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.

Biological Use Authorization Application

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2022
Biological Use Authorization (BUA) Application Form

Principal Investigators (PIs) will need to submit a Biological Use Authorization (BUA) if working with biological agents including:

recombinant DNA synthetic nucleic acids WHO Risk Group 2 or higher pathogens biological toxins material of human or non-human primate origin, including cell lines

To determine if the agent you plan to work with is considered Risk Group 2 or higher, please reference the...

Lab Coat Storage Options

What are some lab coat storage options when space is an issue?

Space is tight for most labs on campus and the recent acquisition of multiple lab coats for every lab member is underscoring the issue. Clean lab coats can be folded and put away in a drawer until needed (remember to label the drawer for easy retrieval). Here are some storage options:

Radiation Safety Recharge Authorization Form

Office of Environment, Health & Safety

This form authorizes EH&S to recharge the account specified below for radiation safety services. To establish your radiation safety account, complete and submit this form. Following receipt of this completed form, the account will be activated/updated. It will be debited automatically for annual RUA fees or after special Radiation Safety services have been provided. Services are recharged at the rates posted on the website of the Office of the Controller at https://cfo.berkeley.edu/recharge...

Suggested Job Duties for Department Safety Coordinators

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2023

Department Safety Coordinators (DSCs) are a vital part of the campus safety structure. Yet at times there is confusion about what tasks are appropriate for the role. The Office of Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) has developed the following task descriptions to guide campus departments in assigning responsibilities to DSCs. The language used is appropriate for insertion into job descriptions, a practice that can help clarify expectations for both DSCs and their supervisors. Departments should feel free to modify the task descriptions to meet their unique needs. EH&S staff...

Olga Draper

Associate Biosafety Officer
Biosafety
BUA
Lab Safety

Skin Burns from Heating Glass Vessel

September 25, 2023
Office of Environment, Health, and Safety
What happened?

A researcher was heating a small volume (<30mL) of hexanes/ethyl acetate containing approximately one gram of an organic azide. The solution was placed in a capped, 40mL pyrex media storage bottle. Holding the bottle of the azide solution in their left hand, the researcher was heating it with a heat gun with their right hand behind a horizontal fume hood sash protecting their face and torso.

Electrical Safety Program

Electrical Safety at UC Berkeley

The UC Berkeley Electrical Safety Program provides information about electrical hazards, guides University safe-work policy, electrical safety procedures, equipment design, development and installation for all electrical work, equipment and systems at UC Berkeley. All faculty, staff, students, visitors and contractors must comply with the requirements of this program as it ensures their safety by:

Defining safe work practices and use requirements for...

UC Center for Laboratory Safety - 2023 Workshop

July 24, 2023
UC Center for Laboratory Safety
2023 Workshop on Laboratory Safety

The UC Center for Laboratory Safety (UCCLS) will be hosting a hands-on in-person workshop to promote research safety for researchers and safety professionals on Sunday, September 17 - Tuesday September 19 in Los Angeles.

About the Workshop

...

https://cls.ucla.edu/workshop-2023

Risk Assessment in the Research Lab Workshop

July 21, 2023

The ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety will be hosting their RAMP in the Research Lab workshop on ...

Needles and Sharps: Safe Handling, Injury Response and Disposal

Office of Environment, Health & Safety
2020

A sharp is any device with corners, edges, or projections capable of cutting or piercing. Sharps include,
but are not limited to, the following:

Needles Needles with syringes and attached tubing Blades (razors, scalpels and X-acto®) Glass pasteur pipettes Broken glass, glass slides, and coverslips