Research Insights
Guidance on opening and closing laboratories
The Office of Research Safety ensures university laboratories are opened and closed safely. Staff can advise researchers of the various free Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) services and coordinate services among compliance offices.
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:
- hazardous waste removal
- engineering control equipment decontamination
- instrument surplus transfers
- identification of legacy chemical reagents
- chemical reagent compatibility grouping and secondary containment.
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.