Laboratory Safety Program

Research and teaching are fundamental activities within our University Laboratories. In an effort to create a safe environment in which to do these activities the Department of Safety and Environmental Compliance has developed a Laboratory Safety Program.

The Laboratory Safety Program provides Principal Investigators, Instructors and students with the guidelines to design and maintain safe working and learning conditions. By applying the basic safety instructions provided by the program, as well as understanding potential laboratory hazards, individuals utilizing the facilities can minimize or eliminate dangers. To promote safety we have specific department representatives assigned to teaching laboratory safety and inspecting laboratories facilities.

Waste Management a key component of the Safety and Environmental Compliance Program is coordinated through several aspects of our program. Minimization is our primary objective in managing waste accumulation at the point of generation whether it be purchase order quantities or process oriented. Conducting annual inventories to examine unneeded stocks and avoiding duplication through ordering can reduce waste and avoid costly disposal fees. The Safety and Environmental Compliance Department will from time to time circulate lists of surplus or medically outdate chemicals for department acquisition. These chemicals are recycled at no cost to the receiving departments. The SEC department will also maintain reports of your waste and recovery of usable chemicals so that you may be notified when surplus supplies are available. Annually departments will be required to update their chemical inventories, an inventory template will be furnished for use as a guide.