Lab Safety

Providing support, in the form of risk assessment, review, consultation(link sends e-mail), training, and the necessary resources and guidance for research at UC Berkeley.

Chemical Safety

Chemical SafetyHow Do I: collapse all expand all Store chemicals safely?

The safe storage of hazardous chemicals is an essential part of an environmental, health, and safety program. Chemical storage...

Lab Inspections

Lab Safety General Lab Safety Inspection Program

EH&S lab safety specialists inspect labs with hazardous materials or operations. Labs within the College of Chemistry are inspected twice per year and all other labs annually. During inspections, lab safety specialists help researchers stay abreast of current safety requirements by providing consultation, support, and resources. Inspection...

Chemical Abbreviation Guide

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2024

All containers (including beakers, flasks and vials) must be clearly labeled with the contents and a hazard indication. Labs may use abbreviations as long as a guide is posted in the space. Please use this template to capture all chemical abbreviations for a material. Below are some common examples. Extend the list as necessary. Post in a visible location in each lab room. Near the door may be best. If you use a large variety of chemicals in multiple spaces, you can use the same list in all rooms as long as the list is comprehensive.

If you have questions about chemical...

Approaching Soon: Annual General Lab Safety Inspections

February 22, 2024
Annual General Lab Safety Inspections will begin soon.

Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) lab safety specialists are in the process of scheduling an in-person inspections for labs.

How to prepare? The inspection checklist has expanded to include additional safety considerations. Please review the inspection questions and visit the General Lab Safety Inspections web page for more details...

Dispose of Waste

Master list of waste types is displayed below. Note: If you cannot find the item that you are trying to get rid of in this list, please contact EH&S at ehs@berkeley.edu or (510) 642-3073. collapse all expand all Aerosol Cans

Please log into the...

Campus Committees

Certain high-hazard activities and equipment require additional safety training and written pre-approval. Faculty-led committees issue use authorizations for high hazard activities to ensure the work is safe and monitored appropriately. These include:

collapse all expand all Laboratory Operations & Safety Committee

Summary of Charges

The campus Laboratory Operations...

Ingrid Castro Rodriguez

Health & Safety Manager
Health & Safety
Controlled Substances
Administration

Resources and Guides

Job Safety Analysis (JSA)

A JSA describes job tasks in step-by-step fashion, identifies associated hazards at each step, and outlines proper hazard controls that minimize the risk of injury or illness to the individual(s) performing that task.

JSAs Listed by Topic: Body Mechanics ...

Reminder: Food and Drink in Laboratories

January 25, 2024

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to review the following key points to help prevent contamination of food and beverages.

Food and beverages are NOT allowed to be stored or consumed in laboratories or other rooms that use or store hazardous materials (e.g., hazardous chemicals, biological hazards, unsealed radioactive materials, research animals, and/or human blood or tissues). Whenever feasible, break rooms or separate office space(s) should be made available for food and beverage consumption. Protect Clean Areas from contamination: Consistent with building,...

Preventing Gas Cylinder Leaks

January 9, 2024

Leaking cylinders can pose serious hazards, including: oxygen displacement, release of toxic or other hazardous gas, and/or fire/explosion due to flammable or reactive gas release. If your lab works with compressed gas, please be aware that older cylinders are prone to leaking at the valve.

What to do

Please follow the precautions below to prevent gas cylinder leaks:

Remove or replace cylinders that are 10 years or older. Remove cylinders that are no longer in use. Most are returnable to the vendors (Linde, Airgas) with no charge. Check cylinders, regulators, piping, and valves...