Office of Research and Project Administration

SPONSORED PROGRAMS COMPLIANCE

2. Environmental Health and Safety

Administrative Responsibilities/Issues:

Departmental administrators may be responsible for administering the various, state, federal, and institutional policies that govern sponsored research related to environmental health and safety. In some cases, the departmental administrator will work with a departmental-appointed chemical hygiene officer to ensure compliance of environmental health and safety policies, or in some departments there is a faculty/administrative level chemical hygiene officer who assumes these responsibilities and reports directly to the Chair. The Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) and the Radiation Safety web sites are an excellent resource for departmental administrators and should be used as the primary source for information. At the EH&S website there are also links to other institutional safety information sources, such as the SMH Infection Control and the UR Hazardous Waste Management Unit. Other components of the EH&S web site are important notices, alerts, advisories, emergency readiness for research laboratories, formaldehyde spill responses for patient care and research areas, new employee information, job hazard assessments, and the OSHA required training for laboratory personnel. Other links on the EH&S web site are Emergency Response Plan for the River Campus, and for Strong Memorial Hospital, including the Medical Center, Fire Marshal's Office, Industrial Hygiene, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Pest Control, and Sanitarian's Office. The EH&S web site can be accessed at http://www.safety.rochester.edu. The Radiation Safety Unit (UR Medical Center) contains information on ordering, billing, and material pick-up services, procedures, training, fees, manuals, standard operating procedures for radiation and contamination surveys, vendors, forms, waste disposal, and notices to employees. The Radiation Safety Unit web site can be accessed at http://extranet.urmc.rochester.edu/radiationsafety/rshpage.htm. Departmental administrators need to be cognizant of all laboratory safety compliance issues. Some of the compliance programs are:

• Chemical Hygiene Training Program: An inclusive annual training program for all laboratory personnel.

  Chemical Inventory: A quarterly updated inventory of chemicals in each laboratory, which includes a site location map.

  Decommissioning Laboratories: When a faculty member transfers to a new laboratory or leaves the institution, the laboratory must be decommissioned. The EH&S website will soon have these policies and procedures listed on its website.

  Laboratory Inspections: Laboratory inspections can occur at any time by institutional, state, or federal inspectors.

• Surveys: Completion of the annual EPA survey, EH&S Survey, Bioterrorism Surveys, and Polio Virus Survey, or any other survey submitted to the institution for federal or state compliance.

ORPA Sign-Off: The second page (back-side) of the ORPA sign-off page lists the following questions:

E (a). Will this project include pathogens, recombinant DNA molecules, human specimens, virus vectors, human cell lines or de novo generation of transgenic animals? For additional information, consult the IBC web page at www.safety.rochester.edu/ibc

E (b). Will this project involve an OSHA recognized carcinogen? (2-cetylaminofluorene, 4-Aminodiphenyl, Benzidine, bis-Chloromethyl ether, 3,3’-Dichlorobenzidine (and its salts), 4-Dimethylaminoazo-benezene, Ethyleneimine, methyl chloromethyl ether, alpha-Naphthylamine, beta-Naphthylamine, 4-Nitrobiphenyl, N-Nitrosodimethylamine, beta-Propiolactone)

If answer to question E(a) or E(b) is marked “Yes”, please send a copy of the signoff form to the attention of the IBC Executive Secretary at Environmental Health & Safety Department, RC Box 278878 .

For questions, visit the Environmental Health and Safety website at http://www.safety.rochester.edu or call one of the Industrial Hygienists at 5-3241.