Compliance Liaison, Safety Officer Guide/Job Description

The laboratory group compliance liaison or safety officer is the individual charged with overseeing the safe operations of a laboratory. Their primary responsibility is to act as a delegate of a specific PI. All laboratory functions are ultimately the responsibility of the PI since they are the sole manager and supervisor of the laboratory. Given the many requirements on a PI’s time Rice, and Environmental Health Safety and Laboratory Operations (EHSLO) recognize that it may be difficult for PI’s to complete everything expected of them. Therefore, we encourage the adoption of a compliance liaison or safety officer for every laboratory. This individual or individuals may have various responsibilities delegated to them. The number of safety officers and their specific responsibilities is entirely at the discretion of the PI.

EHSLO recommends that the following responsibilities be delegated to the compliance liaison or safety officer:

1. Act as a point of contact for EHSLO, they would be included on correspondences between EHSLO and the laboratory. This includes requesting consultations, asking for advice or help. Following up on requests, or issues that may be ongoing. In general keeping an open line of communication between the laboratory and EHSLO. (It is important to keep in mind that the lab safety contact or compliance liaison is not a replacement for a PI, all correspondence with a lab regarding safety should always also include the PI, unless they specifically ask not to be included.)
2. Act as the responsible party for laboratory inspections, including scheduling and being present for the annual walkthrough.
3. Managing responses to inspections and making sure that all issues or infractions are resolved in a timely manner, and noted in the inspection form. They should also make sure a re-inspection is scheduled and carried out before the 30 day deadline.
4. Assure that new researchers are added to BioRAFT/SciSchield/SciSure in a timely manner.
5. Assure that all new members undergo laboratory specific safety training/the laboratory orientation before beginning work, and that this is documented appropriately.
6. Assure that all new members attend the safety classes appropriate for their workflow as soon as possible.
7. Assure that principal investigators certify the hazards in their lab annually, as is required by Rice University policy.
8. Assure that door signs are up to date, both reflecting the hazards currently in the lab as well as having current members contact information.
9. Assure that all inventories are up to date and reflective of the items in the laboratory. This includes the lab chemical inventory in Chem-tracker, and laser inventory. (We understand that keeping an accurate inventory can be a large undertaking for one individual. Therefore, we recommend that safety contacts act as a manger in this case, making sure that individuals in the lab are adding items to inventories in a timely manner rather than doing it themselves.)
10. Assure that chemical waste pickup requests are placed in a timely manner. Waste which is not eligible for EHSLO pickup is removed from the lab and does not accumulate inside the laboratory.
11. Carry out self-inspections as needed. It is recommended that they are completed annually.
12. Organize laboratory clean-outs. It is recommended that every lab undertake a whole lab clean-out and organization at least once per year, but the frequency may vary based on the size of the lab, number of members and other factors.

Operating a research laboratory is a complex undertaking. Managing the use of hazardous materials and processes for research will always carry risk, that can be reduced but never eliminated. Research laboratory group compliance liaisons or safety officers are in a unique position to help their laboratory manage their risk profile and function as safely as possible.