Safety
You are not
authorized
to begin your
UROP research
until all
department
and EHS safety
training requirements
have been
fulfilled.
To help you
understand
MIT's policies
regarding
laboratory
safety and
more we have
compiled this
help page
of references.
Be sure to
consult this
page before
you begin
your project.
Click on
one of the
links below
to jump to
more information
on the topic
in question.
UROP participants often use or work near materials, equipment, or energy that may be potentially hazardous to themselves, others, and/or the environment. The privilege of working with these potentially hazardous substances bears a responsibility on the part of the UROP student as well as the host laboratory. The PI/Supervisor of the laboratory is ultimately responsible for the health and safety of everyone in his or her laboratory, including employees and undergraduate researchers (UROPs). It is expected that UROP students will be supervised at all times while in the laboratory or other potentially hazardous environments. Therefore, a UROP student should not be assigned to be a supervisor, even of other UROPs or high school students.
Responsibilities of UROP participants are as follows:
WMIT requires that everyone who works in a laboratory, including UROPs, complete the EHS Training Needs Assessment on the EHS Office's training web site, http://web.mit.edu/environment/training. Your EHS Representative will help you use the Training Needs Assessment to identify the specific training regiments based on the potential hazards used in your project to determine what trainings are required before your work starts. Please review the checklist UROP courses and the corresponding training's generally required to work in these areas.
When you start your UROP project, you should also receive a Lab Specific Training from your PI/Supervisor or from the lab's EHS Representative. The goal of this Lab Specific Training is to familiarize you with the potential hazards that exist in your specific laboratory, to identify ways to minimize the hazards of your UROP project, and to provide an opportunity for you to learn the correct lab practices that can be carried forward as your career progresses. As part of your orientation, you should be taught the lab's specific safety policies and procedures and receive a tour of the lab. This includes evacuation routes, safety equipment, personal protective equipment, and proper disposal procedures for the types of waste generated in your laboratory.
The MIT EHS Office is a single entity comprised of five programs: Biosafety, Environmental Management, Industrial Hygiene, Radiation Protection, and Safety. If at any time during your UROP experience you have questions about any environmental, health or safety aspects of the work you or others are doing, don't hesitate to ask us. You may contact any program within the EHS Office at 452-EHSS (2-3477), or via email to environment@mit.edu
See the team contact list and Department coordinator chart for contact information
for your department's safety staff.
Use
of Humans
as Experimental
Subjects
The rights
and welfare
of subjects
of biomedical
research,
social science
research and
other kinds
of human experimentation
are protected
by MIT's policies
that place
all types
of human use
in research
studies within
the purview
of the Committee
on the Use
of Humans
as Experimental
Subjects (COUHES).
Any research
conducted
at MIT or
by MIT personnel
that uses
humans for
research subjects,
or experiments
that utilize
donated blood
or tissue
must first
be cleared
with the Committee.
Projects that
involve questionnaires,
market surveys,
and non-invasive
experiments
in the social
sciences also
require approval
by COUHES.
UROP work
that fits
these categories
must be approved
by COUHES.
It is the
responsibility
of the project
supervisor
to seek COUHES
approval for
the project,
which includes
UROP work.
For more
information,
contact the chairman
of COUHES,
visit E23-230,
call x3-6787,
or email mede@med.mit.edu or firn@med.mit.edu.
Additional
information
can be found
on the COUHES
website.
Care
of Laboratory
Animals
The Committee
on Animal
Care (CAC)
is concerned
with the humane
care of animals
used in research
and training.
It is guided
by federal,
state, local,
and institutional
regulations.
CAC inspects
animals, animal
facilities
and laboratories.
It also reviews
all research
involving
animals before
experiments
are performed.
Concerns
about inadequate
animal care
or treatment
should be
brought to
the attention
of the Committee.
You may contact
CAC and Dr.
Barbara O'Pray,
CAC chair,
at x3-9436.
Students
working in
research laboratories
using animals
are obligated
to receive
training in
handling animals
and humane
practices
in research.
Laboratory
directors
should contact
the CAC office
to confirm
or arrange
student training
before participation
in animal
research begins.
Be sure to follow the instructions provided in the CAC Policy on Undergraduate or UROP Participation in Research before beginning any animal research. You cannot begin participation in animal research until an approval notice is received from the CAC.
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