Laboratory Safety Services & Tools
The Laboratory Safety Division addresses biological, chemical, physical, radiological, and general safety issues found in laboratories. The program is designed to serve as a resource to the UTSA research and teaching community and assist with regulatory compliance. The program includes policies, procedures, guidelines, training, as well as lab evaluations, fume hood checks, and safety reviews for research protocols (Chemical Safety Committee, Institutional Biosafety Committee, Physical & Engineering Safety Committee, Radiation & Laser Safety Committee, Research Grants), and assistance with selection of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Laboratory evaluations are carried out by the Laboratory Safety Division. The frequency of evaluations depends upon the hazard level of the laboratory. Hazard levels are based on the chemical, biological, physical, or radiological hazards in the laboratory and/or the procedures carried out in the laboratory. The hazard level is determined by Laboratory Safety personnel after consultation with the principal investigator (PI) or laboratory manager/supervisor.
There are three hazard levels: low, medium, and high. Low-hazard laboratories are evaluated annually, medium-hazard laboratories are evaluated biannually, and high-hazard laboratories are evaluated each quarter. The entire evaluation procedure is available on the PIs CampusOptics page. A myUTSA ID (abc123) is needed to access CampusOptics. The checklist will be filled out by the Laboratory Safety personnel at the time of the evaluation. Members lists should be updated before the evaluation and whenever changes of personnel occur, and chemical/equipment inventories are required to be updated on the PIs page in CampusOptics.