Laboratory and Building Cleanliness or Decontamination Certification

Monday, September 10, 2012: 2:40 PM-3:40 PM
#4 (Egan Convention Center)

Level of Course: Entry

Laboratory and Building Cleanliness or Decontamination Certification

(Building or Laboratory Close-out Decommissioning, Decontamination and Cleanliness Certifications)

Every year a number of companies move out of a laboratory or facility.  If the company used chemicals or biological agents or performed chemical or biological processes, the company may be required to present information indicating the facility is clean and not contaminated with the chemicals or biological agents that they used.  This is often required by building owners and/or property management companies.  Many tenant or leasing companies also want to certify the facility that they vacating to is clean and free of hazards.  The tenant typically will thoroughly clean and decontaminate the facility.  Properly qualified professionals will then “certify” the facility has been properly decontaminated, is clean and free of hazardous materials or contamination, and is ready for occupancy without limitation or reservation.

This presentation provides a practical approach for performing a proper laboratory or facility contamination assessment.  It further discusses cleaning/decontamination procedures and cleaning agents.  It provides some surface contamination limits that can be used to determine cleanliness or need for decontamination of some elements, metals, pharmaceuticals and chemical compounds.  It discusses the basis and logic of establishing surface contamination or cleanliness limits, which is used to verify the facility is clean.  The overall steps for providing a laboratory or facility Decontamination and Cleanliness Certification is presented.  Finally, a number of cleanliness/decontamination certification case studies, some with unique conditions, will be presented.      

Author:
Michael Walters, ScD, CIH, QEP, PE