The Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) has issued revised policies for the Use of External Sites in Research and for research involving External Collaborating Sites. The revised materials can be found on the HRPP website: https://research.uga.edu/hrpp/policies-and-procedures/.
The Office of Research Safety (ORS) is launching an optional fee-for-service program, complete with a fee schedule and one-stop service. The program goal is to remove the burden from researchers and administrators who face issues getting their laboratory space ready for operations with safety compliance assurance.
ORS can help with:
1) missing/lost safety items (i.e., spill kits)
2) legacy chemicals (i.e., shelf full of waste-like/unwanted chemical reagents)
3) decontamination of abandoned equipment/instruments (i.e., freezer relocation).
For details please contact Zeke Barrera, ebarr@uga.edu, 706-542-9373, or visit the Research Safety website.
Certain compressed gases are no longer allowable purchases with a P-Card. Any compressed gas that exhibits additional hazardous characteristics such as flammability, corrosivity, toxicity or strong oxidizing properties must be purchased through UGA Mart. See list of gases prohibited from P-Card purchases. Compressed gases such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide, inert gases and cryogenics are allowable purchases with a P-Card.
The Research Safety Committee and the Office of Procurement collaborated on this effort to better track the quantity of hazardous compressed gases on campus.
For additional information, please see the updated P-Card Manual or the P-Card Quick Reference Sheet.
The University of Georgia’s program for ensuring the safety and protection of human subjects who participate in research has been awarded accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs. This is the first time UGA has applied for this accreditation. Accreditation by this international organization is particularly important as UGA engages in more clinically related research.
UGA officials were notified in June after a site visit in the spring, during which the university’s program was evaluated based on 15 standards and 60 different elements.
For more information on UGA’s Human Research Protection Program, which is directed by Kimberly Fowler, visit research.uga.edu/hrpp.
Summer is often an ideal time to clean out laboratories and prepare new space for incoming investigators, and the Office of Research Safety (ORS) is here to help.
ORS oversees chemical and radioactive materials safety on campus and helps ensure laboratories are opened and closed safely. Staff can advise researchers of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) services and coordinate those services among offices. ORS partner offices are Facilities Management Division, Environmental Health Division, and the Office of Biosafety.
Laboratories with significant chemical inventories often need help with:
Please note hazardous waste disposal requires significant lead time and early communications with ORS is highly recommended.
For new researchers, ORS offers a free “lab safety start-up” package containing many desirable freebies.
For more information or to submit a request to open or close a lab, please see the ORS website or call Zeke Barrera, ORS Director at 706-542-9373, ebarr@uga.edu.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and 16 other federal departments and agencies are issuing a Final Rule to delay the compliance date for a Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects (also known as the Common Rule) until Jan. 21, 2019. The Final Rule adopts the proposals that were described in the April 2018 NPRM. The exception to this general rule is that institutions will be permitted (but not required) to implement, for certain studies, three burden-reducing provisions of the 2018 Requirements during the delay period (July 19, 2018 through Jan. 20, 2019.) See the Human Subjects Office website for additional information.
Are you conducting research in the European Union? A new institutional policy is available on the EITS website. Call or email the Human Subjects Office for more information.
Kim Fowler, Director of Human Subjects Office
706-542-5318
kfowler@uga.edu
The IACUC has passed a new policy clarifying where research animals can be housed based on species, funding sources and type of research and/or teaching activity. There are specific regulatory requirements and oversight obligations based on these factors. The policy provides IACUC and URAR guidance for PIs, administrators, and managers when considering housing animal projects in a new location or creating/renovating animal space.
The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee recently adopted a new policy regarding the transportation of animals for research or instructional purposes. This policy was developed to ensure the welfare of animals and the safety and security of personnel. This policy affects transportation of animals within animal facilities and outside of animal facilities when requested by the researcher/instructor.
In November of 2017, the U.S. government announced changes to the Cuba sanctions regulations.
The updated regulations include a prohibition on financial transactions with entities or sub-entities that are under the control of, or act on behalf of, the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel. The U.S. Department of Treasury has published a list of prohibited entities and sub-entities. The list encompasses hotels, restaurants, and other travel-related businesses and is available at on the State Department’s website.
The regulatory changes also include increased enforcement and auditing of Cuba travel. The Export Compliance Officer works with Accounts Payable, Office of International Education, and individual and group travelers to assure compliance with the sanctions. All UGA related Cuba travel must be approved by the Export Compliance Officer before travel begins or the University may withhold reimbursement, pursuant to the UGA Travel Policy. More information about travel to Cuba is available on the Export Control website and in a previous announcement.
To comply with the financial transaction prohibitions and increased enforcement of the travel sanctions, Cuba travelers will need to work closely with the Office of Export Control.
Contact Dan Runge, at 706.542.4188 or drunge@uga.edu before making nonrefundable Cuba travel arrangements or engaging in other financial transactions with Cuban entities.
