Moving Offices or Labs Checklist

CUIMC Facilities Management provides various support services to help you move into, out of, or between medical center spaces. While each move presents its own challenges, below is a general guide to help you get started.

Please note, if Capital Project Management is coordinating your move, your project manager will take the lead.

Always Be Safe

  • Do not block corridors or exits. While packing and preparing for your move, please keep corridors free of trash, hazardous materials, or anything else that might block egress paths. Do not block emergency equipment inside or near the space; emergency equipment includes eye wash, overhead emergency showers, and fire extinguishers. CUIMC Facilities will discard materials at no charge; please submit a work order to get started.
  • Avoid slips, trips, and falls. Be mindful of equipment, cords and wires, packing materials, and debris on the floor. Immediately address any condition that could cause a slip, trip or fall.
  • Ensure professionals move the heavy stuff. For their safety, do not let employees or students move heavy equipment or furniture.

Office Moves

If you are moving only administrative spaces and materials, please follow these tips. You may also need to consult with Public Safety and Space Planning in the course of this process.

Please note, if Capital Project Management is coordinating your move, your project manager will take the lead in the following.

Moving Checklist

  1. Select a mover.
    • For moves between spaces on-campus, please submit a work order with CUIMC Facilities.
    • For moves from off-campus to on-campus or vice versa, please make arrangements for professional movers. For support in selecting a professional mover, contact Purchasing.
  2. Make sure you’re insured.
    • Contact Insurance and Risk Management to discuss whether additional insurance is needed to cover associated risks. If this is a large-scale move (e.g. department-wide), the department “move coordinator” should make this contact.
    • Mover Insurance: Please submit a work order with your insurance documentation (or email such documentation to cumc.facilities@columbia.edu, referencing your work order number) at least two weeks before your scheduled move so we can make the appropriate arrangements. The insurance documentation should include:
      • Copy of a certificate of insurance from an admitted insurance company (admitted means filed with and subject to the laws and regulation of the state they are admitted in)
      • Confirmation of auto and general liability coverage with minimum liability limits of $2 million
      • Confirmation of worker’s compensation coverage
      • The certificate of insurance should also name the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York as an additional insured.
  3. Furniture Dismantling: Submit a work order to ensure we can dismantle furniture in advance of your move.
  4. Make arrangements for discarding equipment or furniture.
    • Wipe any electronics to be discarded. If you want to discard computers or hard drives, be sure to take the appropriate measures to remove information before discarding. For more information about how to securely remove data, contact CUIMC IT at 212-305-HELP (4257), option 5, or 5help@columbia.edu. CUIMC IT should clear any computer towers and external drives and label them with a green tag. All other electronics, such as keyboards, printers, and copiers, can also be recycled by CUIMC Facilities. Please submit a work order to request pick-up and make sure all items are clearly labeled.
    • Trash and Recycling: Submit a work order for additional trash or recycling bins to start separating items that will not be moved. 
    • Discarding: If you need to discard equipment or furniture, submit a work order.
  5. Arrange for phone disconnection and reconnection. Contact Telecommunications to arrange for phone disconnection and reconnection as needed.
  6. Plan for the move by reviewing pathways, elevators, and loading docks. 
    • Pathways: Identify the pathway from your space to the elevator and the elevator to the loading dock. Are there items in pathways that prevent moving items safely? Please make the appropriate arrangements.
    • ​Elevators and Loading Docks: Please remember that elevators serve all building occupants. Depending on the size of the move, you may need to schedule the move during off-hours so that access to elevators and loading docks can be made available. To request special elevator service or off-hours loading dock access, please submit a work order with CUIMC Facilities. Consult with your mover regarding what type of trucks will used and ensure that they will fit in the loading docks.
  7. Deliveries and Mail Forwarding: Either cancel or reroute standing deliveries (e.g. water). Discuss with CUIMC Facilities how to make changes with USPS to re-direct mail prior to moving.
  8. After Moving. Ensure no items or equipment are left in the hallway or in the offices. Return keys to CUIMC Facilities and turn off lights.

Lab Moves

If you are moving a lab, or a lab and administrative spaces, please follow these tips. You may need to coordinate with other divisions as well. Please contact these campus partners as required:

  • Environmental Health and Safety (including the Institutional Biosafety Committee)
  • Grants and Contracts
  • Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
  • Material Transfer Agreements
  • Public Safety
  • Space Planning

Please note, if Capital Project Management is coordinating your move, your project manager will take the lead.

Four Weeks Before Moving

  1. Create your moving plan.
  2. Select a mover. Please note, only qualified moving companies are permitted to transport chemicals, radioactive materials, and certain biological materials. Please ensure that you are working with an approved vendor.
    • For a lab moving between spaces on-campus, please submit a work order with CUIMC Facilities.
    • For a labs moving from off-campus to on-campus or vice versa, please make arrangements for professional movers. For support in selecting a professional mover, contact Purchasing.
  3. Review what elevator service may be required. Please remember that elevators serve all building occupants. Depending on the size of the move, you may need to schedule the move during off-hours so that access to elevators and loading docks can be made available. To request special elevator service, please submit a work order with CUIMC Facilities.
  4. Arrange for phone connections. Contact Telecommunications to arrange for phone disconnection or connection as needed.

Three Weeks Before Moving

  1. Make sure you’re insured.
    • Contact Insurance and Risk Management to discuss whether additional insurance is needed to cover associated risks. If this is a large-scale move (e.g. department-wide), the department “move coordinator” should make this contact.
    • Mover Insurance: Please submit a work order with your insurance documentation (or email such documentation to cumc.facilities@columbia.edu, referencing your work order number) at least two weeks before your scheduled move so we can make the appropriate arrangements. The insurance documentation should include:
      • Copy of a certificate of insurance from an admitted insurance company (admitted means filed with and subject to the laws and regulation of the state they are admitted in)
      • Confirmation of auto and general liability coverage with minimum liability limits of $2 million
      • Confirmation of worker’s compensation coverage
      • The certificate of insurance should also name the Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York as an additional insured.
  2. Walkthrough: Initial CUIMC Facilities walkthrough of the space.
  3. Make arrangements for discarding equipment or furniture.
    • Wipe any electronics to be discarded. If you want to discard computers or hard drives, be sure to take the appropriate measures to remove information before discarding. For more information about how to securely remove data, contact CUIMC IT at 212-305-HELP (4257), option 5, or 5help@columbia.edu. CUIMC IT should clear any computer towers and external drives and label them with a green tag. All other electronics, such as keyboards, printers, and copiers, can also be recycled by CUIMC Facilities. Please submit a work order to request pick-up and make sure all items are clearly labeled.
    • Trash and Recycling: Submit a work order for additional trash or recycling bins to start separating items that will not be moved. 
    • Discarding Equipment: Contamination-prone laboratory equipment requires EH&S clearance before being moved or disposed. Learn more about EH&S Clearance. After EH&S has cleared equipment for discarding, please tag it for discard and submit a work order requesting discard from CUIMC Facilities. We discard equipment at no cost.
  4. Plan for the move by reviewing pathways, elevators, and loading docks. 
    • Pathways: Identify the pathway from the lab to the elevator and the elevator to the loading dock. Are there items in pathways that prevent moving items safely? Please make the appropriate arrangements
    • ​Elevators and Loading Docks: Please remember that elevators serve all building occupants. Depending on the size of the move, you may need to schedule the move during off-hours so that access to elevators and loading docks can be made available. To request special elevator service or off-hours loading dock access, please submit a work order with CUIMC Facilities. Consult with your mover regarding what type of trucks will used and ensure that they will fit in the loading docks.
  5. Special Handling: Identify equipment that needs special handling. This may include extremely heavy items (such as laser tables), items of significant value, and/or those otherwise needing special handling by movers with experience handling special equipment.
  6. Heavy Equipment: Elevators have maximum weight loads. Once extremely heavy items have been identified, consult with CUIMC Facilities regarding the maximum weight load of the elevator.
  7. Deliveries and Mail Forwarding: Either cancel or reroute standing deliveries (e.g. water). Discuss with CUIMC Facilities how to make changes with USPS to re-direct mail prior to moving the lab.

Five Business Days Before Moving

  1. End all research work.
  2. After obtaining clearance from EH&S, begin lab clean-up as per their recommendations.
  3. Ensure all materials to be discarded have been tagged for removal and a work order has been submitted.
  4. Sharps and Related Materials: All sharps, hypodermic needles, syringes, scalpels, razor blades, and Pasteur pipettes should be placed in a sharps container; all containers must be moved to one area of the lab. Submit a work order to CUIMC Facilities if additional pick-ups or deliveries of empty sharp containers are needed.
  5. Organic Materials: Chemically preserved specimens of human or animal tissue for disposal must be drained of storage fluid, the fluid collected, and identified as hazardous chemical waste, and the tissue collected, double-bagged, and placed in a container, available from CUIMC Facilities with a work order.
  6. Chemicals: All hazardous chemicals (ignitable, corrosive, reactive, or toxic materials) must be segregated in preparation to either be moved, transferred to an existing laboratory, or disposed of. Arrangements must be made in advance with EH&S to coordinate disposal vendor(s) and/or ensure safe transfer to another owner.
  7. At this time, the outside mover should deliver bins and/or begin equipment and furniture packing.

Moving Day

  1. A PI or lab representative should monitor outside vendors and the moving process.
  2. CUIMC Facilities will provide an elevator operator and/or loading dock attendant if requested per your work order.
  3. Ensure no items or equipment are left in the hallway or in the lab.
  4. At the conclusion of the move, the PI or lab representative may need to do a final walkthrough with CUIMC Facilities and Space Planning.
  5. Return keys CUIMC Facilities and turn off lights.

Tell Us How We Did!

Moves, both large and small, require coordination and collaboration across multiple departments. We are always looking for ways to improve our work. Let us know how we did.