Eduwhere & Keika Blog

May 13, 2020 eduwhere Clients|Equipment

Fluid Sample Collection at Hydrothermal Vents with Keika’s Kynar Bags

We love hearing stories from our clients, and we’re excited to be able to share a recent one with you! Researchers at the University of South Carolina are sampling fluids from Atlantic ocean hydrothermal vents, and they’ve used Keika Ventures’ Kynar® bags to do it. The researchers designed and assembled a water sampler, and sent Keika the required dimensions for their prototype bag. We worked with our vendor to create the bag according to specifications, and the experiment was a success.

The water sampler was attached to a Remotely Operated Vehicle, or ROV, and sent to the ocean floor to collect samples from several hydrothermal vents on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. They collected sixty-seven samples of pristine hydrothermal fluids into our 2-L Kynar bags and six into 11-L bags.

The UofSC team followed this up with another excursion to hydrothermal vents on the Mid-Cayman Rise spreading center, including the deepest known “black smoker” vents at 5,000 m. The team returned with seventy-nine 2-L Kynar bags and twenty-one 9L Kynar bags of hydrothermal fluids.

Keika's Kynar Sample Bags — Keika’s Kynar Sample Bags full of Atlantic seawater.

Hydrothermal vent sampling location in Atlantic Ocean.
From R/V Atlantis voyage AT42-01: Filename: sulis_20180916182458.jpg
Required Credit: Courtesy of Susan Lang, U. of South Carolina/NSF/ROV Jason/2018 ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

“Black Smoker”
From R/V Atlantis voyage AT42-22: Filename: untitled.png
Required Credit: Courtesy of Jeff Seewald, WHOI/NSF, NASA/ROV Jason/2020 ©Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Kynar® bag filled with fluid sample. Success!
© Mitch Elend, U. Washington / Lost City 2018 Return / NSF / ROV Jason

Testing the sampler with cylinders and Keika’s Kynar® sampling bags.

The USC team is planning another excursion for more samples, and we are excited to hear the results!
Keika Ventures is pleased to be able to offer Tedlar® and Kynar® bags in a range of sizes and specifications, including Poly 2-in-1, Jaco, and Roberts Valves. We offer some of our most popular standard sizing options, from 0.5L up to 25L, all the way up to 250L bags. If you have unique needs for your sampling methods, as the USC team did, we are happy to help coordinate with our suppliers and ensure that you get the custom bags that you need. Keika Ventures can provide bags made with alternative films for unusual projects, or specially located valve fittings and grommets.

PVDF (Tedlar® & Kynar®) Bag Sampling Solutions

KeikaVentures offers polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) bags in a wide variety of sizes and valve fittings. We can also custom make bags to fit any particular size or application needs and can customize the location of valve fittings and grommets.

Keika’s Tedlar & Kynar Solution Page

April 21, 2020 eduwhere Online Course

Regulated Medical Waste

Eduwhere has recently created a new online course: Shipping Regulated Medical Waste. This course is designed to meet the training requirements set out in 49 CFR 172.700 Subpart H for shipping hazardous materials by ground, with a specific focus on shipping regulated medical waste. It covers such topics as identifying and classifying hazardous materials, preparing shipping documents, and selecting proper packaging, marks, and labels. Anyone who handles biohazardous materials during any part of the shipping process, including loading and unloading, marking and labeling packages, preparing containers for shipment, preparing shipping papers and signing manifests, or otherwise being responsible for safety during transport is required by the DOT to have hazardous materials training.

Regulated medical waste, or RMW, is considered to be a hazardous material by the DOT. It is also known as clinical waste or bio medical waste, and is defined as “a waste or reusable material derived from the medical treatment of an animal or human, which includes diagnosis and immunization, or from biomedical research, which includes the production and testing of biological byproducts.” These can include blood bags or items saturated with blood or other bodily fluids, IV bags, contaminated sharps, and culture dishes that were used to hold infectious agents, among other things. These items are often collected in a red biohazard bag (red bag waste). Medical waste that contains a Category A infectious substance, however, is classified as an infectious substance and must be shipped as such. If this definition sounds like what you ship, our new Shipping Regulated Medical Waste course may be appropriate training for you.

“a waste or reusable material derived from the medical treatment of an animal or human, which includes diagnosis and immunization, or from biomedical research, which includes the production and testing of biological byproducts.”
Medical or Clinical Waste, DOT

Shipping Regulated Medical Waste
https://www.eduwhere.com/coursedescription.php?courseID=69

Shipping Infectious Substances (IATA and DOT)
https://www.eduwhere.com/coursedescription.php?courseID=10

February 29, 2020 eduwhere Insight|Online Course|Regulatory

Shipping Coronavirus

Coronavirus, also known by its virus name SARS-CoV-2 and its disease name COVID-19, is appearing more and more in our news and becoming a wider spread concern, creating questions about safety protocols when transporting specimens. Samples of blood or tissue may need to be shipped for diagnostic purposes, or to a lab studying the virus to better understand its characteristics. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently provided interim guidelines for laboratory biosafety handling and processing of specimens associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019, stating that specimens from suspected or potential patient cases of COVID-19 should be shipped under regulations for UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B.

UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B

COVID-19 isn’t the first infectious substance that clinical facilities have shipped using the UN 3373 Biological Substance, Category B designation. The US Department of Transportation have well established procedures in place to classify, describe, label, mark, and package patient specimens for proper and safe shipping. These regulations include requirements for triple packaging as well as adequate absorbent and cushioning materials to prevent breakage and leaking. There are also specific labeling and marking requirements for the outside of the package, including the UN3373 mark, the words “Biological Substance, Category B”, and the name and phone number of a responsible person who can answer questions in case of emergency. Additional steps are required if dry ice is used.

**Triple Packaging Requirements for UN3373**

If you need more information on shipping biological substances and infectious substances, Eduwhere provides two courses covering the proper shipping of Infectious Substances:

For more information on coronavirus safety, see the CDC webpage on COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/lab/lab-biosafety-guidelines.html

February 24, 2020 eduwhere Online Course

RCRA Hazardous Waste Management for Generators

Proper management and disposal of hazardous wastes is essential for safety for workers, the public, and the environment. Eduwhere is pleased to offer a training course in the proper handling of hazardous wastes, with a specific focus on the federal regulations as they relate to businesses and generators of hazardous waste. Our RCRA Hazardous Waste Management for Generators course our most comprehensive course on hazardous waste management, covering topics including identifying hazardous wastes, determining a facility’s generator status, maintaining appropriate records, managing used oil, universal wastes, and disposal methods and limitations.

RCRA Annual & “thoroughly familiar” Training Requirements

40 CFR 262.16 (b)(9)(iii)
40 CFR 262.17(a)(7)
RCRA Regulatory Citations

This training course is designed to help businesses and facilities meet both the annual or “thoroughly familiar” training requirements, depending on generator size, set out in 40 CFR 262.16 (b)(9)(iii) and 40 CFR 262.17(a)(7) for generators of hazardous waste. Personnel who will generate, handle, store, treat or dispose of hazardous waste may be required to complete a RCRA training course annually.

Of interest to our clients who fall under RCRA training requirements, a new rule has come into effect this year designating aerosol cans as a universal waste. The EPA hopes that this new designation for aerosol cans will promote the collection and recycling of the cans and reduce the number being sent to landfill.

RCRA Hazardous Waste Management for Generators

January 31, 2020 eduwhere Online Course

Shipping Infectious Substances

Ensuring the safe transportation of biological specimens and infectious substances is as important as ever. Eduwhere is pleased to be able to offer our Shipping Infectious Substances for IATA and DOT training course to medical personnel, lab techs, and anyone who might be involved at any stage in the shipping process for infectious substances or diagnostic specimens. Since these kinds of shipments can pose a significant safety concern to both people and the environment by their biological or infectious nature, it’s crucial to make sure the necessary precautions are taken to keep the materials safely contained and prevent unwanted exposure.

Our Shipping Infectious Substances (IATA & DOT) course is designed to meet the training requirements set out in 49 CFR 172 Subpart H and Section 1.5 of the IATA DGR, and covers topics for both air and ground shipments including selecting proper packaging, marks, and labels for dangerous goods shipments, and specifically addresses packaging requirements for shipments containing dry ice, often used to preserve infectious substances while in transit. The course addresses the four main training requirements set out by IATA and DOT: General awareness/familiarization training, Function-specific training, Safety training, and Security Awareness Training. Our training should function as a guide to assist you in safely preparing certain dangerous goods for transport.

We hope our Shipping Infectious Substances course can help you safely ship infectious substances and diagnostic specimens so you can keep doing what you do best.

January 23, 2020 eduwhere Online Course|Regulatory

2020 IATA Updates & Regulations for Shipping Dangerous Goods

Here are a few of the changes to our IATA Dangerous Goods course that we will be including for the upcoming year:

Most significantly in the 61st Edition is the inclusion of Appendix H Competency Based Training and Assessment Approach. The Competency Based Training has been deferred from implementation in this edition and is expected to be adopted in the 2021-2022 ICAO Technical instructions. Appendix H has been provided to give shippers an opportunity to review and provide feedback on this approach.

Revisions taking effect in the 61st edition include the clarifications made to marking. All marks (excepted quantity, limited quantity, environmentally hazardous substance and the lithium battery mark) when required must be on one side of the package. Where the marks is applied by means of a label, the label must not be folded or applied such that it appears on two sides of the package. Clarification has been added to the “Keep Away From Heat” label to identify that the label should be affixed to the same side of the package as the hazard labels.

There are also updates to Packing Instructions, Operator Variations, and State Variations.

If you or your company ship dangerous goods by air, Eduwhere’s IATA Dangerous Goods course may be appropriate for you. This online training course is designed to cover the fundamentals of shipping dangerous goods by air, according to the IATA regulations, as specified in Section 1.5 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and 49 CFR 172 Subpart H. However, it is important to note that this course does not cover the in depth requirements for the shipment of radioactive materials.

Eduwhere’s training is designed with a 10-step approach, which encompasses all of the activities which must be addressed when preparing dangerous goods for shipment by air, to ensure safe and legal shipment. It is necessary for anyone involved at any stage in the air shipment of dangerous goods to be properly trained, whether they handle dangerous goods, prepare the goods, packagings, or the associated documentation (including marks and labels and Shipper’s Declaration) for shipment or are responsible for the safe transportation of dangerous goods.

If you need a copy of the 2020 IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations, 61st Edition, we offer a “course & book bundle” which includes our online IATA course, the 2020 IATA DGR, and free shipping within the United States. You can also order just the IATA DGR book on our Keika Ventures website.

January 20, 2020February 24, 2020 eduwhere Online Course|Regulatory

MSHA Part 46 Annual Refresher

Mining can be a dangerous business, but Eduwhere wants you to stay safe on the job. That’s why we offer several mine safety courses, including the MSHA Part 46 Refresher. MSHA requires annual refresher training for miners that fall under Part 46, which applies to shell dredging, sand, gravel, surface stone, surface clay, colloidal phosphate, and surface limestone mines. You should be spending a minimum of 8 hours on your refresher training, and our course is designed to help you meet that time requirement while also allowing you to focus your time more on the topics you need and less on the ones you already understand. This 8 hour time requirement is for your safety.

The topics covered in this course closely match the template provided by MSHA for Part 46 training. They include Hazard Communication (HazCom), Escape and Emergency Evacuation Plans, and Prevention of Accidents, among many others. Remember, MSHA’s Part 46 Refresher regulations also require site-specific training, including a review of site-specific hazards and updates on any changes at the mine that might affect your health and safety, and this is something that your mine site will have to provide to you in addition to the topics covered in this online course.

Due in part to the site-specific nature of MSHA’s requirements, your signed “Pink Sheet” does not come from Eduwhere (though we will provide you with an unsigned one), and must be signed by the responsible party for health and safety training at your facility or organization, because they are the ones verifying that your training was completed appropriately, not Eduwhere. Because of this, it is always a good idea to check with your mine to see what training they approve or if there are additional training topic requirements for your particular job on site.

Mine safety is serious business! Let Eduwhere help you stay in compliance with your training and stay safe on site with our MSHA Part 46 Refresher course.

January 20, 2020January 20, 2020 eduwhere Clients|Tibbit

New Countries = New Map!

Over 100 countries spread across all 7 continents! Keika Ventures & Eduwhere have clients spread across the globe and we love sharing their country flags. We’ve been at this for over 19 years and the collection continues to grow. It’s been a while since we last updated our map (Russia!), so we’d like to welcome Oman, Belarus, Mozambique, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Malta.

We stopped counting at 100 countries. Honestly, I lose track when trying to count the flags… always feeling I’ve skipped one or double counted. I think we’re closing in on 120, but feel free to give it a try and let us know how many you count 🙂

Over 100 country flags spread over the world map. — Clients in over 100 countries spread across all 7 continents.

Environmental Equipment:
https://www.keikaventures.com

Analytical Services:
https://www.keikaventures.com/analytical.php

Online Compliance Training:
https://www.eduwhere.com

January 17, 2020 eduwhere Online Course

Fire Safety Online Course

Fires are a dangerous and all too common workplace hazard, but their damage can be minimized with proper safety planning. The US Fire Administration found that $23 billion dollars were lost due to fire in the US in 2017. In 2018 in the US, 115 on the job fatalities were due to fires, equalling 2.2% of all workplace deaths according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. While these numbers are generally trending downward, year to year, they are still high, and our goal is to help continue to lower them. From fire extinguishers to emergency escape routes, it is important to have an action plan in place to prevent workplace injuries and deaths.

Eduwhere’s Fire Safety training course is designed to help you meet OSHA’s workplace safety standards (29 CFR 1910.38(a) and 29 CFR 1910.157(g)). It will help you determine if your facility has any particular fire related hazards to be aware of so that you can use appropriate correction methods and strategies and be prepared to address the hazards if the need arises. Our aim is to help you minimize your fire risk and create a safer workplace for yourself and other employees. Fire is the most common type of emergency for small businesses, and it is important to be able to assess the hazard and determine the safest course of action.

This course is appropriate not only for those working in conventionally “dangerous” jobs, but anyone who works in a workplace who may be asked to use a fire extinguisher or evacuate during an emergency. Let’s work together to create safer workplaces.

In 2018 in the US, 115 on the job fatalities were due to fires…
US Bureau of Labor Statistics

Fire Safety
https://www.eduwhere.com/coursedescription.php?courseID=46

January 13, 2020 eduwhere Online Course

RCRA & DOT Refresher: 2-for-1 Training

Eduwhere would like to introduce to you a unique course offering: the RCRA & DOT Refresher. This refresher course includes a review of important regulatory information for both hazardous waste management and hazardous materials shipping to meet training requirements for both RCRA and DOT (40 CFR 262.16 (b)(9)(iii), 40 CFR 262.17(a)(7), and 49 CFR 172 Subpart H).

This course provides a hybrid format covering important topics in hazardous materials and wastes, covering the relevant laws and regulations, and functions as a guide to complying with those regulations. This includes how to recognize hazardous waste and manage and prepare it properly while on site and for transport and disposal, and how to keep records for compliance for RCRA, as well as a review of DOT’s shipping regulations, from identifying proper shipping names and hazard classes to preparing packages for shipment including necessary marks and labels and accompanying shipping papers.

We are pleased to offer this hybrid course for those who need training in both hazardous materials and hazardous wastes. If you have taken training previously, are familiar with the regulatory requirements and are looking for a fast-paced course to fulfill your recurrent training requirements with your experience in mind, consider Eduwhere’s RCRA & DOT Refresher course.

We also offer standalone training for both DOT and RCRA topics:

If you are looking to satisfy training requirements to sign hazardous waste manifests for off-site shipment, please consider:

DOT Hazardous Waste Manifest