Hazardous substances and disposal

According to the DGUV definition,hazardous substances are "substances, mixtures or products with hazardous properties. They can cause acute or chronic damage to human health, be flammable, explosive or hazardous to the environment. Hazardous substances include not only chemicals, but also wood dust, petrol, diesel engine emissions, welding fumes, ozone, anaesthetic gases, etc."

Text from guideline 8.70.01 on occupational safety at the TUC

The following regulations are intended to ensure the safe handling of hazardous substances, regulate the organization of their handling, and ensure their safe storage. The main principles are:

In addition, technical regulations, accident prevention regulations, statutory accident insurance regulations for laboratories, and technical regulations for operational safety must be observed.

The "General Laboratory Regulations of Clausthal University of Technology", issued by the Presidential Board on January 23, 2008, and last amended on October 16, 2009, apply to Clausthal University of Technology. These General Laboratory Regulations summarize the essential rules for handling hazardous substances and contain references to other legal regulations, including those mentioned above. They must always be followed when handling hazardous substances at Clausthal University of Technology.

The implementation of hazardous substances legislation, in particular the Hazardous Substances Ordinance, is the responsibility of Clausthal University of Technology's Central Hazardous Waste Storage Facility (for contact details, see the box top right).

Further specifications:

Note: As a supervisor, you can delegate these tasks to suitable employees or to your subordinate management level (e.g. employees with personnel responsibility, department heads, foremen, laboratory managers). Our contact persons for occupational safety will also be happy to advise you.

In accordance with the Hazardous Substances Ordinance, facility managers are obliged to keep a list of all hazardous substances occurring in their facility. Hazardous substance directories or registers provide information at a glance about all hazardous substances in the company, their quantities, hazard characteristics and applications.

The first step is to check whether the hazardous substances used can be replaced by less hazardous substances (substitution). If this is not possible, the necessary protective measures must be taken.

The most important basis for compiling hazardous substance lists are the safety data sheets supplied by the manufacturer, which must be referenced in the hazardous substance list.

The list must contain at least the following information

  • Name of the hazardous substance
  • Classification of the hazardous substance or information on the hazardous properties
  • Information on the quantity ranges used in the company
  • Work areas in which employees may be exposed to the hazardous substance

You can find an example of a list of hazardous substances here.

You can find information on the safe handling of hazardous substances in the GESTIS substance database. It contains around 8800 substances with information on safe handling, the effects of the substances on humans and the necessary protective measures or measures to be taken in the event of danger. In addition, the database also provides information on special regulations for the individual substances as well as on classification and labeling according to GHS in accordance with the CLP Regulation (pictograms, H-phrases, P-phrases).

All wastewater produced in the buildings of Clausthal University of Technology is discharged into the public drainage systems of the Oberharz municipality. Chemical residues and other substances must not be disposed of via wastewater, but must be collected, properly labeled, and registered for disposal in accordance with the guidelines of Clausthal University of Technology:

8.90.13 Guidelines for handling water, substances hazardous to water, and wastewater discharge at Clausthal University of Technology

8.90.12 Disposal of hazardous waste

Please clarify the disposal of hazardous waste with the storage facility to ensure that the applicable legal and other regulations are complied with.

If you have any questions about disposal, please contact the TUC's waste management officer.

The following forms on the subject of disposal are also available in Liquid Office:

Waste: hazardous substances and special waste

Waste: electronic scrap

The "Flowchart for the discovery or suspected discovery of asbestos at the TUC (flowchart)" is intended to help prevent unintentional contact and handling of asbestos for all persons and to prevent health risks in the short and long term. Further explanations can also be found under 8.71.70 Handling asbestos at Clausthal University of Technology.

Further information is provided below:

You can find out more about the tasks and duties of the hazardous substances officer on the Tasks and duties page.