No, there is no single test that will identify all IAQ issues. EHS typically uses a variety of instruments to produce a comprehensive summary of air quality parameters.

​The most common causes of IAQ problems in buildings are:

• Not enough ventilation, lack of fresh outdoor air, or air that has been contaminated with allergens, such as pollen or dust, being brought into the building
• Poor upkeep of ventilation, heating, and air-conditioning systems
• Dampness and moisture damage due to leaks, flooding or high humidity
• Occupant activities, such as construction or remodeling
• Indoor and outdoor contaminated air
• Lack of proper upkeep with regard to cleaning activities such as cleaning of carpets, removal of trash, and other regular “housekeeping” activities.

The qualities of good IAQ should include comfortable temperature and humidity, adequate supply of fresh outdoor air, and control of pollutants from inside and outside of the building.

Depending on the type of monitoring that is required, sampling can range from a few hours to a week or more. EHS can provide additional information on sampling times during the initial meeting.

No, there are currently no established levels for mold exposure. The effects from mold exposure can vary between individuals based on many factors.

You can use a laptop, tablet, your smartphone etc. Your school may also have laptops or tablets to loan. Reconciliation process on other devices follows the same procedural steps to working with your stationery computer.

1. Pair the scanner with your device (if you use the EHS scanner, go to Bluetooth option and “add a new device”).
2. Open the reconciliation EHSA page on your device.
3. Start reconciliation process on your device like you would do on your computer. Remember about clicking in the barcode field before starting scanning.

All Voyagers used with Chematix should work with EHSA. They Voyagers do not have a very long range, so sometimes do not reach from your computer to your chemical storage area. EHS offers loaner Bluetooth scanners with a range up to 50 feet.

All EHS scanners are loaned with a Bluetooth dongle. It works similarly to your wireless mouse, connecting the scanner to your computer. You only need a USB port. After receiving our loaner combo (scanner + Bluetooth dongle), download the software from the CD (Bluetooth dongle box), pair the scanner with a computer (follow the scanner instruction book), and start reconciling

Follow the instructions here in the EHSA User Handbook.

The EHS Hazardous Waste Office picks up all chemical waste. Submit a waste pickup request via EHSA.

Chemical waste containers must be labeled before you start adding waste to the container. Print the label from EHSA following these instructions.

The GT inventory barcodes can be ordered via the Barcode Request feature on our EHSA. Submit the order via EHSA and your barcodes will be delivered to your lab.

Laboratories, facilities maintenance areas, and all GT areas in which chemicals are used or stored are required to reconcile chemicals semi-annually (deadlines: June and December). EHS submits the GT Campus Inventory Report to the Board of Regents shortly after (as required by Georgia law). First responders use the GT campus inventory to assess the situation in the case of an emergency.   Please see the EHSA page for more information.

EHSA is the database used to track chemicals at Georgia Tech. Please see our EHSA page for more information.

All lab inspection corrective actions must be documented in EHSA following these instructions. If you are having any problems with EHSA, please email us with as much detail as possible.

GT Emergency Procedures are required to be posted on the interior of all lab exit doors. It must be filled out in its entirety. You can order the poster via EHSA, using the Barcode Request feature. This feature offers variety of lab-safety items, helping to improve the lab safety in your lab.

EHS oversees the Respiratory Protection Program on campus and can determine if respiratory protection is needed.  Please see our website for more information and email us with your concerns.

Contact EHS: lab-chemsafety@gatech.edu and an EHS professional will make the appropriate assessment of the next steps.

Fume hoods should be operated with the sash at 18". Please remember to close the sash when the hood is not in use.

Glass disposal boxes must be disposed of by lab personnel. Once the box is 3/4 full, tape the glass disposal lid onto the box and take the glass disposal to the appropriate waste disposal area.

All shipments must be received no later than 12:00pm in order to have the shipment go out the same day.  Schedule your shipping appointment using this web form: https://ehs.gatech.edu/shipping/request

EHS personnel must ship your materials to ensure all regulations are adhered to. The penalties for failing to ship properly include fines for Georgia Tech and yourself, as well as possible criminal charges. For more information please visit the Chemical Shipping page.

This information can be found in detail on the Chemical Shipping page. To summarize, on the day of shipment, bring the following to EHS:

1. Material in a secure and sealed inner container, which should be secured in secondary containment (a Ziploc bag is sufficient for small quantities)
2. Dry Ice, if applicable
3. Safety information, such as an SDS, if applicable
4. All completed paperwork

Flammable materials can only be stored in flammable-safe refrigerators or explosion-proof refrigerators. Flammable materials cannot be stored in conventional refrigerators. Electrical sparks from a conventional refrigerator can ignite flammable vapors that build up inside.

No more than 120 gallons of Class I, Class II, and Class IIIA liquids, combined, may be stored in a storage cabinet.  Of this total, no more than 60 gallons may be of Class I and Class II liquids, combined, and not more than three such cabinets may be in a single fire compartment area. (i.e., a room that is separated from other rooms/areas by fire walls). Please refer to the Lab Safety Manual, under "Flammable and Combustible Liquids" then "Flammable Storage Lockers and Refrigerators" for more information.

Chemicals with high toxicity are to only be used in properly ventilated spaces, such as a chemical fume hood.  Please contact lab-chemsafety@gatech.edu if you need a risk assessment or process evaluation completed for a highly toxic material.

Safety showers that do not have a drain must be inspected at least annually by Facilities Management. Safety showers that are drained should additionally be checked annually by lab personnel.  EHS encourages lab personnel to check these themselves as often as possible if there is equipment and personnel to do so regardless of the presence of a drain!

Eyewash units that are located on sinks must be checked weekly by lab personnel. For those not located on sinks, they must be checked annually.

Fire extinguishers must be inspected monthly by lab personnel.  The reverse side of the tag should contain an area for this monthly check to be documented.  Checks include physical condition of the fire extinguisher (i.e. no visible damage to cylinder or hose); presence of the pin in the handle; a plastic tab that has not been broken (indicating that It’s been discharged); and finally, a check of the gauge (if present) to verify it is not over- or under-charged.

SDS stands for Safety Data Sheets, formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets. SDSs are formal documents that contains important information about the characteristics and actual or potential hazards of the product.  SDSs also include important spill and emergency response information.  It is always a good idea to review the SDS for a material or chemical before using it!

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration defines a hazardous chemical as "any chemical which is a physical or a health hazard".

Headphones or earbuds are not permitted in the lab. You must be able to hear what is going on around you. Other forms of music/radio may be played in the lab but nothing requiring the use of headphones.

PPE stands for Personal Protective Equipment. PPE refers to the clothing or equipment that is designed to protect the wearer’s body from injury or infection. Please see the PPE page for more information.

Your safety in the lab starts at what you wear to lab. Below are some of the basic requirements:

• Long hair must be tied back
• Long pants that cover to the ankle
  • Shorts and skirts not allowed
  • Pants that are frayed or torn are not recommended.
• Shirts that cover your torso are required
  • Crop tops are not allowed.
• Natural fibers are recommended because they are fire resistant
• Nylons (aka pantyhose), Leggings, Jeggings are not recommended
• Canvas shoes, open front or back shoes, open weave shoes, ballet flats, Crocs with holes are not allowed.
  • The best shoes for lab work completely enclose the foot and can be wiped clean.

The trainings that are required vary based on what materials you're working with, and all courses require a refresher periodically. See the Chemical Safety Training page for more details.

If the following apply, we make a “good faith” effort to return them to the generating laboratory:

• The waste is compatible with waste from other sources and can, hence, be combined into larger containers.
• The container is clearly marked with “return to” and the lab/room designation.

We do not return:

• 4 liter (1 gal) containers or smaller.
• 5 gal containers which originally contained solvent.
• Any container which, in our opinion, is no longer suitable for waste.

Also note that we do not rinse or otherwise clean waste containers; you must either use them for waste compatible with the original contents or clean them appropriately.

Laboratories are responsible for providing their own waste containers.  Most labs simply use empty containers that they have generated (make sure the waste is compatible with the initial contents or the container has been thoroughly cleaned before adding waste). We will under certain circumstances and after coordination, provide 5 gallon and larger containers, please note that if you are using large waste containers such as 30 gallon drums, you may be subject to additional administrative and safety requirements.

We average at least 15 individual pick-up requests each day (often more).  We have found it generally more efficient for us and more convenient for our customers, if we just show up.  We will, on occasion, set a definite date/time for service. We try to get your waste within 3 days of the request – if we haven’t been there and you haven’t heard from us – please follow-up.

Bio waste bags and boxes are stocked in five places on campus:

1. Whitaker (BME) in the basement closet, close to the service elevator
2. Ford ES&T, VWR Storeroom
3. IBB, Building Manager's office in basement
4. EBB, VWR Storeroom
5. MoSE, 4th floor west

Please take only what you need, and let us know if stocks are empty or low.

Email General Safety to schedule an ergonomic assessment. Please include the following information:

• Full name
• Workstation location (ex: building/suite#)
• Issues you are experiencing

Email General Safety to schedule a session for this on-demand course.

Email General Safety to schedule an occupational safety awareness training.

Email General Safety to schedule a jobsite safety evaluation. Please allow up to 5 days for appointment scheduling.

Yes, the defensive driving course is a prerequisite to the van safety course. You must either take the online defensive driving course or the in-class defensive driving course.

• The in-class defensive driving course is a 6 hour defensive driving course developed from the National Safety Council, this course is not a point reduction course. After successful completion of this course a certificate is generated that allows for insurance deductions.
• The online defensive driving course is a defensive driving course that is 45 minutes in length, after successful completion of this course a certificate is generated, however this course does not qualify for insurance deductions. Both course certification period is 3 years.

To register for the online defensive driving course, please visit Trains then search for “(EHS) Defensive Driving Online Tutuorial Access Request” or go directly to the course page. Then follow the instructions to get enrolled in the course.

To register for the online van safety course, please visit Trains then search for “(EHS) 15 Passenger Van Safety” or go directly to the course page. Then follow the instructions to get enrolled in the course.

Contact us (and cc your building manager) as soon as possible stating specifically

• Which unit is down
• Where the unit is located
• What issues the unit is reportedly having
• How long the unit has been malfunctioning.

Put an out of service sign on the cabinet to prevent others from using it. Biosafety will get a technician on campus as soon as possible.

Email us with the issue you are having, with as much detail as possible. Screenshots are very helpful.

Email us (and cc your professor) with the following information:

• Full name
• GT ID number
• GT account
• PI / professor you are working under
• Position/title within the laboratory

Solid, non-sharp biohazard waste from BSL-1 labs and BSL-2 labs may be disposed of directly into EHS-supplied biohazard waste boxes lined with red biohazard bags. These boxes are decontaminated offsite via incineration.