Instructional Support

George Sparks
Manager of Program Operations – Instructional Support

Lab Services Team Members

All Lab Services team members can be contacted by emailing hslabs@uw.edu, calling 206-543-8869, or visiting Health Sciences T276.

Andrew Sherman
Temporary Lab Technician II – Lab Services

Nate Ovetz
Temporary Lab Technician I – Lab Services

Vacant
Lab Helper – Lab Services

Vacant
Laboratory Services Supervisor – Lab Services

Set up a Waste Collection account by filling out the following form.

Questions about biowaste collection can be directed to either:

• Waste Management at 1-855-427-1999 or HealthcareWasteNW@trilogymedwaste.com
• Laboratory Services at 206-543-8869 or biowaste@uw.edu

The following must be completed before setting up an account for collection, treatment, and disposal of your biohazardous/regulated or trace chemo/hazardous drug waste by the UW biohazardous waste contractor.

• Your work must be reviewed and approved by the Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) and/or Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Research and Occupational Health.
• New research projects and renewals of research projects that involve biohazards require a Biological Use Authorization from the IBC.
• Complete the Shipping Regulated Medical/Biohazardous Waste by Contracted Carrier training offered by EH&S.

New Customers

After completing the previous steps, set up an account by filling out the Biohazardous/Regulated Waste Collection Account Setup Form.

Existing Customers

Schedule a BioWaste Collection.

New customers must first set up a Bio-Hazardous Waste Collection account.

Questions about biowaste collection can be directed to either:

• Waste Management at 1-855-427-1999 or HealthcareWasteNW@trilogymedwaste.com
• Laboratory Services at 206-543-8869 or biowaste@uw.edu

Bio-Waste Collection Request Form

HS Laboratory Services prepares media solutions for research and lab classrooms.

Laboratory Services prepares common types of buffers and stains, plated and tubed Agar media, and other bulk media for use in research laboratories and for teaching purposes.

We also offer the ability to adjust formulas to meet research needs.

Costs vary dependent on media type and ingredients needed. Review the Lab Services pricing list for common requests and costs. There is a minimum order of 20 plates or tubes or 10 bottles of at least 25mL flasks.

Request services with at least 10 business days notice when requesting services. Rush orders can be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

HS Laboratory Services washes all types of laboratory glassware bottles, tubes, pipettes and other equipment.

Materials can be delivered between 9 a.m.–11 a.m. or 2 p.m.–3 p.m. to T-276. The turn-around time is typically 24 hours. Laboratory Services uses industrial dishwashers that use Deionized (DI) water and green cleaning agents. We are also able to do professional hand-washing of laboratory ware for special care instances.

• Materials can be brought in on carts, in tubs, or in buckets.
• Tubes may be brought to us already preloaded into baskets.
• Customers should write their lab name on the cart, tub, or bucket.

Customer Sign-In Sheet

All customers must sign in each time they request dishwashing or cleaning services. The following information must be provided at check-in.

• Date of Service
• Laboratory Name
• Room Number of Laboratory
• Phone Number
• Budget Number
• Department

Health Sciences Lab Services Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)*

Materials can be delivered between 9 a.m.–11 a.m. to T-276.

Sterilization and Disposal of Biohazardous Waste

HS Laboratory Services (HSLS) has one large steam sterilizer dedicated to the sterilization of biohazardous waste with a 60-minute cycle at 121° C. The last load is run at 3:15 p.m. If it is important that your waste run same-day, please bring it to HSLS as early as possible.

Packing Procedures

Review the following packing procedures to ensure that deliveries to HSLS meet criteria prior to drop-off.

Laboratory glass and plastic waste contaminated with biohazardous material should be packaged in a container that is easily autoclaved that does not allow the tips to puncture it (one possible solution is to use a pipette box) and:

• no larger than 11-inches x 15-inches x 21-inches
• attach autoclave tape
• clearly label with the Principal Investigator’s name and the room number
• transport in a leak-proof secondary container

Not all plastic materials are safe for autoclaving. Polypropylene (PP) and polypropylene copolymer (PPCO) containers can be autoclaved many times. Fluoropolymer products, such as Teflon PFA, FEP, or ETFE, can also be autoclaved.

However, Polycarbonate (PC) containers may withstand only 30 – 50 autoclaving cycles or less. The following resins cannot be autoclaved – HDPE, LDPE, PET, PETG. To maximize the longevity of reusable plastic containers suitable for the autoclave, HSLS recommends purchasing containers made from PP and PPCO material.

Only Pyrex® or Type I borosilicate glass can be autoclaved.

Most metals are designed for extreme conditions and are intended to be sterilized. Make sure to remove any plastics, liners and other items that may melt or combust

Due to a variance in the lifecycle of materials, HSLS will not replace containers damaged during the autoclaving process.

Drop-Off Procedures

The following drop-off procedures must be followed to ensure the timely processing of biohazardous waste.

In order to receive services, customers are required to fill out the on-site sign-in sheet at the time of each drop-off. Customers are asked to provide the following information:

• Date of Service
• Laboratory Name
• Room Number of Laboratory
• Phone Number
• Budget Number
• Department
• Building Code

Please drop off waste in T-276 by loading materials into plastic trays on the processing cart, filling up the lower shelves of the cart first. Each filled plastic tray is considered one load. We can process nine (9) loads of biohazardous waste at a time.

The Magnuson Health Sciences Center Biohazardous Waste Flow Chart [PDF] summarizes the proper packaging, treatment and disposal of biological and biomedical waste for locations within Magnuson Health Sciences, W.H. Foege Genome Sciences, and W.H. Foege Bioengineering.

Sterilization of Lab Supplies

Drop-Off & Pick-Up Procedures

The following drop-off/pick-up procedures must be followed to ensure the sterilization of lab supplies.

In order to receive services, customers are required to fill out the on-site sign-in sheet at the time of each drop-off. Customers are asked to provide the following information:

• Date of Service
• Laboratory Name
• Room Number of Laboratory
• Phone Number
• Budget Number
• Department
• Building Code

Reagents and Laboratory Supplies

HSLS has two autoclaves dedicated to the steam sterilization of reagents and laboratory supplies, such as pipette tips, caps, mixed glassware, and instruments. Please drop off supplies in T-276, loading your supplies onto a small autoclave cart. Do not overfill, item on carts may only be one layer. Special exposure times and temperatures can be requested. Once autoclaved, these can be picked up from T-286.

Cell Culture Work

For those laboratories doing cell culture work, HSLS has an oven available to do high-heat dry sterilization. Please drop off materials in T-276 to be processed for three (3) hours at 195 C. These loads are run at the end of the day and are then available to be picked up the next day from T-286.

Items that Do Not Meet SOP

*To ensure the safety of the Biowaste team, HS Laboratory Services (HSLS) cannot accept items that do not meet SOP. Items not meeting HSLS standards will be refused or sent back. If this occurs, the following can be completed to ensure proper disposal of Biowaste.

• Repackage the item, ensuring that packaging does not exceed HSLS size requirements. For example, if a sharps container is brought to the HSLS facility too full, it can be placed directly into a larger sharps container and processed. Do not attempt to remove items from a sharps container.
• If an item cannot be repackaged according to HSLS size requirements, it will need to be shipped to ensure proper disposal. To ship biohazardous waste, labs must:
  • Attend the “Shipping Regulated Medical Waste by Contracted Carrier” in-person training. Review the EH&S Training Website for more details.
  • Sign up for waste pickup either through laboratory services (recommended) at biowaste@uw.edu or by requesting biowaste collection.

Taxes & Overhead: Sales Tax (10.1%) and Institutional Overhead Charge (15.6%) are added to all cash, check, and credit card transactions.

Instructional Support, comprised of Classroom Services and Lab Services, advances the UW mission by delivering proactive support to the teaching and learning environments within the Health Sciences Building, South Campus Center, South Foege Building, and Health Sciences Education Building.

Lab Services provides a number of services including:

• Sterilization of biohazardous waste, media solutions and lab supplies, or materials needed for cell culture work.
• Preparation of media, such as buffers, stains, broths, reagents, and Agar for teaching and research purposes.
• Dishwashing of lab glassware for teaching and research labs.
• Collection of biohazardous waste.
• Schedule a biohazardous waste pick-up.
• Complete the biohazardous waste collection request form.

Health Sciences laboratory course support:

• HS Laboratory Services helps instructors be compliant in safety standards and policies.
• In coordination with service partners, maintains T-wing lab teaching spaces.
• Coordinates with instructors for teaching and laboratory needs.
• Maintains teaching supplies and equipment for Health Sciences laboratory courses.