Responsibilities

All personnel, including principal investigators, laboratory supervisors, laboratory technicians, students, and support staff have the responsibility to maintain a safe working environment.

Risk Management Services is responsible for the following:

• Reviewing the CHP annually and updating the CHP as needed.  
• Develop and provide general laboratory safety training. RMS shall maintain training records of appropriate faculty, staff, and students.
• Provide emergency response for large chemical spills.
• Investigate laboratory accidents, including injuries and exposures.
• Conduct periodic laboratory safety audits.

Chemical Hygiene Officer is responsible for the following:

• Developing, implementing, and updating the CHP.
• Assisting departments and individual laboratories in implementing and complying with the CHP.
• Providing assistance, information, or instruction to all laboratory staff regarding safety issues, identification of chemical hazards or potential chemical hazards, and ensuring that adequate supervision is provided.
• Ensuring proper facilities, equipment, protective devices or services are provided and maintained in good order for safe handling, storage and disposal of chemicals.
• Conducting annual inspections of the laboratories, preparations rooms, and chemical storage rooms, and submit detailed laboratory inspection reports to administration.
• Providing technical guidance and investigation, as appropriate, for laboratory and other types of accidents, injuries, incidents, and near-misses.
• Instituting appropriate audit methods to ensure compliance.
• Helping develop and implement appropriate chemical hygiene policies and practices.
• Working with research staff to review existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and assisting with developing new SOPs for handling hazardous chemicals or processes.

Principal Investigators (PI) have overall responsibility for the health and safety of all personnel working in their laboratory. The PI may delegate safety duties, but remains responsible for ensuring that any delegated safety duties are adequately performed. The PI has the primary responsibility for establishing a strong safety culture within the laboratory they oversee. New PIs must contact RMS prior to beginning their laboratory operations. RMS should also be contacted by PIs moving into a new lab, when new contacts come into a lab, and before vacating/closing a laboratory. The PI is responsible for the following:

• Knowing all applicable health and safety rules and regulations, training and reporting requirements, and SOPs associated with chemical safety for regulated substances.
• Developing and implementing SOPs and training programs specific to the work being carried out in their laboratories.
• Ensuring effective SOPs (general and protocol specific, chemical and process) are written and followed for lab work involving high hazard materials and activities.
• Ensuring potential hazards of specific projects have been identified and addressed before work is started.
• Identifying and providing necessary safety supplies (e.g., spill kits, first aid kits, etc.) and personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., laboratory coats, gloves, eye protection, etc.) to all laboratory personnel and ensuring the availability of all appropriate PPE and ensuring that PPE is maintained in working order.
• Discussing and reinforcing safe work practices and PPE use, and providing coaching and disciplinary action as necessary.
• Maintaining an up-to-date and accurate chemical inventory (this includes all hazardous materials and compressed gases) for the laboratory or facility and have safety data sheets (SDSs) readily accessible for all hazardous chemicals stored in their laboratories.
• Ensuring that lab personnel understand and follow the CHP and attend required training from RMS.
• Providing initial and annual training for all laboratory personnel regarding lab-specific hazards in their area and associated with their work and maintaining documentation of initial and annual training for all laboratory personnel.
• Promptly notifying RMS and/or Facilities Management should they become aware that workplace engineering controls (e.g., fume hoods) and safety equipment (e.g., emergency showers/eyewashes, fire extinguishers, etc.) become non-operational.
• Conducting continuous inspection of the research space under the PI's control, and ensuring that unsafe conditions are identified and corrected.
• Ensuring that all accidents, injuries, spills, incidents, and near-misses are reported to RMS as soon as possible (within 24 hours).
• Investigating laboratory incidents, identifying root causes, and implementing appropriate solutions in conjunction with EHS personnel.
• Objectively evaluating direct reports on their safety involvement and continuous improvement efforts.
• Identifying and minimizing potential hazards to provide a safe environment for repairs and renovations.
• Actively participating in safety improvement efforts.
• Leaving facilities and equipment in a clean and safe condition when the premises are vacated.

Laboratory supervisors in charge of lab spaces (including but not limited to research, teaching, and stockrooms) have overall responsibility for the health and safety of those working within their space. The Laboratory Supervisor may delegate safety duties, but remains responsible for ensuring that any delegated safety duties are adequately performed. The Laboratory Supervisor also has the responsibility of establishing a strong safety culture within the laboratory space they oversee. If the Laboratory Supervisor oversees a teaching lab or space involved in teaching, the responsibilities below are designated for both the instructor of record and Laboratory Supervisor.

Laboratory Supervisors are responsible for the following:

• Knowing all applicable health and safety rules and regulations, training and reporting requirements, and SOPs associated with chemical safety for regulated substances.
• Assisting PI or instructor of record in developing and implementing SOPs and training programs specific to the work being carried out in their laboratories.
• Ensuring effective SOPs (general and protocol specific, chemical and process) are written and followed for lab work involving high hazard materials and activities.
• Ensuring potential hazards of specific projects have been identified and addressed before work is started.
• Identifying and providing necessary safety supplies (e.g., spill kits, first aid kits, etc.) and personal protective equipment (PPE) (e.g., laboratory coats, gloves, eye protection, etc.) to all laboratory personnel and ensuring the availability of all appropriate PPE and ensuring that PPE is maintained in working order.
• Discussing and reinforcing safe work practices and PPE use, and providing coaching and disciplinary action as necessary.
• Maintaining an up-to-date and accurate chemical inventory (this includes all hazardous materials and compressed gases) for the laboratory or facility and have safety data sheets (SDSs) readily accessible for all hazardous chemicals stored in their laboratories.
• Ensuring that lab personnel understand and follow the CHP and attend required training from RMS.
• Providing initial and annual training for all laboratory personnel regarding lab-specific hazards in their area and associated with their work and maintaining documentation of initial and annual training for all laboratory personnel;
• Promptly notifying RMS and/or Facilities Management should they become aware that workplace engineering controls (e.g., fume hoods) and safety equipment (e.g., emergency showers/eyewashes, fire extinguishers, etc.) become non-operational.
• Conducting continuous inspection of the space under their control, and ensuring that unsafe conditions are identified and corrected.
• Ensuring that all accidents, injuries, spills, incidents, and near-misses are reported to RMS as soon as possible (within 24 hours).
• Investigating laboratory incidents, identifying root causes, and implementing appropriate solutions in conjunction with EHS personnel.
• Objectively evaluating direct reports on their safety involvement and continuous improvement efforts.
• Identifying and minimizing potential hazards to provide a safe environment for repairs and renovations.
• Actively participating in safety improvement efforts.
• Leaving facilities and equipment in a clean and safe condition when the premises are vacated.

Laboratory personnel, i.e., undergraduate researchers, graduate researchers, post-doctoral researchers, staff scientists, student workers, teaching assistants, and all students in a laboratory setting, are ultimately responsible for following:

• Reviewing and following the requirements of the Chemical Hygiene Plan and completing all required safety training (in-person and online);
• Understanding and following all verbal and written laboratory safety rules, regulations, standard operating procedures, and best practices that apply to the work areas required for the tasks assigned;
• Developing good personal chemical hygiene habits, including but not limited to, keeping the work areas safe and uncluttered;
• Performing a risk assessment of the hazards of materials and processes in their laboratory research or other work procedures and ensuring required safety precautions are in place prior to conducting work;
• Properly identifying/labeling, storing, handling, and disposing of hazardous waste;
• Utilizing appropriate measures to control identified hazards, including consistent and proper use of engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and administrative controls;
• Understanding the capabilities and limitations of PPE issued to them and following University lab dress code and wearing PPE required for procedures;
• Gaining prior approval from the PI or Laboratory Supervisor for the use of restricted chemicals and other materials;
• Consulting with PI and/or Laboratory Supervisor before using any particularly hazardous substances, pyrophoric chemicals, explosives and other highly hazardous materials or conducting certain higher risk experimental procedures;
• Reporting all accidents, injuries, illnesses, spills, unsafe conditions and work practices, and near-misses to the PI and/or Laboratory Supervisor and RMS;
• Completing all required health, safety and environmental training and providing written documentation to their PI and/or Laboratory Supervisor;
• When working autonomously or performing independent research or work:
  • Reviewing the plan or scope of work for their proposed research with the PI and/or Laboratory Supervisor;
  • Notifying in writing and consulting with the PI and/or Laboratory Supervisor, in advance, if they intend to significantly deviate from previously reviewed procedures;
  • Significant change may include, but is not limited to, change in the objectives, change in PI, change in the duration, quantity, frequency, conditions or location, increase or change in PPE, and reduction or elimination of engineering controls;
  • Preparing SOPs for hazardous chemicals and processes and performing literature searches relevant to safety and health that are appropriate for their work;
  • Providing appropriate oversight, training and safety information to laboratory or other personnel they supervise or direct.

NOTE: Undergraduate researchers, student workers, or students within a teaching laboratory space should never be left unsupervised or allowed to work alone within the laboratory space.