[Entm-beu] Entomology Department- Safety Updates

[Christina Hoddle]

Hello Ent. Dept.,

I wanted to give an update on some safety related matters.


1)   EHS has once again updated their coronavirus website.
Coronavirus | Environmental Health & Safety (ucr.edu)<https://ehs.ucr.edu/coronavirus>
They have made it easier to find information quickly by separating out topics of interest (vaccination, case counts, reporting etc.). One item that may be of interest to PIs or lab managers is the “Signs and Print Resources” tab. If you are looking for readymade infographics to post in your lab space, please check that out.  Lots of good signage options.

2)   UCR is due for its Biennial Inventory for Controlled Substances with the DEA. It will be conducted on APRIL 14th. This is for all labs that have Schedule II-IV materials. I believe there are only 2 labs in our department that this pertains to. EHS will reach out directly to you with the required paperwork. It should be noted that even if you have none of these chemicals on hand at the moment, you will still need to complete the paperwork to indicate that. If you have particular questions about your lab documentation, please email ehscs at ucr.edu<mailto:ehscs at ucr.edu>  and someone will get back to you.


3)   EHS has developed a new listserv to communicate directly with researchers.  It is called “12 Months of Safety”. They pulled the list from everyone that is listed on your lab’s LHAT- so essentially everyone. It just started, and the first email went out March 3. Each month they will highlight 1 lab related safety topic. The March email dealt with Chemical Inventory certification. They have promised to not bombard inboxes with excess emails but look out for them when they do come in monthly.


4)   EHS has undergone some staff changes and some positions are currently open to be filled.  Due to this, they have created general email addresses that several staff may respond to until positions are firmed up:

 Controlled substance questions:  ehscs at ucr.edu<mailto:ehscs at ucr.edu>
 Chemical inventory:  ehslaboratory at ucr.edu<mailto:ehslaboratory at ucr.edu>


On that same note, due to staffing changes/shortages there has been some delay in waste collection on campus. It is being dealt with but be aware of this possibility.



5)   Lab Audits are not currently being conducted. EHS was doing them yearly but due to lab restrictions with coronavirus and lack of staff, they have been put off.  We used to do self -audits but the software and documentation was not updated since EHS went to their yearly audits.  They are working on a solution but if you feel like you have any issues with your lab and want someone to check on things, they can arrange a special visit until this is sorted out.

Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about any of these topics.

Regards,
Christina Hoddle
Entomology Dept. Lab Safety Officer (LSO)






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