University of Georgia

Tag: Compliance

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Announcements Compliance, Integrity & Safety

The offices overseeing research safety and environmental safety at UGA have reorganized to better assure compliance with UGA, local, state, and national research and environmental safety regulations. These offices provide guidance to UGA faculty, staff and students with the goal of protecting safety, health and the environment and, wherever possible, reducing regulatory burden.

Chemical & Laboratory Safety, Radiation Safety and Special Hazards Safety now comprise the new Office of Research Safety (ORS), a unit of the Office of Research Integrity and Safety (ORIS). The three units, previously part of the Environmental Safety Division (ESD), report to Zeke Barrera, director of the ORS. They have temporarily relocated to the building known as the Electronics Shop, located behind Hardman Hall, on South Campus. Office of Research Safety reports to Chris King, associate vice president for research compliance/OVPR.

A new Research Safety website https://research.uga.edu/safety provides clear organization of information for researchers, staff and faculty looking for policies, guidelines, forms and tools related to chemical and laboratory safety, radiation safety and special hazards.

Environmental Compliance, Environmental Health & Food Safety, and Industrial Hygiene continue to report to John McCollum, associate vice president of Environmental Safety Division, Finance & Administration. The three environmental safety offices are located in the ESD building on Riverbend Road. All forms, policies and procedures related to those offices remain on the ESD website https://esd.uga.edu/

The reorganization will enable UGA to better assist researchers and students through cross-training of staff within the research safety and the environmental safety offices, and through better communication with researchers about compliance requirements. Office of Research Safety and Environmental Safety Division will continue to work closely together.

A new Research Integrity & Safety Support Services https://research.uga.edu/compliance-training/ includes mandatory training and additional training opportunities for UGA researchers, staff and students who work with laboratory chemicals, radioactive materials and lasers. It also includes training for those using respirators; personal protective equipment (PPE), fire extinguisher and fire safety training, and hazardous material shipping information and resources.

 

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Announcements

MaryAnn Deom, M.S., has been named Interim Director of the Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP), effective January 21, 2015.

Deom replaces Dr. Regina Smith, Associate Vice President for Research, who recently retired from UGA after directing OSP for the past 14 years.  Deom joined UGA as an educational program specialist for the Department of Psychology’s Southeastern Center for Applied Cognitive Research in 1995, and began her career with OSP as a grants specialist in 1999.  She has served as Associate Director of OSP since 2005.  Since 2006, she has been UGA’s primary liaison for the Federal Demonstration Project, a cooperative initiative between federal agencies and institutions that receive federal funds to reduce administrative burdens associated with grants and contracts.

Chris King, DVM, replaces Dr. Smith as the institutional Research Integrity Officer (RIO), with responsibilities for Conflict of Interest and Responsible Conduct in Research, effective January 21, 2015.

Dr. King is Associate Vice President for Research Integrity and Safety, as well as Professor of Population Health in the College of Veterinary Medicine.  The addition of RIO to his responsibilities completes a Research Integrity and Safety portfolio that also includes animal and human subjects, biosafety, export control, and research safety.  Dr. King also serves as director of the animal care and use program, a role he has played since 2004.

“Besides directing Sponsored Programs, Dr. Regina Smith played a number of other important roles at the University.  We are fortunate to have individuals of the quality and experience of MaryAnn and Chris to fill these roles without missing a beat,” said Vice President for Research David Lee.

Categories
Announcements Compliance, Integrity & Safety

In an effort to reduce regulatory burden for investigators, the NIH and USDA recently issued new guidance regarding the review process required for significant changes (Amendments) to approved Animal Use Protocols (AUP). The use of IACUC-reviewed and approved policies may now be used for the administrative handling of many significant changes. Recognizing the value of performance standards and professional judgment, this new guidance allows the following types of Amendments to be implemented simply following consultation and verification by the Attending Veterinarian:

1.) changes in anesthesia, analgesia, sedation or experimental substances
2.) changes from one AVMA-approved method of euthanasia to another
3.) changes in duration, frequency, type or number of procedures performed on an animal (provided the change does not result in greater pain or distress, doesn’t change from a nonsurvival to a survival surgery or doesn’t impact study objective or the safety of personnel)

This new Veterinary Verification and Consultation (VVC) process will allow Amendment approval without typical IACUC-review regardless of the AUP category. The VCC process will result in a significant reduction in paperwork associated with study modifications and a faster turn-around time for approval. The decision on whether or not an Amendment meets the criteria for the VCC process is at the sole discretion of the Attending Veterinarian.

Furthermore, and with perhaps more impact on reducing burden, this new guidance also allows for the reference of approved IACUC policies on an AUP in lieu of detailed descriptions. Policies like the “Common Technical Procedures” on the IACUC website can now be referenced in an AUP without inclusion of a full procedure description. The IACUC is currently in the process of expanding its policies to include more reference materials that can be used in protocols. You can find a full listing of IACUC-approved policies on the website at https://research.uga.edu/oacu/iacuc

For additional information, please contact the Office of Animal Care and Use or the IACUC at iacuc@uga.edu You can also find out more from your Attending Veterinarian.

 

 

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

Research Ethics Course Offered in Fall to Meet NIH RCR requirement

A course on research ethics that meets the NIH Responsible Conduct of Research requirement for T, K, and F awards will be offered this fall.

Qualitative Research 8595  – Research Ethics in the Professional and Social Sciences meet the NIH requirement and also counts as an elective for the Interdisciplinary Qualitative Studies Certificate.

The course explores ethical dilemmas in conducting research in the social, professional, and human sciences and the sources of ethical principles and practices used to address these dilemmas. Philosophical traditions in ethics from around the world and codes of ethical practice from professional associations, government agencies, and other relevant institutions are examined for their applications to choices researchers make and challenges they face. This course is designed to equip researchers studying human behavior and experience to engage in ethical analysis and concrete ethical problem solving when designing, conducting, analyzing, reporting, and applying research design.  The prerequisite for QUAL 8595 is any prior course in research methods and design.

Class time: Tuesdays, 5.00-7.45 p.m.

River’s Crossing, Room 139

Instructor: Dr. Kathy Roulston

roulston@uga.edu

 

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Announcements

UGA is taking deliberate steps to enhance its export control compliance program, with the goal of facilitating compliance by the research community.

Export controls are the U.S. laws and regulations that govern the transfer of controlled items or information to foreign nationals, countries, and entities for reasons of national security and foreign policy. Compliance enhancements include the addition of a dedicated export control compliance officer within the Office of the Vice President for Research, user-friendly export procedures, and awareness training. A website, now under construction, identifies export requirements, answers commonly asked questions, and identifies “go-to” individuals on campus.

Export control regulations have a direct impact on the hardware, laboratory equipment, materials, software, technology and technical data that may be exported to other countries or apply to individual citizens of foreign countries working or studying at UGA. While some regulations have a focus on military technologies, others address dual-use items having both civilian and military applications. Regulations may also restrict specific foreign entities and individuals with which UGA can do business.

In recent years, the U.S. Government has strictly enforced these regulations within higher education, resulting in numerous investigations as well as civil and criminal sanctions at the university and individual levels. While UGA is committed to maintaining a teaching and research environment with global reach, we remain equally committed to full compliance with all export regulations.

As with all areas of research compliance, we strongly emphasize taking advantage of these resources. Most importantly, if you have any questions or become aware of a potential export control issue, please contact one of the designated individuals listed on the contacts page as soon as possible.

 

 

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

How is your lab managing its waste?  Autoclaving is the most dependable procedure used by researchers for the destruction of biological waste material.

A proper autoclave preventive maintenance program along with a biological monitoring program are essential components of ensuring the reliability of an autoclave. Having neither of these in place could pose significant issues as waste moves from the lab to the landfill. The Office of Biosafety has placed autoclave guidance documents on their web page https://ovpr.uga.edu/biosafety/  for easy reference.

If you have any questions or need assistance with your autoclave or waste program, please contact the Office of Biosafety at biosfy@uga.edu or 706.542.5300.

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

It is time for the Occupational Health and Safety Program’s Annual Update for those individuals currently enrolled in the program.

If you have had any changed in your health status or changes in job responsibilities that might increase your occupational health risks or exposure, please complete an updated form at https://ovpr.uga.edu/docs/forms/compliance/oacu/pdf/OHSP-Annual.pdf. Please submit this update to occhealt@uga.edu

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

AALAS (American Association for Laboratory Animal Science) has announced that the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) has granted Registry Approved Continuing Education (RACE) CEs for 12 courses on the Library, offering a total of 15 CEs accepted by AAVSB for these courses.

The AALAS Learning Library has been the premier resource for animal-related online training courses in recent years. Free accounts to this library are issued for all personnel on an Animal Use Protocol (AUP) at UGA.

For more information about courses or access, please contact Lisa Kelly, Compliance Training Coordinator, at lmkelly@uga.edu

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

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The Office of Animal Care and Use and the Office of Human Subjects are moving to new administrative spaces  on the 6th floor of the Boyd Graduate Studies building.  The Office of Animal Care and Use will now be located in Room 624, and the Office of Human Subjects will now be located in Room 621.

Additionally, telephone service may be interrupted during this move.  Those needing assistance from either office during the next few weeks are encouraged to email the Office of Animal Care and Use at iacuc@uga.edu or the Office of Human Subjects at irb@uga.edu.  Thank you for your understanding and patience during this transition.

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Compliance, Integrity & Safety

The use of Animal Care (Artemis) and Human Subjects (IRB Click) software solutions are allowing the tracking, measuring, and reporting of compliance protocol approval times.  Average throughput times for the IACUC are now available for Calendar Year 2013. For example, the overall average throughput of the 230 new animal use protocols submitted in CY2013 was 35 days.

Additional detailed data for the IACUC and IRB will be available in the near future.  Data for Biosafety protocols (IBC) will start to be collected with the launch of IBC Click software later this year.  Eventually all these data will be posted in a dashboard view on the Research Compliance home page.

For more information contact Chris King at cking@uga.edu.