Pre-requisites

Before arriving you must complete online safety training in the UC Learning Center as pre-requisites. The hands-on training will build upon knowledge gained from the online training.

Please see Graduate Students Guide to Training & the UCR Learning Center for more information on access and troubleshooting. 

Policy

UC Policy requires that all staff, faculty, students and volunteers working in a laboratory or technical area complete Laboratory Safety Fundamentals, which is a certification that includes many topics, which will be reflected on your transcript. This course expires after 3 years, before which you must complete the Laboratory Safety Refresher to maintain compliance. You may not receive an email reminding you of the expiration date, so please check your training records on an annual basis to ensure you are compliant.

Responsibilities

Your Principal Investigator (PI) / Supervisor will determine the initial and ongoing training you should take. Once your initial training is determined and assigned, it is important to be aware of any expiration dates. There are several training topics that require annual recertification. Please check your Transcripts  in the UCR  Learning Center for the expiration date. It is your responsibility to ensure you are current on your training certifications. Review the Research Approval and Training Requirement document to determine which training you must take, and refresher requirements.

Access

The UC Learning Center is the campus portal for online training. They have an extensive support site to answer many questions on access, duplicate profiles, browsers compatibility and more. If you are having trouble with the UC Learning Center, please start with this page to answer your questions. 

You must have a UCR NetID to log into the system. If you do not have a UCR NetID, please see the Support Page about Access.  Access to the training may be delayed 1-2 days after you initially log into the UCLC. 

Campus affiliates and UCR students who are not a current or former UCR employee, volunteer, or contingent worker, should use the UC Supplemental Profile Tool to push a profile into the system before logging into the UC Learning Center for the first time. For more information, review the Access & Roles page on the UC Learning Center website.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

What is the minimum PPE? The traditional white laboratory coat, impact glasses, and splash goggles kit allows you to start working in a lab. 

The traditional white laboratory coat may not be sufficient in protection against certain hazards, such as pyrophorics, bulk flammables, etc.

If you later are assigned to a laboratory that has identified specific hazards requiring a blue flame-resistant laboratory coat, please make an appointment to come back to EH&S to exchange your traditional white coat for the appropriate lab coat you need. https://ehs.ucr.edu/laboratory/ppe

Getting your PPE

All researchers working in a lab must also be assigned to their PI/Lab Supervisor in the Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT). This certifies the hazards in your lab and assigns the proper PPE for the space you are working in. You will log in using your UCR NetID and password.  Complete the short PPE training in order to receive your PPE Voucher. Once you have the voucher, make an appointment with EH&S for your PPE Fitting. For a step by step guide to this process, please visit the LHAT webpage. 

*Helpful tip on LHAT: You need to log into ehs.ucop.edu one time to make your profile searchable by your PI/Lab Supervisor. 

About PPE

The information during the PPE session will answer the following:

• What is the PPE Session 

• What EH&S needs from Program Administrators, PIs, and the participants in order to run the PPE Session 

• A demonstration of the process that takes place on the EH&S side 

• A demonstration of what takes place on the PI and participant side 

• An explanation for the strict deadlines 

PPE fittings 

The personal protective equipment (PPE) session during GSSO is an opportunity for participants to be fit for, and receive, their PPE on the same day. This allows participants to bypass the need to schedule a separate appointment. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that all participants take advantage of this session.

Outside of the event, PPE fittings at EH&S take place by appointment only. PPE appointment availability is dependent upon staffing, which is limited. Appointments fill up quickly and the next available appointment is often weeks to months into the future. Additionally, appointments are closed for 2-3 weeks after Graduate Student Safety Orientation in order to accommodate orders during the event. 

Roles & Responsibilities

Program Administrators must submit, to the PPE Coordinator, full participant list complete with: 

• First and Last Names (as participants have entered into the system) 
• UCR NetIDs 
• Assigned PIs 

PIs must add their participants to their Lab Hazard Assessment (LHAT) on Risk & Safety Solutions (RSS) 

Participants must: 

• Review and acknowledge the PI’s LHAT 
• Complete the RSS PPE Training (not the one on the UCR Learning platform) 

Why do the preparations need to begin 2 weeks prior? 

PIs and participants occasionally experience technical difficulties with RSS. Some things may be simple to resolve by following the steps outlined in the Process & Troubleshooting section (below), but some things will require submitting a support ticket to RSS. Technical Support from RSS can take multiple days to resolve especially if the case requires escalation to a specialist. The 2-week timeline allows time for new students to navigate a new and unfamiliar system. 

Why is there such a strict timeline and why are there such strict deadlines? 

NONE of this is automated. EVERYTHING is manual. The PPE Coordinator must MANUALLY: 

• Check the system for each individual’s LHAT acknowledgement and training status 
• Email each PI and participant with which requirements are needed and instructions on how to complete them 
• Work with each PI and participant for any technical difficulties, troubleshooting needs, and further guidance 
• Re-check status of all requirements for each participant to know who needs reminders 
• Email each PI and participant still having not completed requirements a reminder email 
• Re-check status of participants receiving reminders for completion of requirements 
• Generate PPE fitting forms 
• Generate all the labels needed for PPE that will be distributed 

Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool

Laboratory Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT) is a web-based application that enables researchers to identify hazards in their laboratories or research areas. Upon completion of LHAT, you will receive a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) recommendation voucher. Activate your account by entering your UCR email 

LHAT

• If you are in a research program, you will receive an email with the subject line “Lab Hazard Assessment Ready to be Acknowledged” outlining the steps you need to take prior to the training:  
• Review the information about hazards present in the laboratory
• Review the identified Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for this laboratory
• Acknowledge that you have read the laboratory hazard assessment by selecting “Continue” to review each section
• If PPE is required, complete the short “PPE Safety Training” in the Next Steps page (required to receive your PPE)

These steps must be completed to receive your PPE on the day of the event. If you are unable to complete the steps in time, you will still be able to receive your PPE, however you will need to follow the standard process and schedule a fitting appointment. Questions regarding LHAT access and PPE can be directed to ehslaboratory@ucr.edu.

Troubleshooting

• Participant’s name cannot be located by PI the drop-down menu when adding to the roster. Ask the participant to first activate their RSS account by logging into https://app.riskandsafety.com
• Multiple accounts with the same name appear on the drop-down menu when adding to the roster, and it cannot be determined which is the correct account. Ask the participant to log into https://ehs.ucop.edu. Then, select the grey circle with their initials in the top right-hand corner of the landing page. Next, select "Profile" from the drop-down menu. Finally, locate the account email on file in the "About" card (left-hand side).
• Principal Investigator (PI) does not have an active LHAT. Contact EH&S at ehslaboratory@ucr.edu to create the LHAT. LHATs can only be created by EH&S, but the PI must complete the assessment and certify it. Then, the PI may login to https://ehs.ucop.edu/ and select the hazard assessment that appears in the "Workspace" card on the bottom of the landing page. Thereafter, the PI can complete the rest of the LHAT and certify it as accurate with an electronic signature by clicking the "Certify" button.
• Participant has been added, but cannot be located the LHAT in the "Workspace". PI may have added the incorrect account to the LHAT. The participant should login to https://ehs.ucop.edu, then select the grey circle with their initials in the top right-hand corner of the landing page. After selecting "Profile" they should see their registered account email in the "About" card in the left-hand side.
• Participant gets stuck in an endless loading loop. Participant needs to submit a technical support service ticket by emailing service@riskandsafetysolutions.com with details of the issue. Unfortunately, this could take a few days to resolve and the participant will not be able to complete the required training until RSS resolves the issue. 

Resources

Here are some important campus resources to assist you:

PI/LAB SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES

UC Learning Center

View the LHAT guide for GSSO participants

Training materials

For reference, the following training materials are available for viewing. Additional materials and videos will be added closer to the event.

Compressed Gas Safety

Compressed Gas CGA Handout

12 Months of Research Safety: Compressed Gas Safety

Chemical Safety

Chemical Lifecycle Handout

Chemical Lifecycle Presentation

Electrical Safety for Researchers

Electrical Safety Presentation

Ergonomics

Key Concepts & Stretching techniques | Handout

Working Remotely | Document

Using a Mouse | Video

Request an Ergo Evaluation | Request form

Fire Extinguishers

How to use a Fire Extinguisher

Hazard Assessment

Hazard Assessment Handout

Laboratory Equipment

Laboratory Equipment Handout