Article published September 2019
Lab Safety Rounds (LSR) are unannounced walkthroughs of lab spaces by a member of the EHS Safety Advisor Team in order to assess safety issues. A lab can generally expect one unannounced LSR per year; no preparation by the lab is needed for the LSR. Beginning in September, any safety concerns noted during the LSR must be addressed within 30 days of the walkthrough. If no concerns are noted or remain following the walkthrough, a satisfactory letter will be sent to the PI and laboratory contact within two days of the walkthrough and no further action is needed. If safety concerns are noted and remain unresolved following the walk-through, a deficiency letter will be sent to the PI and lab contact, reiterating the concerns found and providing appropriate corrective actions. A 30-day follow-up meeting will then be scheduled.
The PI/lab contact can send documentation of completed corrective actions to their Safety Advisor at any time during those thirty days, if necessary.
- Options for documentation include photographs (e.g. eyewash that has been unblocked), invoice/receipt of a needed purchase, copy of an e-mail (e.g. cc their EHS contact on an e-mail to the Environmental Program staff for peroxide testing), etc.
If all concerns are resolved before the 30-day follow-up meeting (by sending documentation to the Advisor), the meeting can be canceled, and a final report will be sent to the PI and designated lab contact.
If any outstanding concerns remain unresolved after thirty days, the Safety Advisor will return to the lab to verify the concerns were addressed. Following the meeting, the Safety Advisor will send a final report to the PI and designated lab contact.
A full description of the Laboratory Safety Round procedure can be found on the EHS website.