Safety Resources

Planning animal research? Will you bring animals or maintain a breeding colony?

What to do first

1. Contact the ARC Administrators to declare yourself as a new PI and discuss your research needs.

2. Start ARC Certification (training).

3. Complete a Medical History Questionnaire (MHQ).

4. Browse the DLAM website for a review of services, and the RSAWA Webpage for the Animal Research Committee (ARC) to learn about registration with our campus's IACUC.

Key Information

• The Animal Research Committee (ARC) is UCLA’s IACUC.
• The Division of Laboratory Animal Medicine (DLAM) provides a variety of services for those working with animal research subjects.
• ARC applications are submitted online in RATS. 
• New ARC applications take approximately six weeks from submission to approval.
• Transgenic rodents used, housed, or constructed at UCLA require registration with the UCLA Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC)
• Radioisotope work in animals requires registration with the UCLA Radiation Safety Committee (RSC).

Does your work involve bloodborne pathogens or recombinant DNA? Do you work with infectious agents, select agents or toxins, any human materials, or nonhuman primate materials? Do you test patients’ blood samples in your lab?

What to do first

1. Familiarize yourself with the Institutional Biosafety Committee and EH&S Biosafety.

2. Schedule a consultation with biosafety@ehs.ucla.edu.

3. Complete the NIH Guidelines for UCLA Researchers and Bloodborne Pathogens Training online at Worksafe.

Key Information

• The Institutional Biosafety Committee works with the EH&S Biosafety Program and focuses on personal, laboratory, and environmental exposure prevention.
• Applications for Biological Use Authorizations (BUAs) from the IBC are submitted online in SafetyNet.
• EH&S Biosafety provides resources for use in these applications, including the Institutional Biosafety Plan, SOPs, and Fact Sheets.
• A PI proxy (e.g., lab manager) can be assigned to make changes in SafetyNet on a PI’s behalf, but this person cannot submit changes to the IBC on behalf of the PI. On average, new applications take about four weeks to be approved. BUAs are valid for a three-year period. Amendments must be created to reflect changes in personnel, space, hazardous materials, or processes.

Did you submit your chemical inventory? Need forms for documenting training? Preparing for an inspection?

What to do first

1. Connect with the EH&S Laboratory Safety Program.

2. Register for Lab Safety Fundamentals for PIs & Supervisors at Worksafe.

3. Fill Out the Chemical Inventory Template and upload to the Chemical Inventory System.

Key Information

• The EH&S Laboratory Safety Program is led by the Chemical Hygiene Officer. PIs operating wet labs will frequently interact with this safety program. Your first inspection will be between four to six months from when you begin work.
• PIs and Supervisors have clearly defined Laboratory Duties and Responsibilities. The campus provides Laboratory Documents and Resources to help satisfy them.
• A basic requirement is completing and maintaining the Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT) to identify hazards in your assigned lab spaces, the personnel who will interact with those hazards, and the PPE assigned to those individuals for that work. What is LHAT?
• Mandatory general safety training is administered by campus EH&S, but it is imperative that researchers receive instruction at the lab level from their PIs or Supervisors. Review the EH&S Training Matrix to note which training requirements you are expected to fulfill.
• The Chemical and Physical Safety Committee does not confer approval for work with chemicals but creates guidance documentation in support of research.

Is your work considered a Clinical Trial or a Clinical Research Study?

What to do first

1. Visit ResearchGo for a comprehensive overview of the processes for starting clinical research.

Do you already know which IRB you need to apply to?

What to do first

1. Create a CITI profile and search for necessary training courses (UCLA HIPAA course, Online Human Subjects Protection Training).

2. Review Guidance for Researchers, including a Getting Started page.

Key Information

• The Office of the Human Research Protection Program (OHRPP) provides administrative support to the campus and the five UCLA IRBs.
• Application to the UCLA IRBs is online at webIRB. Review can take up to eight weeks, depending on the level of review required and timing of submittal.
• The Office of Research Administration publishes statistics on the ORA Online Resource Center site.

Do you own an open beam or embedded/enclosed laser system with maximum power of 5mW or greater? Will you use such a device?

What to do first

1. Contact the Laser and Photobiological Safety (LPS).

2. Familiarize yourself with the Laser and Photobiological Safety Program’s (LPS) New Lasers Set-Up Process.

3. Register for Laser Safety Fundamentals Training on Worksafe.

Key Information

• All open beam lasers or embedded/enclosed laser systems with maximum power of 5mW or greater are required to be inventory and registered.

Do you maintain an inventory of Radioactive Materials (RAM)?

What to do first

1. Contact Radiation Safety.

2. Register for New Radiation Worker Qualification Training and/or X-Ray Diffraction Safety Training on Worksafe.

3. Complete Statement of Training and Experience.

4. Begin filling out permit applications for Radioactive Materials or Radiation-Producing Machines.

Key Information

• Applications for a permit to work with RAM or RPMP are online, so you can start completing them now.
• RMPs are approved for four years. RPMPs are approved for three years.
• Spaces must be commissioned by EH&S Radiation Safety.
• Radioisotope work with animals requires registration with the Animal Research Committee (ARC).
• Clinical radiation work has different training and dosimetry compliance requirements.