Hazardous materials class to conduct drill on URI Kingston Campus

No hazardous waste will be used in the drill

previous drill on hazardous materials
This is a scene from a previous drill on hazardous materials that involved URI students. A similar drill will be conducted April 15 and 29 at URI.

KINGSTON, R.I. – April 10, 2019 — A drill on emergency response to hazardous waste will take place in and around the Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences, 120 Flagg Road, on the Kingston Campus on April 15 and 29. The drills will be conducted from approximately 4:45 to 8 p.m.

No hazardous materials will be used in the drills, but the site, which will be surrounded by yellow caution tape, will otherwise have the appearance of a hazardous waste accident.

Twenty URI students and their instructors will be dressed in chemical suits equipped with respirators. Emergency vehicles will be parked close by and dummy hazardous waste drums will be used.

This will be the sixth year that students in the course, Environmental Hazards, Risks, Response, and Safety, will participate in the exercise. Students who complete the 40-plus total hours of instruction will earn a Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response Waste Site Worker certificate from the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

“We are preparing undergraduate and graduate students who want to go to work in the field of environmental, health, and safety services/sciences/engineering in the public or private sector,” said Corey Briggs, course instructor and senior consultant of Colden Corporation.