 2 or higher agent.
For moves within a facility, freezers and refrigerators can be moved intact, if all the contents are in sealed unbreakable containers, and the unit remains closed or, preferably, locked. Because contents can shift, put loose items in boxes or fix in some other way to avoid breakage and spills. For shipments offsite, appropriate Department of Transportation (DOT) requirements related to packaging and labeling must be followed (6).
Other equipment, such as fermenters, incubators, waterbaths, dark- room tanks, fish tanks, vacuum pumps (oil), must be emptied or drained. Animal cages, fume hoods, centrifuges, glove boxes, and BSCs may require special attention depending on the nature of the work. Review the moving instructions that came with the centrifuge (or contact your service representative), then decontaminate the chamber and rotor, and remove the rotor. It is generally recommended that BSCs and glove boxes that have been used with potentially infectious materials be gaseously decontaminated before moving (5, 7). A typical biological decontamination procedure is provided in Appendix 2.
Other details to consider are: Return empty compressed gas tanks; fully back up computer hard disks (have keys on hand to free the computers from security devices); remove glass thermometers from equipment; disconnect, drain, and decontaminate columns, racks, FPLCs, and HPLCs; have all necessary keys and lock combinations on hand; make arrangements to transport microscopes, such as electron microscopes, that may need special preparation; notify service contractors of your new location; and last, disable battery-operated sensor alarms before unplugging the equipment from the wall outlet.
Radioactive materials require appropriate packaging per regulation of the NRC, states, and DOT (6). Within your own facility or institution, this packaging and moving must be coordinated with the radiation safety professionals. A complete inventory of radionuclides, amounts, and storage requirements (e.g., room temperature, 0-70 ºC) must be provided. Portable liquid nitrogen freezers are available and may be necessary in some cases. Any materials that are being sent to another facility require proper packaging and the written permission of the receiving facility along with a copy of appropriate licenses or permits.
During the planning radiation survey, apparatus and equipment that are contaminated with radioactive material were identified and labeled. If the radioactive contamination is fixed, the laboratory may choose to move the material in an "as-is" condition and not decontaminate to release level criteria (4, 5, 7).
As with biological materials, moves within facilities may be expedited if radioactive materials are packaged in refrigerators and freezers. The same basic principles described above for biological materials would apply to moving radioactive material in refrigerators and freezers. Before the move, the radiation safety office should make a final inspection of the packaging and secure the units for moving to their new location. Once secured by a radiation safety officer, the refrigerators and freezers may not be opened until they arrive at their new location.
Gamma and beta counters must be emptied of all samples. Contact the radiation safety office to confirm that the reference source is secure. Arrangements should be made for radioactive waste containers, shielding, and tools or equipment that may have become contaminated such as pipettes and benchtop centrifuges.
Moving should take place only when appropriate safety personnel are readily available, thus coordination between the movers and safety personnel is essential. If the support of your radiation safety office is available, it is advisable to let them move radioactive sources within a facility.
It is also advisable to have "Equipment Decontamination Record" stickers
available (see sample below):
On moving day, laboratory personnel should be available to oversee the move and train the movers. Coordination and minimum-awareness training of everyone involved in or "near" the moving activities should be performed so that they have a general idea of what will happen and their specific roles in the process.
The use of proper packaging can minimize spills and injuries; overloaded or overweight boxes can contribute to spills as well as back injuries. A spill kit consisting of disinfectant, absorbent materials, paper towels, plastic bags, tongs or dustpan and brush, lab coat, respiratory protection, gloves, and safety glasses must be readily available during the move. Promptly report all spills to the PI and the appropriate safety office. If a Biosafety Level 2 or higher agent spills, evacuate the area first and then call for assistance. If there is a personal injury or direct contact with biological materials, wash the affected area with soap and water and consult an occupational physician.
After a facility has been cleared by the movers, it may have to be decontaminated. Have standard operating procedures (SOPs) in place so that the radiation safety and necessary lab personnel can proceed with decontamination of remaining equipment and structures. When the job is done, the radiation safety officer must file a final survey qualifying the facilities and equipment for unrestricted use. A record of the survey must be kept in a permanent file.
Now the construction workers and renovators can begin work.
Construction and renovation
This is probably the most disruptive and "dirty" portion of the process. The
potential hazards are primarily to the demolition or construction workers,
but in some cases, the personnel in surrounding areas and ultimately the
entire organization can be affected if a catastrophic event occurs or
regulations are violated. The fruits of the planning stages are realized (or
suffered) in this phase.
Many of the details of health and safety components during this phase are the responsibility of the contractor. In some circumstances, if the work is to be done by your institution, other regulatory issues not discussed here must be addressed. The OSHA General Industry and Construction Standards (8, 9) will need to be reviewed for their applicability.
Preparation may involve removing asbestos and lead paint. These activities are heavily regulated in most states, and planning is a necessity.
During this phase, it is important to provide general awareness training to construction personnel, particularly if they have not done other lab work.
In addition, provide SOPs that specify what activities construction workers can do and how they should do them. The SOPs should also delineate things they cannot do-handle containers with chemicals, disturb asbestos, etc. For example, a detailed SOP to follow when removing plumbing systems that might have mercury in them require using a mercury monitor or having a health and safety professional on call. SOPs should clearly specify what type of personal protection clothing to use and when to use it.
Moving in
For this final phase, the move-preparation phase is done in reverse. The
same issues of packing must be considered in unpacking. Plans for handling
"broken" or "spilled" materials must be made in advance.
It is likely that some construction-related activities will continue after the move, and potential problems must be anticipated. Continuing construction will probably generate dust, noise, and odors (e.g., from painting or laying floors). Can these areas be isolated from the reoccupied areas? Are all of the life safety systems operable, particularly fire detectors, alarms, emergency eye wash and showers, emergency exits, lighting? Are materials available to clean up hazardous spills? Are all contaminant control systems working? Proper documentation that these systems are in working order must be provided.
Be sure that staff have received appropriate training and orientation that cover any changes in the new space.
A smooth move
Decommissioning or moving a laboratory increases the potential for hazardous
exposures. To reduce the risk to personnel, the decommissioning and or
moving should be divided into discrete steps. During the planning phase,
potential hazards and mitigation techniques are identified. Mitigation may
be as simple as reducing the amount of material on hand or as detailed as
moving a herd of infected animals without spreading contamination. If proper
planning is done, the rest of the steps will proceed smoothly with a minimum
loss of work time. If the steps that we have outlined are carried out
correctly, the actual move should be relatively trouble free.
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