HAZARD IDENTIFICATION AND RISK ASSESSMENT

The Office of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Safety (ORCBS) is responsible for regulating the use of potentially hazardous agents or compounds. The Policies, Procedures and Guidelines for Radiation, Chemical and Biological Safety document outlines the University requirements for use of such agents through the activities of its subcommittees which formulate and review policies, review education programs, and periodically review inspection practices for radiation, chemical and biological hazards.

The Institutional Biosafety Subcommittee is responsible for advising on safety in the use of potentially hazardous biological materials and organisms and serves as the official University committee for recombinant DNA as required by NIH. When meeting to consider matters associated with recombinant DNA, the subcommittee membership is augmented as required.

The Hazardous Chemical Subcommittee is responsible for advising on safety in the use of potentially hazardous chemicals. Michigan State University operates under the Michigan Right to Know law which requires that employers provide access to chemical information to workers whose jobs involve the routine use of hazardous chemicals. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS's) are available to all employees through a computer network.

The Radiation Safety Subcommittee is responsible for advising on safety in the non-human use of radiation source authorizations issued by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the State of Michigan.

The Environmental Oversight Subcommittee is responsible for the use of pest control and other chemicals or engineering controls which may pose a risk to segments of the university population or to the general environment.

The PI is required to identify hazards on the AUF. The AUF is then reviewed by the IACUC and ORCBS, which also provides an opportunity for inadvertent hazards to be identified. The ORCBS staff then provides information to the PI for protection from the hazards and the information is included on the AUF and the Animal Hazard Control Form if the hazard is specifically induced by the project. The IACUC database can be searched to provide current listings of all active projects with identified hazards on the AHCF, divided into 4 categories: hazardous or toxic chemicals, biohazardous agents or rDNA, and radioisotopes and gas anesthetics. Further information is available on each AUF.

Index of Occupational Health and Safety