Hazardous Chemical Transport
On-Campus Transportation
Use secondary containment and a cart when transporting chemicals in hallways or between buildings. Alternatively, hand carrying chemicals within secondary containment is acceptable within buildings for manageable container sizes (for example a chemical bottle carrier with a 1 gal container of 1 M hydrochloric acid). See your relevant lab/shop Standard Operating Procedures for more specific instructions. Do not transport hazardous chemicals in stairwells – chemical spills would block the emergency evacuation route for hundreds of occupants!
SJSU Main Campus Elevators
Do not transport hazardous materials in stairwells - use the elevators to transport hazardous materials between floors. Only the person transporting the hazardous material can be in the elevator when moving between floors – other people must be prevented from entering the elevator. When transporting over 450 mL of cryogenic liquid, the passenger elevator must be completely unoccupied or a dedicated hazardous material elevator must be used. See your relevant lab/shop Standard Operating Procedures for more specific instructions. The following are the best practices and access requirements for elevators on main campus.
- Duncan Hall: Two freight elevators with restricted access are available for hazardous material transport between floors. Contact your lab/shop supervisor to request access to the freight elevators. Whenever possible, hazardous materials should be transported in the freight elevators and not in the passenger elevators. The passenger elevators can be used to transport hazardous materials outside of high-traffic periods if you follow the safety rules from your relevant lab/shop Standard Operating Procedures.
- Interdisciplinary Science Building: One hazardous material transportation elevator with restricted access is available for transportation between floors. Contact your lab/shop supervisor to request access to the hazardous material transportation elevator. The passenger elevators can be used to transport hazardous materials outside of high-traffic periods if you follow the safety rules from your relevant lab/shop Standard Operating Procedures.
- Science Building: A passenger elevator is available for hazardous material transportation between floors. Lab/shop supervisors can provide training to their personnel to safely use this elevator for transportation.
Moss Landing Marine Labs, Off-Campus Research Sites, and Field Research
Personnel must comply with relevant Department of Transportation, International Air Transport Association, and Coast Guard regulations when hazardous materials need to be transported in vehicles, aircraft, or vessels. The Moss Landing Marine Labs Safety Officer or university Environmental Health & Safety will provide more specific guidance as part of the Standard Operating Procedure development process.
Chemical Shipping
Contact university Environmental Health & Safety (ehs@sjsu.edu) for assistance with all shipping, international transportation, and passenger-carried aviation transportation of hazardous materials. Proactive incorporation of shipping instructions into your Standard Operating Procedures is strongly recommended.
- Export controls may apply to international shipments of research materials/equipment. Review university Research Compliance international shipment instructions for further assistance.
- You might violate federal and international laws if you attempt to ship, mail, or fly with any hazardous materials without help from the certified experts in university Environmental Health & Safety. You can face personal consequences such as jail or fines for getting caught in customs or security with illegal hazardous materials.
- The whole institution may be punished if you illegally transport hazardous materials on behalf of SJSU. Failure to comply can result in rejected shipments and civil penalties nearing $80,000 per day, per violation. For example, University of Wisconsin-Madison faced a $70,050 civil penalty due to 2 L of ethanol and 120 mL of epoxy hardener in a checked airline bag.
