Skip directly to: Navigation for this section | Main page content

Safety Reps Info

This section of the LAWR health and safety website contains information pertinent to all LAWR safety representatives.

1. Duties and responsibilities of safety representatives

2. Click here for a listing of LAWR lab safety representatives.

3. If an accident occurs in your lab, make sure you fill out the bottom portion of the revised Employer's Report of Occupational Injury or Illness Form to investigate the causes of the incident and rewrite SOP if needed to prevent incident from happening again. Make sure you and the principal investigator know the differences in reporting requirements needed for the different degrees of seriousness of injuries. See Safety Net #52 and Safety Net #121

4. If an unsafe condition or hazard is detected please fill out and follow the instructions on this Hazard Alert Form and the Hazard Correction Form.

5. Safety training: it is your responsibility to see that everyone in your lab is safety trained. See section on safety training for tools that you can use in insuring that everyone receives the required training.

6. Initial safety training is required for everyone. Regulations states that safety training is an ongoing process and should be updated as new tasks are undertaken or if new instruments or requirements are adopted. At a minimal, a yearly safety refresher is required for everyone. If you have a lab meeting in which you discuss safety issues, document that training using this form. This will serve as documentation of your lab’s “on-going” safety training.

7. All the training information available from this website is general information. If you have specific safety guidelines for your lab, make sure you document that training.

8. INSPECTIONS:

    • For offices – there are two forms available for you to use: the short and long form
    • For laboratories – Complete the Laboratory safety survey at least once a year, preferably every 6 months. A downloadable survey is available from the Chemical and Laboratory safety Manual. If you use the same survey for multiple years, do not cross out the prior years’ dates. Add the most current survey date and initial it.

9. CUPA self audit form – you will need to fill out this form every year. Link to Safety Services . Know what to do to prepare for a CUPA audit – read Safety Net #120.

10. Chemical Inventory System (CIS) – You will receive a yearly notice to fill update your chemical inventory from Safety Services. Make a printout of the chemical inventory – everyone in the lab should know where it is kept.

11. MSDS – make sure there is a MSDS for all chemicals in your lab. Everyone in your lab should know where the printouts are kept and also how to access the MSDS online in case a MSDS is missing. A short info sheet on accessing MSDS online is available.

12. Hazardous waste pickup – on a regular basis, check all haz waste bottles. Safety Net #8 has pertinent information. Template: 4 Hazardous Waste labels on one page. All lab representatives should take the Safety Services class Hazardous Waste Management and Minimization.

13. Updating roll call – make sure that all new members of your lab is added to the roll call and that you have emergency contact information for them

14. Updating Chemical Hygiene Plan – review pages 70-80 of Chemical & Laboratory Safety Manual with the PI, make changes as needed, and note date of annual review.

15. IIPP updates – all elements in the IIPP should contain up-to-date information. At least once a year, changes are made to certain pages of the IIPP. When you receive the updates, make sure you take out the old pages and replace with the new.

16. Encourage all lab members to continue to update all SOPS and make sure that all potential hazards associated with the procedures is noted and what to do to mitigate the hazards.