Welcome to the University of Florida Research Community

The staff at the Division of Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to the University of Florida and to inform you about some of our workplace safety programs and how they can be of service to you. The departments of Laboratory Safety, Biological Safety, Hazardous Materials Management, Radiation Control and the Occupational Medicine program are here to help maintain a safe working environment for the University community.

 

Laboratory Safety Program

The Laboratory Safety Program's main function is to facilitate compliance with federal, state and local safety regulations by conducting annual safety surveys for each lab on the University of Florida's campus.  EH & S Lab Safety surveyors are "in-house inspectors" who look for the same health and safety issues as would a compliance officer from a regulatory agency.  The surveys focus on chemical and physical safety in laboratory environments and compliance with the Laboratory Standard (Chemical Hygiene Plan).  Fume hood profiles are provided as part of the annual survey.

The Laboratory Safety Manual is a safety guide for all labs at the University of Florida.  All employees/students working in laboratories at UF should be familiar with the contents of this manual.

Lab Safety Manual - http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Lab/LabSafe.pdf

The Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) is a laboratory-specific document that all employees/students who work in the lab should read.  It contains laboratory specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) which must be established for each task performed in the laboratory and be used to train employees or students working in your lab.  Documentation stating that lab personnel have been appropriately trained in the procedures contained in SOPs must be signed by each lab employee or student. 

Chemical Hygiene Program - http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Lab/CHP/program.pdf.

SOP template - http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Lab/CHP/appc.pdf.  

CHP Training Documentation - http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Lab/CHP/appd.pdf.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) assessment sheets, including certification of hazard assessment and training certification, should be signed by each lab member.  These signed documents need to be updated when an employee/student is hired and/or when procedures in the lab change and/or PPE recommendations change.  These must be kept on file in the lab. 

PPE Assessment Sheet -.http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/General/ppe.pdf

The Lab Safety Department also will provide safety training for your staff and assist with lab closeouts. For more information please visit our web page at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Lab/default.asp.

Lab Safety Contact Information:

Mark Yanchisin, Clinical and Lab Safety Coordinator mark@ehs.ufl.edu
Richard Cannon, Lab Safety Coordinator rcannon@ehs.ufl.edu 
 
Telephone: (352) 392-1591
Fax: (352) 392-3647

  

  

Biological Safety Program Introduction

The Biological Safety Office is responsible for ensuring institutional compliance with federal and state biological research regulations, including the safe storage, handling, and disposal of all biological agents.  To that end, the Biological Safety Office provides information, training, and oversight to the UF life science research, health care, agricultural, & biotechnology communities.  The following is an overview of our key functions and policies.  More details can be found on our website http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/default.asp  and in our biosafety manual http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/BioMan.pdf.

 

Select Agent program:  Special registration is needed before working with select agents; see http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/select.htm.  Researchers considering work with any of these materials must first contact the Biological Safety Office at 392-1591 to initiate the registration process or to see if federal registration exemptions or exclusions may apply.

 

Project Registration:  A biohazard risk assessment and registration form is required for projects using pathogens, recombinant DNA, or acute toxins.  Registration documents (found on our website) are reviewed by the Biosafety Office staff and the Institutional Biosafety Committee.  A project approval or exemption letter outlining the appropriate containment and safety practices for the work will be issued along with a registration number.  Non-exempt projects are updated annually, but projects may be modified at any time by way of a project addendum.

 

Permits:  Federal or state permits may be required for some biological materials.  Contact us at 392-1591 for more information.  Permits are issued in the name of the PI who is required to keep them updated and current as necessary; the Biosafety Office does not hold any “centralized” permits.

 

Animal Contact Program:  Participation is required for faculty, staff, students, volunteers, or visitors who have direct exposure to vertebrate animals, animal material, and/or those who enter UF animal facilities.  The program consists of medical monitoring and educational components.  Participants complete a Risk Assessment form that will be evaluated by UF’s Occupational Medicine Program to assess potential health risks from the animal project and determine whether additional information and/or interaction is necessary.

 

Medical Monitoring Program:  Enrollment in UF’s Occupational Medicine Program at the UF Student Health Care Center is required for people working with the following: all BSL3 agents, tuberculosis, Orthopox viruses, HIV, Hepatitis, Influenza, Arboviruses, and certain Zoonotics (e.g., Q fever, Monkey B virus, etc.).  Please contact our office at 392-1591 for more information.

 

UF Minors Policy:  Registration and parental consent is required for non-UF students under 18 years of age intending to work or research in laboratories, greenhouses, and animal facilities (science fair projects, volunteering, internships, etc).  Registration forms can be obtained from http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/minors.htm.

Training programs: Please call our office at 392-1591, or visit our website for schedules, details, or questions.

• Bloodborne Pathogen training: required for all personnel having potential exposure to human blood or any other potentially infectious body fluids, unfixed tissue, primary human cells and tissue cultures.  Annual refresher training is required.
  
• Shipping and Transport of Biohazardous Material training: required for all individuals involved in the preparation or transport of dangerous goods per IATA/ICAO and DOT regulations.  Training needs to be renewed every 2 years.  Many biological materials fall into the category of “dangerous goods” for shipping purposes.  In addition, we require safe transport of items within facilities and around campus - also covered in the training.
  
• Biomedical/Biological Waste Handling is covered in the Bloodborne Pathogen training session or classes are available on request.
  
• Safe use of autoclave classes are available by request.

Autoclaves:  Most autoclaves are required to be tested for effective operation every 40 hours of use.  Autoclaves at Health Science Center facilities are tested by the Biosafety Office.  Autoclaves that are not part of this program will require that the Biosafety Office approve operational and testing procedures.

Biosafety Surveys/Audits:  Biosafety surveys/audits (inspections) are conducted in laboratories, green houses and animal facilities on a periodic basis. We will also conduct an audit of newly established labs to help PIs set up a safe and compliant research environment.  These surveys identify potential hazards and facilitate compliance with safety policies and regulations relevant to the use of biological materials at UF (e.g. NIH, CDC, USDA, OSHA, and the Florida Dept. of Health regulations).

Biosafety Cabinets:  A biosafety cabinet (BSC) is an important containment device that may be required depending on the nature of your work.  Class II (Types A and B) biological safety cabinets are most commonly used for personnel protection, product protection, and environmental protection.

• The cabinet will need to be certified (according to a National Sanitation Foundation standard) when set up and annually thereafter if it is used for work with infectious material.  Please contact the EH&S Biological Safety Office for the name and phone number of the current contractor performing this service.
• Ultraviolet Lamps are not recommended; they loose antimicrobial activity quickly and are a hazard to exposed skin, eyes, and equipment.
• Bunson Burners/Alcohol lamps are not permitted in a biological safety cabinet.  Their use creates turbulence that disrupts the pattern of air supplied to the work surface, damages paper HEPA filters, and any leaking gas re-circulates, building to potentially explosive levels.

Biological Safety Contact Information:

Karen Gillis, Biological Safety Officer (kgillis@ehs.ufl.edu)
Bhavna Bhardwaj, Associate Biological Safety Officer (bhardwaj@ehs.ufl.edu)
Alexis Hall, Biological Safety Coordinator (akhall@ehs.ufl.edu)

Telephone: (352) 392-1591
Fax: (352) 392-3647

 

Hazardous Material Management Program

The Hazardous Materials Management (HMM) program provides three primary services to the University Community:  (1) Collection and Disposal of Hazardous Chemicals and Radioactive Waste; (2) Training of staff in safe and correct handling of hazardous chemical waste and radioactive wastes; and (3) Emergency response in the event of a Hazardous Chemical Spill.  Radioactive Material spills are the responsibility of the Radiation Control Office.

The University of Florida has a zero discharge policy with regard to hazardous material.  No hazardous materials are allowed to be placed in sink drains.  Each investigator or shop will generate waste following the Satellite Area Accumulation (SAA) requirements as defined by EPA and found in summary at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/HMM/SAAREQS.htm. Procedures and techniques to be used for chemical waste accumulation within the satellite area are found in http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/HMM/HWMG0207.pdf. Procedures for radioactive waste accumulation are found in http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Rad/RCGuide/rcg2.htm#2XII.

Waste must be accumulated at or near the point of generation and under the direct supervision of the PI or lab (shop) manager.  Waste is collected by HMM at that location. Chemical waste pickup forms are submitted electronically and by mail for radioactive waste. Chemical waste pickup forms are available at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/HMM/Pickups/default.asp. Radioactive waste forms are available by contacting the HMM department at (352) 392-8400.  Labels and some containers for chemical and radioactive wastes are also provided.

It is the responsibility of the PI to insure that the SAA, chemical wastes, and radioactive wastes are properly managed.  Failure to follow established policy may result in waste not being collected, higher disposal costs or fines from regulatory agencies.

All staff generating and managing hazardous waste must complete EPA required training (provided by HMM) within 6 months of beginning work with hazardous materials. The lab manager should be trained annually thereafter. Contact HMM at (352) 392-8400 to sign up for a class.

HMM also provides recycling opportunities for lamps, batteries, etc. Methods for collection of this material vary with campus location.

Hazardous Materials Management Contact Information:

Bill Coughlin, Coordinator (bcoughl@ehs.ufl.edu)

Telephone: (352) 392-8400
Fax: (352) 392-7286

 

Radiation Control and Radiation Services Program

The Radiation Control and Radiological Services Department is dedicated to facilitating research at UF through a comprehensive radiation safety program which promotes the health and safety of students, staff and visitors.  The Radiation Control Office assists the University community by providing consultations, evaluations and inspections which reduce or eliminate conditions which may lead to injury or loss of University resources.  

Any use of radioactive material as part of your research must be approved by the Radiation Control Committee prior to receiving, storing or using the radioactive material.  All personnel who will be working with radioactive materials must be trained in the use of radioactive materials and have documentation of that training. Radiation training is provided by our staff on a regular basis.

Any research requiring the use of X-ray equipment must be approved by the Radiation Control Office.  The required information for these requests can be found at the Environmental Health and Safety web site under the Radiation Control section. If you bring any x-ray equipment with you, the equipment must be registered with the Radiation Control Office.  http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Rad/RCGuide/devices.htm

All class 3b and 4 lasers and laser systems used at the University must be registered with the Department of Radiation Control and Radiological Services. The users of these lasers must also be registered.  The registration forms for the lasers and laser users can be found at the Environmental Health and Safety web site under the Radiation Control section.  http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Rad/laser/default.asp

For further information concerning the University of Florida Radiation Control Program, you can download our Program Guide which is found at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Rad/default.asp.

Radiation Control Contact Information:

Main Campus: Donald Munroe, Radiation Control Officer (don@ehs.ufl.edu)

Telephone: (352) 392-7359

Fax: (352) 846-0489

 

Health Science Center: George Snyder, Assistant Radiation Control Officer (gsnyder@ehs.ufl.edu)

Telephone: (352) 392-1589

Fax: (352) 846-1626   

  

 

Occupational Medicine Program Introduction

The University of Florida’s Occupational Medicine Program (OCCMED) is one of many programs established by Environmental Health and Safety to promote a safe and healthy environment in which all members of the university community can excel in education, research and service. Based on specific job duties with associated known health risks, the OCCMED Program provides preplacement health assessments before an individual begins the work assignment.  Some of these job duties also trigger periodic medical monitoring throughout the assignment with UF. Those individuals covered by the Program include faculty, staff, students, volunteers and visitors. 

The Program is managed by EH&S along with UF’s Student Health Care Center (SHCC).  EH&S coordinates the Program.  The SHCC provides health assessments and oversees the employee immunization program.  All medical records are kept at the SHCC and treated as confidential according to federal HIPAA laws and Florida statutes. 

Job duties that trigger a health assessment are documented in PeopleSoft’s position information for individuals assigned to a position.  For those who are not assigned to a position (such as OPS, research assistants, post docs), the form Individuals Not on a Position should be used (http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/formium/server.asp?form=INOPOn.pdf).  All job duties that require a health assessment at UF are listed at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/OCCMED/jobduty.pdf. 

Three areas often seen in faculty assignments are animal contact, contact with human blood and patient contact.  Another frequent area for research is respirator use - both tight-fitting canister type and N95.  

• UF’s Animal Contact Program is described in this document’s Biological Safety Program Introduction.  For more details on animal contact please go to http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/Animal/acweb.htm. 
   
• UF’s Bloodborne Pathogen Program is also noted in the Biological Safety section.  For more details on contact with human blood or other potentially infectious materials, please see http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/Bio/BBP/default.htm.
  
• The SHCC’s OCCMED Policy and Procedure document at http://www.shcc.ufl.edu/occmed/pdf/policy.pdf outlines requirements for patient contact as well as all the included job duties.
  
• UF’s Respiratory Protection Program strives to prevent adverse health affects from the inhalation of hazardous airborne contaminants.  Individuals required to wear a tight-fitting canister type respirator or an N95 must first be medically cleared by the SHCC and then trained and fit tested by EH&S.  Annual training and fit testing is required for all.  Details of this program are documented at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/General/resppol.pdf.

 

Also included in the OCCMED program are those working in areas of excessive noise, the handling of pesticides and scientific research diving.  All these and more are included in this program. Full Program descriptions and a list of forms can be found at http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/OCCMED/default.asp. 

Occupational Medicine Program Contact Information:

Grace Dixon, Occupational Medicine Program Coordinator (gldixon@ehs.ufl.edu)

Telephone: (352) 392-1591

Fax: (352) 392-3647

 

Questions regarding the OCCMED health screening process, please call the Student Health Care Center at 352-392-1161 x 1-4212.