Facility Services Chlorofluorcarbon Policy

Policy Regarding Proper Handling of Ozone-Depleting Refrigerants

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Facility Services affirms its commitment to environmental protection, involving proper handling of ozone depleting substances by using only fully-trained and certified personnel, proper methods and equipment. The importance of this commitment can be underscored by the general information that follows:

  1. Ozone is an invisible, upper atmospheric gas that surrounds and protects the Earth from most of the sun's harmful radiation, recycles the air we breathe and regulates climate.
  2. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC's) and to a lesser degree, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC's), widely used as refrigerants, when released travel to the upper levels of the atmosphere, cause damage and depletion of the protective ozone layer, creating ever-increasing "holes" over the polar zones.
  3. The research conducted on the environment impacts on the growing ozone layer holes has brought many countries of the world together to ratify the so-called "Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer."
  4. The Federal Clean Air Act, as well as the Wisconsin Administrative Code, Department of Industry, Labor and Human Relations, Chapter ILHR 45, call for the strict enforcement of the provisions to reduce the non-essential use of and to eliminate the release of ozone depleting refrigerants.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Department of Facility Services adopts the following CFC Policy to protect our environment:

  1. Effective immediately, any "non-essential use of CFC's" as defined in the Federal Clean Air Act is banned for all personnel.
  2. Deliberate or careless venting or emission of CFC's or HCFC's into the atmosphere by any employee is illegal and subject to governmental penalties.
  3. Violations of venting or accidental releases of ozone depleting refrigerants must be reported to the supervisor/department chair or the Director of the Department of Environmental Health and Safety.
  4. Supervisors shall be responsible for monitoring refrigerant inventories in storage or in HVAC systems, and for the early detection and prompt repair of any leaks.
  5. Only specially-trained and certified technicians are authorized to recover, recycle, reclaim and otherwise properly handle the ozone depleting refrigerants.
  6. Trained and certified technicians shall only use the approved equipment and methods in the recovery and recycling of CFC's and HCFC's.
  7. Department of Facility Services has registered the names of the trained and certified technicians with the DILHR Ozone Program and also has identified and registered approved refrigerant-handling equipment.
  8. Employees who violate the provisions of the CFC Policy shall be disciplined as appropriate under the circumstances and also can be subject to the Federal and State-imposed criminal penalties and fines.
  9. The University may recommend that the Attorney General of Wisconsin not provide legal defense and indemnification for individuals violating the provisions of the above policy.

July, 1992

Chlorofluorcarbon Policy in .pdf format.pdf format, Adobe Acrobat Required

Updated March 7, 2007 by SAK