Texas Tech University

Laboratory Safety Procedures

Your departmental safety officer Joaquin Gonzales, Ph.D. and Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) safety@ttu.edu are here to help you achieve success and ensure the safety of your laboratory and those who work in the lab with you.

Responsibilities of Principal Investigators for Laboratory Safety

• Principal Investigators( PI) who have laboratories must be familiar with the sections in the Laboratory Safety Manual that pertain to their specific lab.

• Principal Investigators (PI's) are responsible for having Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Procedures specific to their lab in their Laboratory Manual. Texas Tech University Environmental and Health (TTU EH&S) have templates that can be used for Emergency Procedures. They also have a template for Chemical SOPs.

• PI's are responsible for making sure that every student who works in the lab has the required training (see https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ehs/Training/index.php).

    • All student researchers must complete the Lab Safety and Safety Awareness online training modules (two separate modules).
    • Students working with blood must also complete the Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control online training module.
    • Students working with biological material (saliva, tissue, urine, etc.) must complete the Biological Safety online training module.
    • Students workign with a DXA machine must also complete Radiation Safety online training module.

• The training certificates for all faculty and students who work in their laboratory must be kept in their laboratory training manual.

• Before a laboratory can be used for research, it must be inspected and approved by TTU EH&S. To arrange an inspection, please call TTU EH&S at 742-3876 or email safety@ttu.edu to set up your safety inspection. Before you arrange this lab inspections, you must have your SOP and you Emergency Procedures for your lab in place. These can be kept in a notebook or on a computer but must be assessable on the hard drive.

• You can contact Rebecca Maloney who is the Biological Safety Manager at Rebecca.maloney@ttu.edu for your first laboratory safety walk-through. During your lab inspection, it is advised that the PI be available to answer any questions.

• TTU EH&S uses the Raider Risk Assessment Management Program (RRAMP) to document and advise PI's of the status of their laboratory safety and approval to begin collecting data in their lab after the initial walk through with EH&S. Please go to https://www.depts.ttu.edu/ehs/ and click on Academic and Research Safety and it will reveal the RRAMP icon and important information about RRAMP.

• If you have any other questions please ask your departmental safety officer Joaquin Gonzales, Ph.D.  He will help direct you to the operating procedure, form, website, or person at EH&S to answer your question.

REPORTING AN INCIDENT 

In the event of a needle stick or other sharps-related injury:

• In the event of a needle stick or other sharps-related injury: Notify the PI and seek treatment, if needed. An incident report must be filed with EHS within 24 hours of the event. A pdf of the incident report form is available online on the EHS website at http://www.dept.ehs.ttu.edu/ehs/ehshome/labsafety/IncidentReport . Near misses should be reported to EHS by submitting a SCAN form on the EHS website https://www.dept.ehs.ttu.edu/ehs/EHSHome/scan/Create .

BIOLOGICAL SPILL OR EXPOSURE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

Employees whose work assignments meet the requirements of the Respiratory Protection Program (TTU OP 60.05) or the Bloodborne Pathogen Protection Program (TTU OP 60.24) must enroll in the Occupational Health Program (OHP).  Click here to learn more or enroll in the program.

A Hepatitis B vaccination may be required to work with blood as a TTU researcher.  Click here for more information.

Procedures to clean a biological spill or react to blood exposure are listed below:

 

 

Department of Kinesiology & Sport Management

  • Address

    Box 43011, Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX 79409
  • Phone

    806.742.3371