Rules for laboratory safety
On 3 June 2021, the President has decided on rules for laboratory safety (SU FV-3388-20). Valid until further notice.
Responsible unit: Property Management Office
Contact: labsafety@su.se
(The document was reviewed in 2022)
Description
These rules apply primarily to head of departments and managers with distributed work environment responsibility, and aim for Stockholm University to comply with legislation and to clarify how to work with environment and work environment enquiries within laboratories in order to minimize ill health and environmental risks.
Introduction
Laboratory safety is an overall concept that refers to the areas of environment, work environment and safety and security. These areas include radiation safety, chemical safety, handling of flammable and explosive goods, biosafety, electrical safety and other work environment risks associated with laboratory work or field work, such as artificial optical radiation, electromagnetism, working with laboratory animals, workshop work, diving, high-altitude work, etc. These rules aim to clarify the legal requirements for laboratory work and support the departments’ compliance in the areas concerned. These rules apply primarily to head of departments and managers with distributed work environment responsibility associated with laboratory work.
Each department at Stockholm University must follow laws, ordinances and regulations relevant to the concerned activity, see Stockholm University's list of legislation for laboratory safety: www.notisum.se.
Support function
The central support function is responsible for establishing and updating university-wide governing and supporting documents for laboratory safety work. Each department/equivalent shall be guided in their laboratory safety work by the central support function. The rules are supplemented by university-wide supporting documents such as procedures and checklists that are established, revised and prepared by the administration in consultation with the organization where possible.
Responsibility for laboratory safety
The responsibility for the laboratory safety lies within environmental and work environment work, and is delegated from President to Deputy Vice President and on to heads of departments/equivalent through the delegation form – work environment and equal terms. The practical work with laboratory safety is normally distributed to laboratory safety coordinators within the department/equivalent.
Head of department/equivalent must ensure that
- employees and students have a good knowledge of the laws, ordinances, and regulations relevant to the activities in question, see Stockholm University's compliance list for laboratory safety, notisum.se.
- university-wide governing and supporting documents and local routines for laboratory safety are followed.
- local routines are established as a complement to the university-wide governing and supporting documents. Local routines must be made available in languages understandable to all co-workers at the department/equivalent.
- a comprehensive documentation of relevant laboratory safety regulations and routines is assembled at all departments/equivalent and made available to all co-workers at the department/equivalent as well as to the central support function. The content of the documentation is described in the university-wide supporting document "Template for the department's assembled documentation on laboratory safety".
- written assurances are submitted by each employee who is working in a laborative environment that confirms the understanding of the university-wide and local rules and routines and to undertake to follow these.
- laboratory safety training provided by the central administration is mandatory for heads of departments and managers with delegation or distribution of work environment responsibility.
Organisation and work with laboratory safety
All departments/equivalent with laboratory activities must
- have at least one person with part of the employment for department-wide laboratory safety work, so-called local laboratory safety coordinators. The person(s) must have the necessary knowledge in laboratory safety work.
- document the distribution of laboratory safety tasks.
- train new employees in laboratory safety and document their participation. The content of the education must be documented and available to everyone who is active at the department/equivalent as well as to the central administration.
- have routines for regular refresher and information sessions regarding laboratory safety.
- have procedures in place for risk assessment of hazardous work and the documentation of these.
- to improve laboratory safety, systematically include laboratory safety work in the local council for work environment and equal terms (local RALV).
- carry out safety inspections annually or more often, in assistance with the central operational support function.
- have perimeter protection and additional access restrictions if necessary to minimize the risk of unauthorized access to materials and equipment used in laboratory work.
Follow-up of laboratory safety work
Follow-up of the laboratory safety work must be done by all departments/equivalent in collaboration with the central operational support function through
- compliance control within the area of environment and work environment, which is documented centrally.
- inventory of chemicals, which is documented in the university's chemical management system.
- inventory of radiation sources, which is documented centrally.
