| Environmental
Health and Safety
Prepared by Patrick M. Schlievert with contributions from Fay Thompson
Learning Objectives
University Policies and Procedures
Curriculum Overview
Information Resources
Learning
Objectives
- Identify safety considerations associated with the experimental
approaches common to your research.
- Describe roles of Departmental Research Safety Officer and the
Department of Environmental Health and Safety.
Greater depth:
- Apply guidelines on use of biological or chemical hazards in
research.
- Apply for certification for use of biological or chemical hazards
in research.
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University Policies and Procedures
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Curriculum
Overview
Principles
The conduct of research frequently involves hazardous materials
or hazardous activities. The hazardous materials may have chemical,
biological, radioactive or physical properties of concern and the
hazardous activities may involve the way equipment or materials
are used, stored, transported or disposed. Research is carried out
in areas as diverse as laboratories, clinics, experimental plots
and wide ranging field studies. Problems arising during research
may impact research personnel, colleagues or the surrounding environment.
Federal, state and local regulatory constraints on the conduct of
research are extensive and are expanding. The goal of the University’s
Research Safety Program is to assure that research is carried out
in a way that prevents accidents and minimizes exposure to hazardous
agents and conditions, prevents degradation of the environment through
responsible waste management and active waste reduction, conserves
resources and minimizes losses, and achieves regulatory compliance.
All members of the University’s research community have responsibility
for safety. Each member must strive to follow safety practices at
all times, work proactively to prevent accidents and injuries, and
be prepared for emergencies that may occur in the conduct of research.
Environmental Health and Safety also addresses both standards concerning
minors and pregnant women in laboratories and training and recertification
of experimentalists.
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Responsibilities
Safety-related responsibilities for the following members of the
research community are briefly detailed:
- President, Vice Presidents, Provosts and Chancellors
- Dean, Directors and Department Heads
- Department of Environmental Health and Safety (DEHS)
- Research Safety Officers
- Supervisors/Principal Investigators
- Graduate Student/Post Doctoral Researcher Research Worker
Upper Level Administrators
- Promoting the importance of safety in all activities and among
all levels of employment
- Supporting a broad-based research safety program
- Ensuring lower level administrators provide adequate time and
- Recognition for employees who are given research safety responsibilities
- Provide facilities that meet requirements for working with hazardous
materials
Deans, Directors and Department Heads
- Identifying at least one technically qualified research safety
officer, providing time to carry out duties, and ensuring that
this person is adequately trained and carries out designated responsibilities.
- Evaluation of the research safety officer’s performance
- Taking appropriate measures to ensure compliance with safety
issues
Department of Environmental Health and Safety
- Training designated departmental safety officers
- Monitoring the progress of departments toward achieving compliance
and
- Reporting to deans and central administration on compliance
Research Safety Officers
- Arranging general departmental training sessions and carrying
out routine inspections of laboratories for compliance
- Have current working knowledge regarding safety issues and work
with administrators to assure equipment and work environment are
safe
Supervisors/Principal Investigators
- Assurance that work hazards have been identified, determination
of standard operating protocols, and determination of specific
training requirements for each employee
- Scheduling time for employee training, enforcing safe working
policies, and reporting hazardous conditions and accidents
Graduate Student/Post Doctoral or Research Worker
- Attending safety training sessions and following safety guidelines
- Reporting hazardous conditions as they arise
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Issues
Biosafety (including pathogenic microorganisms) (much of the research
with microbes requires approval from the Biosafety Committee)
- Biosafety levels that should be used in laboratories that use
microorganisms, including appropriate postings
- NIH recombinant DNA guidelines, including what constitutes recombinant
DNA and what biosafety levels are required.
- Shipping requirements for hazardous microorganisms and who should
be allowed to receive hazardous microorganisms
Chemical Safety
- OSHA laboratory standards (training is required)
- Chemical hygiene plan
- Proper use of hazardous chemicals
- Material safety data sheet information
- Hazardous waste requirements
- Labeling and packaging
- Chemical redistribution
- Controlled substances
- Chemical terrorism
Radiation Safety (Regulated by University Radiation Protection
Advisory Committee; training is required)
- Proper use of radioactive materials and instrumentation
- Purchasing radioactive materials and management of radioactive
waste
- Laser training
- Pregnancy
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MERTKA (Minnesota Employee Right to Know
Act)
Issues not covered by 3.1 to 3.3, for example, chemical use outside
of the laboratory. This applies also to custodians, etc. Coverts
issues involving Biosafety, Chemical Safety and Radiation Safety.
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Topics for Discussion
- Faculty using tools beyond their expertise:
Examples: use of a pathogen without microbiology training; physicians
being asked to participate in clinical trials primarily involving
vectors with human genes, yet the clinician not having knowledge
of genetics.
- Dimethyl mercury poisoning in a researcher at Dartmouth (Science
1997. 276:1797); this accident may also be accessed by searching
on the World Wide Web for Wetterhahn and dimethyl mercury poisoning.
- Use of certain pathogens or toxins and their transfer and the
requirements for increased security and monitoring of transfer.
Examples: use and transfer of Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis,
etc. You get a request on letterhead from someone you do not know.
Do you send? Who could you call for advice?
- Recombinant techniques inserting potential oncogenes.
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Information
Resources
Environmental Health and Safety maintains a web site that includes
required University forms and guidelines for biosafety, chemical
safety, Minnesota Employee Right to Know, and radioactive material
services (http://www.dehs.umn.edu/).
Links are provided specifically to Biosafety, Chemical Safety, and
Radiation Safety. In addition, monthly training sessions are available
for all of the above except radiation use, which is handled through
videotapes that can be viewed at the library. There is an after-hours
emergency response pager system manual for chemical safety. Finally,
an additional useful Web site is: http://www.practicingsafescience.org/.
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