At a minimum, anyone whose job duties include shipping any material or who is in contact with hazardous materials should receive DRS Awareness Training for the Transport of Hazardous Materials. This training shall be repeated every two years.
It is the responsibility of the person who initiates the shipment of a material to determine (or seek assistance to determine) if the material meets the definition of a hazardous material. Classification information can be found in the transportation section of the Safety Data Sheet (SDS). If the SDS indicates that the material is hazardous, contact the DRS at 217-333-2755 or via email for additional training requirements.
When transporting chemicals from one location to another on campus, place them in secondary containment (i.e., a rubber pail) or on a cart equipped with attached side rails or trays to contain a spill. Bottles and liquids should be separated to avoid breakage and spills. Avoid high-traffic areas when moving chemicals within a building.
Transporting chemicals in personal vehicles either on campus or to off-site research locations for university business is not recommended. Your insurance company may not cover claims involving the transportation of hazardous materials.
When transporting materials by vehicle, take the following precautions:
Packaging received from hazardous material shipments may be reused if specific conditions are met. The package, closures, and cushioning materials must be inspected before they are reused to ensure that they contain no incompatible residues and have no structural damage. The packaging must meet all of the general packaging requirements and specification packaging standards.
If the box is being reused to ship a non-hazardous material, the box must be completely free of any hazardous materials. Remove or deface labels, parts of labels, or other hazardous material markings.