Providing a Safe Working Environment

It is essential that PIs and lab personnel are aware of their role and responsibilities to maintain a safe working environment, even during the pandemic.  It is the responsibility of the PI to identify hazards in the lab and provide appropriate engineering safety controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for their lab personnel.  Supervisors should conduct regular inspections of their labs to identify and evaluate hazards and unsafe work practices.  Working with the PI, lab personnel should ensure that appropriate personal protective equipment is being utilized and engineering controls are in place.

All new experimental setups and procedures should be approved by the PI prior to beginning the experiment. Lab personnel should work with their PI to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for each procedure. If new infrastructure or facilities are required for the setup, the lab group or PI should contact the Viterbi Facilities team for assistance.

USC’s Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) laboratory safety standards are available electronically at the EH&S website. The University expects schools to provide a safe working environment in instructional and research labs. Schools are required to:

• Provide necessary instruction/training on the use of equipment and experiment procedures;
• Provide personal protective equipment for the applicable activities in laboratories;
• Promote compliance with the standards for safe behavior in the laboratory; and
• Instruct group members in the proper use and limitations of lab PPE (gloves, booties, gowns, etc.).

For further information on the safety roles and responsibilities incumbent on the various members of the USC community, please refer to USC’s Injury and Illness Prevention Plan and USC’s safety policies, including the Research Personnel Protection policy.