Lab hazardous waste training
Free online courses to help you safely manage hazardous waste, respond to spills and transport dangerous goods for research.
Why training matters
Working in a lab means handling materials that can be hazardous to your health, to others in your building and to the environment. Taking the right training helps you manage hazardous waste safely, respond appropriately in the event of an emergency, and stay aligned with regulatory requirements.
Environmental Protection Services offers three free, self-paced online courses covering the essentials of hazardous waste management, laboratory spill response and the transportation of dangerous goods. The courses are available to all University of Toronto faculty, staff and students through Quercus.
Who should take training
These courses are strongly recommended for anyone who works in a lab at the U of T. They’re especially important if you’re:
- A student working in a lab that contains chemical, biological and/or radioactive materials
- A new principal investigator (PI) setting up a lab
- Any faculty or staff member involved in research lab operations
If you’re a supervisor or PI, you should ensure your team members have completed the relevant training for the work they’re doing.
Transporting dangerous goods
The transportation of dangerous goods course is mandatory if you’re involved in shipping or receiving chemicals to or from campus by ground or road – including handling, packaging, transporting or importing materials classified as dangerous goods under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act.
If you’re shipping or receiving biological and/or radioactive materials to or from campus, different training is required. Please refer to the Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) training page for more information.
Available courses
All three courses are free, self-paced and hosted on Quercus. There are no prerequisites — you can take them in any order.
| Course | What you'll learn | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Hazardous waste management at U of T | How to classify, label, package, store and dispose of hazardous waste generated in your lab. Covers procedures for requesting pickups and the regulatory context for proper waste disposal. | Takes about 30 minutes For anyone working in a lab containing chemicals / biologicals / radioactives Refresher recommended every 5 years |
| Responding to small lab spills | What to do — and what not to do — if a small chemical spill occurs in your lab. Covers assessment, containment, cleanup procedures and when to call for help. | Takes about 25 minutes For anyone working in a lab containing chemicals Refresher recommended every 5 years |
| Transportation of dangerous chemical goods | Regulatory requirements and procedures when shipping dangerous goods (chemical) by ground or road to U of T. | Takes 1–2 hours Completion certificate provided Refresher required every 3 years |
How to access the courses
All three courses are available on Quercus, U of T’s learning platform. Use the link below for the course you’d like to take, log in with your UTORid and password and complete the course at your own pace.
- Hazardous waste management at U of T
- Responding to small laboratory spills
- Transportation of dangerous chemical goods
You need a passing grade of 80% or higher to complete each course. Your results are automatically recorded in SPROUT, EHS’s training database for lab compliance tracking.
Having trouble enrolling?
Anyone with a valid UTORid and password should be able to access the courses.
If you’re having trouble enrolling, see the guide for external users on the EHS training page.