Engineering | Safe Engineering

Setting up a New Lab?

Welcome to ASU and the Fulton Schools of Engineering

On behalf of the Office of Health and Safety for Engineering, welcome to Arizona State University and the Fulton Schools of Engineering.

Our mission for Safety at FSE is to facilitate research and education by ensuring consistent and participative health and safety for students, staff, and faculty.  Our vision is to foster a “safety culture” that embraces everyone’s health and safety as our collective priority.

Just as FSE is a recognized leader in engineering research and education, safety at FSE will realize the same recognition and success.  This requires both programmatic specifics as well as our everyday actions, behaviors, and habits.

Safety Procedures for Establishing your New Lab

Below is a list describing different safety procedures that are essential in supporting our safety culture with Engineering.

Steps 1-6 must be completed prior to handling chemicals in your lab.

  1. Register the lab.
    A completed Responsible Party Information (RPI) and chemical inventory must be submitted to EHS for your lab to be registered. The Principal Investigator (PI) or designee submits an RPI (pdf or Word) along with a chemical inventory (Excel). Chemical inventories need to include quantities and some basic hazard rating information. Email both of the forms to EHSLabRegistration@asu.edu along with your name and lab number so that EHS can initiate registration. Forms are listed on this page.
  2. Determine training needs.
    Everyone working in a laboratory must complete required training. To determine the necessary training please use the EHS training determination tool. If you plan on using hydrofluoric acid, cryogenic materials, sodium azide, or piranha, a member of our staff can deliver the training at your request, schedules permitting.
  3. Sign up for training.
    1. To look up or schedule classroom EHS classes:Go to our EHS training webpage and select “Search Course Catalog/Register for Training”. Login and select “Register for Training”.  Select “All Courses” and you’ll see our upcoming scheduled classes, including Fire Safety and Prevention.  Select the class of your choice.
    2. To take an EHS Blackboard (BB) class:Follow the same procedure as above. Scroll to the bottom of the “All Courses” page. Select the “Enroll” button beside the course listing. The EHS is notified of completed BB courses on Monday afternoons. If you want immediate proof of BB course completion, please print screen when your test score is displayed.
  4. Fill out a Prior Approval Form for the use of a new hazardous chemical.
    Before obtaining a new hazardous chemical, a new hazardous chemical prior approval form must be filed with EHS or a member of our staff.
  5. Create a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
    This is a set of written instructions that document a routine or repetitive activity followed by a lab whether using a specialized piece of equipment or particularly hazardous substance. It can be as simple as a step-by-step guide to operating the equipment or handling of the substance also stating the personal protective equipment (PPE) necessary to complete the task. For example, this could be applicable to a glovebox, fume hood, and/or furnace.
  6. Get a Spill Kit.
    EHS provides spill kits for your safety. It is required that you have one easily accessible in your lab near the area most commonly used for chemical handling. You can pick up a spill kit at the Hazardous Waste office in the ECC-wing (room 128) free of charge.

Steps 7-8 will be completed as the lab becomes functional.

  1. Review Self Inspection Sheet for initial inspection preparation.
    Download the Lab Self-inspection Checklist. It is a good idea and becoming a standard practice to look through this as you get going in your lab and especially prior to an Initial Lab Inspection completed by EHS (or Jonathan and myself) so that we can get you quickly on to safe researching without the hang ups of having to resolve safety issues.
  2. Hazardous waste pick up.
    Hazardous Waste Tags can be obtained in our office or in the Hazardous Waste location (ECC-wing Room 128). To complete disposal of a hazardous chemical you must visit the EHSA Web Portal and view the “Request a Hazardous Waste Pick-up” step-by-step PowerPoint guide located at the bottom of the page.
  3. Review the Working Alone Policy.
    This policy is meant to address specifically “working alone” with hazardous materials, hazardous processes, or hazardous equipment in order to provide a safer and healthier work environment for members of the ASU community and to identify areas and activities that require levels of supervisory oversight and training pre-requisites for the safe performance of more advanced or complex duties.

Additional Resources

Also, for your resources, please read the Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP) for information regarding ASU’s policies about handling, transferring, transporting, or storing chemicals. It is a lengthy document so you may wish to look at the FAQs and/or try searching the document for the specific topic.

We also have EHS resources on Facebook and Twitter.

Please let our office know if you have questions about any aspect of not only the info given here but also anything safety related. We are excited to have you as a part of our team here at the Fulton Schools of Engineering.