Laboratory Safety

The Office of Risk Management (434) 592-3582 (leave a message) and HR’s Safety Program Manager (434-592-4846) work with the University’s Science and Medical departments to ensure laboratory safety standards.

Technical support includes safety audits of laboratories and experimental procedures, spill response and area monitoring as necessary.

We assist in the following laboratory activities:

Biosafety implies creating a safe working environment for all personnel and ensuring the work performed does not impact the environment.

• Biohazards include:
  • all infectious organisms (bacteria, fungi, parasites, rickettsia, viruses, etc.) that can cause disease in humans, or cause significant environmental or agricultural impact
  • human or primate tissues, fluids, cells or cell culture
• Biohazardous materials include:
  • recombinant DNA
  • trans genic plants or animals
  • human gene therapy
  • animals known to be reservoirs of zoonotic diseases

Chemical safety begins when a hazardous material arrives on campus and continues until the material is properly disposed.

• Chemical hazards vary widely, and appropriate precautions must be used; every chemical is potentially hazardous
• Principal Investigators have primary responsibility for implementation of chemical safety policies and procedures
• Students and staff are responsible for following procedures
• Planning and implementing chemical safety must be part of every laboratory activity in which chemicals are used

Radiation safety includes:

• radiological safety training
• written guidelines
• laboratory surveys
• technical support including:
  • personnel dose assessments
  • radiation monitoring
  • radioactive spill response
  • radon monitoring