Laboratory and Hazardous Materials

Introduction

All hazardous materials brought on board the vessel must be declared and come complete with secondary containment and spill clean up materials, as appropriate.

It is imperative that all hazardous materials documentation is completed by the six week cutoff date.  It is important to identify and order all of your hazardous materials well in advance of the documentation cutoff date as you will be asked for information such as container type.  For materials in excess of 20 liters, please let the Science Systems Senior Manager know about these six months in advance so that it can be ensured that the ship can accommodate everything.

It is strongly recommended that you review the forms prior to beginning to fill them out and have all necessary information, such as Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs), UN ID numbers and CAS numbers at hand.

For information on laboratory layouts and utilities, please also refer to the Falkor (too) Facilities and Science Resources document.

Laboratory Facilities

• For labotory items available for use please refer to the Falkor (too) Facilities and Science Resources document, for details on the lab and equipment.  In general, Falkor (too) does not provide laboratory equipment or expendables.

Hazardous Materials Documentation

• For all hazardous materials, it in necessary to complete Hazardous Materials Declaration Form and provide SDS sheets to the Science Systems Senior Manager

• For laboratory procedures that are not regularly carried out or for the use of uncommon hazardous materials, you may be asked to complete a Risk Assessment Form.  If you have any questions about whether this is necessary, please contact the Science Systems Senior Manager.

A spreadsheet style form is available in lieu of the Hazardous Materials Form if you have a large number of items to enter.  Please contact the Science Systems Senior Manager for more information.  It is, however, strongly preferred that you use the one-at-a-time form, linked to above.  In order to complete the form it is recommended that you have the CAS number, UN number and a digital SDS for each item before you begin.  Every field of this spreadsheet needs to be completed.  If the spreadsheet isn't filled out completely, the science party will be asked to use the Hazardous Materials Declaration Form.

Hazardous Materials

Hazardous Materials Restrictions

• • Radio isotopes are not allowed on Falkor (too).

  • Flammable gases are not allowed inside of the ship.  Cylinders may be stored outside.  Hydrogen may be plumbed into several of the labs.

  • There are special considerations for lithium batteries.  Please refer to the lithium battery section below.

Hazardous Materials Requirements

• • All hazardous materials must be declared and documented on Hazardous Materials form a minimum of six weeks prior to departure.

  • It is difficult to store large quantities of hazardous materials.  If you are bringing more than 20 liters of any one item, please contact the Science Systems Senior Manager at least six months in advance so that the ship can determine if they will be able to accommodate it.

  • The science party is responsible for providing spill response materials of sufficient type and quantity for all hazardous materials brought aboard.

  • Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), for all hazardous materials brought aboard, are required to be provided six week prior to departure.

  • Secondary containment is required to be provided by the science party for all hazardous materials brought aboard.

  • The chief scientist is responsible for ensuring that all personnel working with or in the vicinity of hazardous materials are trained in the safe handling, use, cleanup and disposal of said materials.

  •  Please note that the ship may require entries for items that are not considered hazardous at your institution.

  • The quantity of chemicals brought on board should be reasonable and should be a quantity that would be expected to be used on the cruise. 

  • When transferring chemicals to and from shore to the ship, the chemicals must be double contained. 

Hazardous Materials Disposal

• • The science party is responsible for removing all hazardous materials, waste, containers and byproducts at the end of the cruise (within 24 hours of arrival) and disposing of the materials in a legal and ethical manner.

  • No hazardous materials may be disposed of at sea or on the vessel.  This includes dilute acid solutions and other substances which are commonly disposed of down the drain in shoreside laboratories or on other research vessels.

  • Shipments of any unused portions of chemicals are the responsibility of the Chief Scientist. 

  • Disposal of Sharps: Syringes, sharps, and hypodermic needles brought onboard should be treated as a safety hazard and proper provisions should be made for safe use and disposal.  Safe disposal of other sharp objects such as broken glass, pipettes, etc. should be included in waste disposal management plan.

    • The science party is responsible for providing the appropriate “sharps” container.

Hazardous Materials Storage

• Storage space for hazardous materials is very limited on the Falkor (too).  It is requested that the amount of hazardous materials being brought is kept to a minimum.

• Hazardous materials must be stored in appropriate areas.  Falkor (too)'s refrigerators and freezers are not explosion resistant and no hazardous materials or flammables may be stored in these areas.

• All hazardous materials must have secondary containment

• Not-yet-used hazardous materials should remain in their original shipping containers (as received from the vendor) with labeling  intact. Working quantities in the amount of one-day supply can be stored inside the ship. Shipping containers and working containers must be marked as follows: 

  • • Common or trade name 

    • UN identification number

    • Nature of the hazard (e.g. flammable, acid, poison, etc.) 

    • Contact information (name and work phone number) of the science party member using the material aboard an SOI vessel

    • Name of the Chief Scientist and Cruise Number (e.g. FKt220120) 

Compressed Gases

• Compressed gases must be securely held to the ship’s structure with metal brackets or cargo straps to hold them in place (ropes or other similar lashings must be avoided).  Compressed gases will be stored in exterior lockers and plumbed into the laboratories though a fixed distribution system unless previously arranged with the Science Systems Senior Manager.  Any exceptions are at the discretion of the Captain and will apply to non-flammable gases only.

• All gas cylinders must have their safety cap in place unless they are in use with a regulator.

• No cylinder may be moved without the cap in place. 

• The Chief Scientist is responsible for ensuring that the gas cylinders all have the appropriate regulators and fittings supplied.  These regulators and fittings must be certified for the intended purpose and are provided by the science party. 

• Flammable Compressed Gas bottles/cylinders are NOT permitted anywhere inside of the vessel.  Flammable gas cylinders must be stored either on the back Work Deck or in the flammable gases locker.  Hydrogen may be plumbed into several of the labs.  For safety reasons no other storage location is permitted on board the ship.

• Non-Flammable Gas bottles

  • One (1) bottle/cylinder of each kind of non-flammable gases may be stored inside of the gases locker.

  • All spare bottles must be stored on an outside deck. Once a bottle that is stored inside the gas locker is empty it shall be stored on an outside deck and may be replaced by a spare bottle.

Lithium Battery Policy

Lithium batteries have special restrictions on use, loading, storage and disposal. All lithium batteries that are not of a consumer size (cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) must be declared early in the cruise planning process and on the Hazardous Materials Form(s) and communicated to the Science Systems Senior Manager. These include, but are not limited to batteries used for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), instruments, moorings, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs - a.k.a. drones).  Consumer sized lithium batteries do not need to be declared.

Lithium batteries present a significant hazard as they have a greater than average incident rate, are particularly sensitive to damage and create very hot fires that are very difficult to fight and contain. It may be possible to store smaller batteries, such as those for small instruments, in flammables cabinets, inside the ship. Larger batteries, such as those vehicles, may need to be stored on deck. Again, please contact the Science Systems Senior Manager to discuss options.

Lithium batteries generally fall into two categories: single use (primary lithium batteries) and rechargeable (secondary lithium batteries) with single use batteries generally being more dangerous and having more restrictions and to obtain a copy of the latest Lithium Battery Policy. More information about lithium batteries is available here.

As with all hazardous materials, transportation and disposal of lithium batteries is the the responsibility of the science party and ultimately the Chief Scientist. Please review the regulations associated with these procedures as the they, and policies, may be very rigorous and vary depending on type, countries, etc.

Laboratory Policies

It is the responsibility of the Chief Scientist to ensure that all the laboratory and hazardous materials policies are followed. 

• The Chief Scientist shall be responsible for enforcing the science party wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all times when working with hazardous materials, chemicals and gases.  This includes long sleeve shirts and trousers, close toed shoes, lab coats, safety glasses, gloves and other PPE, as necessary.

• The Chief Scientist is responsible for ensuring that the science party has brought with them all necessary laboratory PPE. 

• Open Flames are not permitted anywhere inside of the vessel.   If open flame works and/or use of flammable gases is required in an inside space then a specific portable lab van will be required to be installed on the deck.  This requirement should be clearly made at the cruise proposal stage or in the Pre-Cruise Planning Questionnaire.

• Lab Cleanliness: It is the responsibility of the science party to ensure the continuous cleanliness of the lab spaces. At the end of the cruise the Chief Scientist shall ensure that the lab spaces, including decks, benches, bulkheads and all other surfaces, whether exposed or enclosed, are free from debris, liquids, trash, rubbish, dirt, grease, packing material and any other substance resulting from activities related to their experiments and scientific work.

• First Aid and generic spill kits for incidental spills are located in each laboratory.   If an accident happens notify the bridge watch officer immediately.  Report all accidents, injuries of any kind, and near misses to the ship’s Safety Officer, Bridge Watch Officer, Captain or Chief Officer.

• The ship’s Master has absolute authority on safety matters on board.

• Disposal of Material other than Hazardous Waste: Sand, mud or other debris shall never be dumped down sink drains.

• All equipment, samples, hazardous materials and hazardous waste must be removed from the ship and all work areas and laboratory equipment must be clean before the science party disembarks.  These items must be removed by noon, the day after arrival.