EHSLO Laboratory Inspections

Rice University Environmental Health Safety and Laboratory Operations Department conducts regularly scheduled laboratory inspection for compliance on all federal, state, local, and university policies and regulations. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to ensure continued adherence to all applicable regulations and generally acceptable lab practices. Any finding identified during the inspection or noticed throughout the year will be address in a timely manner.

PIs will be contacted by EHSLO staff when it is time for their inspection. If the PI does not respond within 30 days to schedule the inspection, the lab manager or safety contact identified in SciShield will be contacted and EHS staff will visit the laboratory. The chair of the department will be contacted if EHSLO staff is unsuccessful in reaching the PI or their designee.

PIs and their designated group compliance liaison can access the list of potential findings used by inspectors through the self-inspection function detailed below.

Resources

Environmental Health and Safety Annual Biosafety Inspection Checklist

Prudent Practices in the Laboratory: Handling and Management of Chemical Hazards

EHS Inspection System

EHS uses the lab management software SciShield to perform and manage laboratory inspections. You can view inspections and respond to findings. at https://rice.scishield.com/

Laboratory Self Inspections

Per Rice policy 313, the PI or group compliance liaison must conduct laboratory self-inspections using an EHSLO checklist at least once a year. Self inspections must be documented and maintained on SciShield. PIs and their designated group compliance liaison have access to a “Self Inspections” tab where they can enter a new self inspection and access past records. The potential findings listed in this inspection process are identical to the findings used in EHSLO inspections. Performing self inspections identifies hazards early before they result in incidents or injuries. They also help prepare laboratories for an EHSLO inspection and promote a culture of safety and accountability.