Case Study: Emergency spill response deployed for acidic liquid spill – Government facility

EMSI Field Services group handles many chemical inventory management projects. Our solution entails determining the best course of inventory for the site we are working with. We routinely provide the following services:

• Assess the site chemical inventory systems and procedures
• Develop & maintain chemical inventory management and tracking systems
• Conduct chemical inventory
• Barcode chemical inventory
• Provide recommendations for waste minimization correlating with inventory management. Ask us about how ChemShare can benefit you

EMSI provides industrial cleaning and decontamination services ranging from large scale (facilities and labs) to small scale (small rooms and equipment). We use the most efficient and environmentally friendly techniques to safely remove all types of contaminants from your facility. We have removed a wide variety of contaminants including chemical, biological, radioactive debris and trash. You can count on us to provide the right level of service regardless of the size, scope or working conditions of your project. Examples of some of our cleaning and decontamination jobs are:

• Chemical and biological cleaning of labs and research facilities
• Cleaning of tear gas at crime scenes
• Pressure washing
• Decontamination of equipment (refrigerators, freezers, incubators, centrifuges, etc.)
  NOTE: This service includes removal of refrigerants from equipment
• Manual decontamination of sensitive equipment
• Vacuuming of liquids and solids
• Mercury decontamination

Moving chemicals and equipment from one location to another can be very difficult and complicated when you’re required to consider safety, compliance and logistics. Environmental Management Services, Inc. is an industry leader in providing chemical moving services for facilities of all sizes. We’ve conducted the successful relocation of over one million chemical bottles and containers from various research laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and hospitals. Whether you’re moving to a larger lab, merging sites, or closing a facility, we can help you through the challenges posed with minimizing hazards and risks while maintaining compliance and safety. Our moving experts are trained to fully manage a chemical relocation from start to finish making it easy for you.

Read more about relocating a large pharmaceutical operation

Our process includes:

• Preparation - We will segregate and pack everything safely, efficiently, and according to any applicable regulations and your specifications. We can handle almost any lab chemical including, but not limited to, temperature-sensitive materials (hot or cold), infectious, and radioactive materials. We can also facilitate disposal of any chemicals (link to waste disposal) or equipment that you don’t want to take with you. And if you prefer a more hands-on approach, we can provide any desired level of assistance like assisting you in DOT segregation while you perform the packing on your own.
• Moving - We maintain a fleet of trucks to securely move your chemicals, equipment and lab furniture to the designated destination.
• Documentation - We unpack everything safely, efficiently, and according to your specifications and applicable regulations. We can also provide any additional documentation or certifications to successfully close out the project.

We offer an effective, safe, and sustainable service that not just any moving company can provide. Call us today to request consultation for your next chemical & equipment relocation.

24 Hour Emergency Spill Hotline: (301) 309-0475 or Toll Free (800) 253-0749

Environmental Management Services, Inc. proudly offers 24 Hour Emergency spill response services. We have a growing roster of fully trained and highly skilled Enviroexperts that are available to respond to your emergency during any time of day. Our fully stocked and dedicated fleet of hazmat units is ready for mobilization to oil and chemical emergencies, both on land and water. Our team is highly experienced in all types of incidents in almost any setting and can respond in as little as one hour from the initial dispatch within a 50 mile radius.

Read more - Emergency response deployed for acidic liquid spill

Additional emergency spill response capabilities:

• CHEMTREC chemical response network member
• Spill containment and cleanup
• Spill materials and debris disposal
• Emergency spill drills
• Emergency response preparedness plan
• Emergency response report documentation

We've got you covered
You can count on us to get things under control quickly, safely and effectively with a level of service that exceeds your expectations. Give us a call and let us help you take the worry out of navigating the challenges of managing a spill cleanup.

Our field services group is highly trained and experienced in all aspects of site remediation and clean up. Our personnel can provide the following services:

• Assess and restore your site
• Contain and remove all contaminants
• Perform demolition services
• PCB cleanup and decontamination
• PCB contaminated soil excavation, transportation and disposal
• Removal, replacement and management of underground storage tanks (UST) and aboveground storage tanks (AST) projects
• Site investigation and remediation to include groundwater and soil analysis and monitoring
• Wastewater compliance work
• Catch Basin Cleaning
• Oil/Water Separator Cleaning
• Petroleum contaminated soil excavation, transportation and disposal

Our Enviroexperts are equipt and preapred to eliminate the risks posed by the presence of asbestos, lead paint, or any other hazardous material that might be found in your work environment all done according to OSHA and EPA regulation. Services include:

• Sampling & analysis
• Removal
• Encapsulation
• Disposal

Our field services group handles a wide variety of tank projects. Our scope includes but is not limited to:

• Tank and Piping Upgrades
• Tank Closure and Environmental Oversight
• UST and AST Installation & Removal
• Tank testing and inspection
• Consulting related to tank removal projects

Environmental Management Services, Inc. can help you find the perfect supplement for your EH&S team. We can connect you with the right talent you need when you need it. Whether you are looking for temporary part time help or full time on-site help, you set the schedule and our Onsite Enviroexpert will be there for you! We also offer Recruiting Services if you’re searching for your next hire.

EMSI has experience in managing drum and bulk waste from all types of industry. With access to Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) all over the country, we are your single source for all of your waste disposal needs. Disposal facilities are rigorously audited to bring you a complete range of disposal alternatives, in the most environmentally sound, cost-effective ways. Here is a list of chemical wastes we most commonly manage:

• Laboratory waste
• Radioactive waste
• Pharmaceuticals
• Reactive chemicals & reagents
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Universal waste
• Highly toxic materials
• Mercury and mercury debris
• Oils and solvents
• University & School waste
• Contaminated soils and debris
• Hospital waste
• Controlled substances
• Mixed waste
• Consumer commodities
• Non hazardous materials
• Unknowns
• Household hazardous waste

Our staff of experienced Enviroexperts will segregate, collect, consolidate, and manage the lab chemical or process waste streams at your site, regardless of the size. We routinely handle waste in small bottles, drums or in bulk containers. We provide the following for all of our waste disposal services:

• Pharmaceutical & Hospital Waste
  Let us help you build a pharmaceutical waste management system that keeps your facility compliant and you confident with our customizable six (6) step PharmaExpert solution. Learn more about services and solutions most used by our Pharmaceutical Industry clients.
• Controlled Substances
  EMSI can help you with your controlled substance disposal by providing drug waste takeback services. We can guide you with the right solution for disposing controlled substance waste that will be safe and compliant.
• Lab Pack
  Whether you work in a hospital, laboratory, university lab, manufacturing or distribution center (warehouse), chances are you use and generate many different hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals. One cost-effective way to ship these chemicals for disposal is to have them lab packed for disposal. A lab pack is a way of packing small amounts (less than 5 gallons) of different chemicals safely and according to US Department of Transportation (DOT) standards and TSDF criteria for transport and disposal. Our environmental chemists and technicians package thousands of lab pack drums every year. We can also provide instructions and supplies should you desire to pack your own lab packs. Routine lab pack materials include:
  
  • RCRA chemicals
  • TSCA chemicals
  • Mixed waste
  • Low level radioactive materials
  • Non-hazardous chemicals
  • Dangerous when wet
  • Peroxide forming
  • Toxic
  • Reactive
  • Ignitable
  • Oxidizers
  • Corrosive
  • Mercury containing
  • Spontaneously combustible
  • Aerosols
  • Pharmaceutical
  • Unknowns
• Gas Cylinders
  EMSI provides safe and cost-effective Cylinder and Compressed Gas Management for many clients. We handle all types of cylinders from the removal of a single lecture bottle to full size cylinders. We manage a wide range of liquefied, non-liquefied and dissolved gases. We recycle as many of these cylinders as can be recycled.
• Stabilization of Reactive Chemicals
  Our environmental chemists and technicians possess vast technical knowledge and experience in dealing with your reactive chemicals. We use proven, documented stabilization techniques on site. Our staff has worked throughout the years to stabilize a host of reactive materials, including but not limited to:
  • Temperature sensitive reactives
  • Shock sensitive reactives
  • Azides
  • Peroxide formers
  • Water and air reactives
• Household Hazardous Waste
  Every household and small business generates hazardous wastes such as paints, cleaners, pesticides, solvents, and spent chemicals. EMSI has taken a proactive role in assisting homeowners and small business owners in disposing of these properly in accordance with newly developed programs instituted by local governments and municipalities. These services include:
  • Event planning, site preparation, staffing plans and event management
  • Traffic control and waste unloading
  • Waste Segregation and packaging
  • Identification and characterization of unknowns
  • Preparation of the Hazardous Waste Manifest
  • Waste Pickup, transportation and recycling or disposal
  We will tailor our collection efforts to your needs, whether it is one day collection or multiple collections at a special site or a permanent facility.
• Consumer Commodity Destruction
  Expired reagents, manufactured chemical products, and non-hazardous materials can pose an interesting problem for many manufacturing and research facilities. EMSI will help with that by shredding, processing, and disposing of the following:
  • Confidential/Sensitive documents
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Consumer Returns
  • Off Spec Products
  • Industrial wastes
  • Food Products
  • Damaged Goods
  • Recalled Products
  • DEA Product Returns

Our Bio-Haz division provides Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) services to facilities ranging from small Doctors’ offices to large Hospitals and Government Facilities. We specialize in RMW disposal at Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical companies. Our RMW service includes waste collection, packing, labeling, replacement containers, transportation, and incineration. Service options include but are not limited to boxes, and reusable totes. EMSI also offers a reusable sharps program. Addition services offered in in association with our RMW division:

• Permits
• Weekly collection service
• Biological decontamination
• DOT and Biosafety training
• Reports
• Waste tracking
• Certification of destruction
• Retention and recordkeeping requirements

EMSI’s Non-Hazardous Disposal Service provides a high level of safety and security for the full destruction of non-hazardous wastes. We have a wide range of disposal options for the complete destruction of your non-hazardous waste (which can first be shredded), including:

• Incineration/thermal destruction
• Wastewater treatment
• Fuels blending
• Recycling
• Land disposal

Our Enviroexperts can provide your facility with full radioactive waste management service, including:

• Identification and classification of radioactive and mixed wastes in accordance with all regulations
• Packaging wastes in a cost effective manner
• Transport of waste to the disposal facility
• Decontamination Services
• Calibration Services
• Radiation Safety Services
• Necessary approvals for disposal at audited, compliant treatment/storage facilities
• Completion of all shipping papers and manifests
• Medical Physics Services
• Training Programs
• Laboratory Services

EMSI and its affiliates regularly perform the following types of analyses:

• Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
• Volatile Organics
• Drinking Water Volatile
• Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH)
• BTEX
• Gas Chromatography (GC)
• Halogenated Volatile Organics
• Organochlorine Pesticides
• PCS's
• Herbicides/Pesticides
• Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons
• Metal Analysis
• Priority Pollutants
• TCLP Metals
• TCLP Metal Extraction
• Physical Methods
• Heat of Combustion
• pH
• Flashpoint
• Specific Gravity
• Color and Odor
• Total Solids
• Wastewater Sampling and Analysis
• Drinking Water Analysis
• Radioactive Screening & Analysis
• Other analysis is available upon request

Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) management and compliance is key to ensuring a healthful and safe working environment for employees, company assets, and the community. EMSI will assist you with developing an EHS program, implementing your program, and managing your program. We will also provide safety support. EMSI offers the following EHS services:

We work at both federal and state levels to ensure that all EPA and OSHA guidelines are adhered to and all appropriate permitting is in place.

EMSI will provide program development to keep you in compliance. Should you be in need, we provide expert assistance in correcting violations or contesting citations.

Our related services includes:

• Development of health and safety (H&S) Statement of Procedures (SOP) related to Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) operations
• OSHA injury/illness recordkeeping
• Industrial ventilation design/evaluation - examples include: welding, spray painting, and abrasive casting
• Assistance with design and construction of new facilities
• Development of Safety Data Sheets (SDS)
• Assisting companies with developing internal Safety Committees
• Heat stress measurement
• Ergonomics program development, workstation assessments (office and industrial), workstation design (office and industrial)
• Manual lifting assessments
• Chemical inventory management

EMSI provides key support required for you to take control of your chemical inventory. The first step in the process is having an accurate inventory. Our technicians come to your site to perform a physical inventory of all hazardous materials on your premises.
Once this inventory is complete, EMSI will prepare a specialized database for you, enter all the data, and obtain all necessary Safety Data Sheets (SDS).
EMSI will also assist you with finding the computer software that is right for your facility so you can track your chemicals from cradle to grave, as well as:

• Maintain detailed disposal records
• Provide safety and regulatory data
• Identify storage requirements
• Restrict chemical use
• Comply with local, state and federal reporting requirements
• Monitor consumption
• Interface with MSDS databases

EMSI is your single source for management and disposal of all types and quantities of hazardous chemical waste (lab pack, bulk drums, or tanker volumes), including but not limited to:

• Waste characterization, collection, consolidation, and packing
• Laboratory Chemical collection, management, segregation and lab packing by our environmental chemists and technicians
• Develop and administer a site waste management program
• Certified analytical services for waste characterization and profiling or identification of unknowns

Waste Minimization refers to the use of source reduction and/or environmentally-sound recycling methods prior to energy recovery, treatment, or disposal of wastes, not including waste treatment. EPA's preferred approach to materials management includes source reduction, recycling, energy recovery, treatment, and finally, disposal.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) requires facilities that generate or manage hazardous waste to certify that they have a waste minimization program in place that reduces the quantity and toxicity of hazardous waste generated to the extent economically practicable.

The Pollution Prevention Act has encouraged many organizations to expand their focus from RCRA-only to a multimedia pollution prevention focus. EPA offers a variety of information sources on multimedia pollution prevention.

Many states have also enacted laws that require facilities to complete certain waste minimization activities. Most of these states require facilities to complete a waste minimization plan.

Benefits
In addition to protecting the environment, waste minimization makes good economic and business sense.
Source reduction and/or environmentally sound recycling, reuse, and reclamation practices have helped many organizations reduce:

• The quantity and toxicity of hazardous and solid waste generation
• Raw material and product losses
• Raw material purchase costs
• Waste management recordkeeping and paperwork burden
• Waste management costs
• Workplace accidents and worker exposure
• Compliance violations
• Environmental liability

EMSI offers full service analytical work for all types of industries and businesses, providing full laboratory support for organic and inorganic analyses. All analyses are performed according to standard EPA methods. EMSI also provides the following regulatory reporting services:

• EPCRA – Tier I
• EPCRA - Tier II
• EPCRA - TRI Reporting
• OSHA Reporting
• RCRA Biennial Hazardous Waste Reporting