A Look Inside Onsite Personnel at Universities

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Recently we had the opportunity to take a behind the scenes look at exactly what our onsite personnel do at Northwestern University. We got to talk to the Executive Director for the Office for Research Safety, Michael Blayney, and Heritage’s Technical Services Manager, Breanna Zamorski. Michael talked to us about what Northwestern wanted to accomplish by bringing a supplier and their personnel onsite to perform waste services. He specifically talked about what they were searching for and the benefits the Heritage onsite personnel could provide. Breanna talked to us about our Heritage team onsite at Northwestern and all the duties our team helps with each and every day.

What Were They Looking For?
Determining they needed outside help was recognizing challenges and understanding the necessity of resetting the clock. Picking a team to come in, clean up, reorganize, offer improved services and lower the barriers to help people do the right thing was very important for Northwestern. They wanted a team who paid careful attention to the details. In Heritage, Northwestern found a willingness to look at questions, work to understand those questions, and then respond to those questions. This gave them confidence and understanding that Heritage was going to be an excellent partner to work with.

About the Team
Northwestern currently has 6 Heritage employees on site, 4 at their Evanston campus and 2 at their Chicago campus. As a Heritage onsite personnel team member, they deal with many different duties. Our onsite team works with some unusual materials like, radioactive and biohazardous waste. This is not typical for Heritage onsite services and it is a great experience being able to pioneer new knowledge with these unique materials.

Onsite Duties on Campus
Heritage onsite employees perform varies tasks on a daily basis including:

  • Manage waste program including hazardous, biohazardous and radioactive wastes
  • Perform waste determinations and set up needed waste streams
  • Provide excellent customer service
  • Do waste pickups throughout the University
  • Pack or bulk all chemicals
  • Handle all shipments
    • Scheduling
    • Packaging
    • Paperwork/signing paperwork
    • Loading the truck
  • Perform inspections in our area and throughout campus for compliance
  • Provide RCRA and waste guidance to Northwestern staff and students
  • Provide regulatory training for facilities staff
  • Decontamination and cleaning of various lab spaces and facilities spaces
  • Emergency response
  • Process incoming radioactive material packages

Ultimate Goal
The ultimate goal of our onsite personnel is to be a hands-on help to the customer, and in this case: Northwestern University. Our Heritage team wants to make sure they dispose of the University’s waste safely and properly. They also want to be able to educate students and staff the best ways to handle, manage, and dispose of their wastes.

Take Away
While visiting our onsite team at Northwestern, there were so many things to learn. Being on campus at such a large university, our team plays an important role in program consistency and environmental compliance. Northwestern’s campus stretches across 240 acres with approximately 150 buildings. To learn more about our onsite personnel, check out our first episode of Behind the Swirl. If you are ready to bring in our onsite team, Contact Us today to get started!