New Principal Investigators

Welcome to UC Irvine. UC Irvine's Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) wants to help you begin your research at UC Irvine quickly, effectively and in compliance with environmental and occupational safety requirements.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR / SUPERVISOR RESPONSIBILITIES
Principal Investigators / Supervisors are always asking for one place to find everything they need to do to satisfy all environmental health and safety requirements. An all-inclusive list is hard to create, especially with the diverse variety of research interests and potential hazards. The following list will satisfy the needs of the majority of Principal Investigator and Supervisors. Consult with your EH&S Coordinator (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/coord.html) for help in following these guidelines and for any questions you may have.

1. Get acquainted with UC Irvine EH&S Homepage (http://www.ehs.uci.edu), especially the items mentioned on the All Faculty and Staff page (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/ghs.html). If you manage a laboratory, familiarize yourself with the Laboratory & Research page (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/labres.html).
2. Complete a Safety Training Self-Assessment after logging into Training & Employee Development, also known as TED (http://www.ted.uci.edu), to identify your personalized safety training requirements and to register for classes online.
3. Familiarize yourself with the UC Irvine Injury & Illness Prevention Program titled Safety on Site (SOS) by visiting http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/iipp/.

   a). Name a Safety Representative for your group and pass that information onto your School EH&S Coordinator. Support your Safety Representative to take care of their duties as outlined in the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/iipp/).

   b). Complete the Hazard Assessment & Corrections Tools (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/iipp/) with the help of your Safety Representative.

   c). Use the Safety on Site (SOS) binder provided by EH&S for holding and tracking all work unit safety related items.

4. Make sure that all workers in your group log into TED, complete the Self-Assessment, and take the required training. Each worker must take applicable work unit specific training before they get involved in actual work.
5. If you manage a research laboratory, go through the listings of the Basic Research Requirements (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/labres/lrmatrix.html) matrix, identify the items that apply to your research and complete the requirements.
6. If you work with hazardous chemicals, get acquainted with the Chemical Hygiene Plan (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/ih/Universalchp/chp.html) and the Laboratory Safety Guidelines (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/lsg/index.html).
7. Track inventory of your hazardous materials in CiBR-Trac (http://ucirvine.ecompliance.net/index.jsp). Labs in Chemistry department use the CBIS system (http://cheminnovation.ps.uci.edu/Cbis/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fCbis%2fUci%2fCbisHome.aspx), which is routinely uploaded to CiBR-Trac.
8. Develop written Standard Operating Procedures (http://www.ehs.uci.edu/programs/sop_library/) for dangerous processes and highly hazardous materials in your work unit.
9. Work with EH&S staff and your School EH&S Coordinator for mitigating, in a timely manner, hazards identified in safety surveys.
10. Know the campus Emergency Management plans for your building, including information on Evacuation Assembly Areas and how the Zone Crew functions. Be aware of Injury Reporting Procedures , how to Report a Safety Concern , and what to do during Hazardous Materials Incidents . Post the UCI Emergency Procedures flipchart (available from EH&S) and the Injuries and Medical Treatment flyer in your areas. Make your employees and students aware of these important emergency procedures.

This list is an attempt to make safety compliance easier for busy Principal Investigators / Supervisors at UC Irvine. Please contact your School EH&S Coordinator if you need help completing these items or have questions.