Laboratory Safety
We are here to help ensure that all UNMC research laboratories provide safe environments and are in compliance with federal, state and university requirements.
Lab Safety Manual
The UNMC Lab Safety Manual guides lab leaders and research teams in the evaluation and control of chemical and physical hazards. The manual establishes basic safe operating practices so that investigators, lab technicians and students may carry out their work effectively in a safe environment. This manual is not intended to be a complete listing of laboratory hazards or safe practices. With the diverse nature of work being conducted in UNMC laboratories, additional procedures or requirements may be necessary to meet safety regulations.
Lab Safety Training
Training Module
Our department developed a one-hour module that provides a general overview of laboratory safety. Goals of the training is for trainees to be able to identify areas of responsibility, remember the location of critical safety procedure documentation, and list proper procedures in a variety of lab settings.
More About TrainingLab-Specific Training
Each lab team also is required to complete lab-specific training to address all hazards that are applicable to the research being conducted, including chemical, biological, and radiation safety. Please use the Laboratory Safety Training Record to document lab-specific training conducted.
Laboratory Safety Training RecordLaboratory Safety Audits
We conduct annual laboratory safety audits to support our primary investigators and laboratory teams in assessing environmental impacts and correcting any potential problems prior to a regulatory inspection.
Annual laboratory safety audits help to ensure that all principal investigators, lab staff members and students are conducting research safely and in accordance with the EPA and OSHA regulations applicable to research laboratories.
Audit Checklist
The laboratory safety checklist covers EPA and OSHA regulations. The checklist should be reviewed by the laboratory's principal investigator and all laboratory staff members as part of the annual audit process.
Audit Guide
This guide supplements the audit checklist with standards and explanations organized by category. The explanations are supported by government regulations or are considered best practices by accredited and respected sources.