Laboratory Safety Committee

Membership of Laboratory Safety Committee

Laboratory Safety Committee Charter

Charge
The Laboratory Safety Committee (LSC) is charged with fostering and ensuring a culture of laboratory safety on campus. The LSC will focus on general laboratory safety including but not limited to hazardous materials and physical hazards.  Other university committees currently cover biological (Institutional Biosafety Committee) and radiological (Radiation Safety and Laser Safety Committee) hazards.

Duties and Responsibilities 

1. Develop and promulgate policies and procedures regarding laboratory safety and laboratory safety training within the university. 
2. Define, outline, and keep current the duties of the Laboratory Safety Liaisons (LSL) within each of the academic units that store or utilize hazardous materials and/or are subject to physical hazards in the laboratory. 
3. Work to ensure that state and federal requirements and standards are met regarding personal safety, hazardous material usage and storage, and physical hazards in the laboratory. 
4. Review reports from the Laboratory Safety Officers or other individuals with responsibilities for the health and safety practices of the university involving laboratory or other academic activities. These reports will include, but are not limited to, standard operating procedures, appropriate use of personal protection equipment, laboratory safety plans, and personnel safety training logs. 
5. Investigate accidents and reported infractions of general laboratory safety rules including improper use of hazardous materials brought to its attention.
   a.  The Office of Research Compliance, Integrity and Safety (ORCIS) has the authority to stop any laboratory activity which it deems an imminent hazard.
   b.  A laboratory may be closed due to unsafe conditions by majority vote of the LSC. 
   c.  A laboratory may also be closed by the department chair.
   d.  Once a laboratory has been closed, the LSC must vote on whether to recommend opening the laboratory. If a regular meeting is not scheduled in a reasonable timeframe a special meeting will be convened.

Operation and Composition
The LSC will meet three times per semester. Additional meetings will be scheduled as necessary. A quorum shall be two thirds of the full committee roster. All votes will be a simple majority of members present and all members may vote.

The LSC shall consist of 13 members:

1. Eight representing departments or academic units possessing facilities that store or utilize hazardous chemicals and/or materials to the extent that a laboratory safety plan is required.
2. One representing the Laboratory Safety Liaisons (LSL).
3. Laboratory Safety Manager, ORCIS (ex officio).
4. Director of Environmental Health and Safety (ex officio).
5. Associate Dean of Research (or equivalent) from one of the colleges with a LSL.
6. Vice President for Research and Innovation Partnerships (VPRIPS), or designee (ex officio).

Departmental and LSL representatives are recommended by the relevant department or unit, with approval from the college or appropriate administrative office, to the VPRIPS, who is responsible for committee membership.

The committee reports directly to the VPRIPS who also acts as Chair.

The term length for committee members is three years (renewable) for all members who are not ex officio.

After three successive absences from the regularly scheduled meetings of the LSC, an appointed member of the LSC shall be subject to removal by a two-thirds vote of the remaining LSC members.  At the time of removal of a member, the represented institutional home of that member shall be notified and a new member will be appointed from the represented area to fulfill the remainder of that term.

Laboratory Safety Committee

The Lab Safety Committee meets three times per semester; additional meetings are scheduled as necessary.

* Chair