Top Row: Christine Egger, Terry Hazen, Troy Lane, Guoxun Chen. Second Row: Patricia Coan, Dawnie Steadman, Lee Meadows Jantz. Third Row: Colleen Gilrane, Theresa Lee, David Bemis. Bottom Row: Robert Nobles, Brian Ranger.

 

The Office of Research Integrity presented seven faculty members with Service Excellence and Leadership Awards during a special celebration at Tyson House Thursday afternoon.

This is the first year the office has given out these awards to faculty members who showed particular dedication in their field toward compliance, integrity, safety, and commitment to the university’s shared governance model.
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Washington, DC – Seeking to provide a roadmap for university-wide efforts to renew and strengthen a culture of research safety, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) Task Force on Laboratory Safety today released its Guide to Implementing a Safety Culture in Our Universities.  The task force also released a companion website, aplu.org/researchsafety intended to make the guide more accessible and allow for the continued sharing of best practices and other information to improve safety at research universities nationwide.

Designed for university presidents and chancellors who have pledged to commit their university to a renewed culture of research safety, the guide and website include 20 recommendations, each with an analysis of the alignment of the recommendation with other foundational reports, reading lists, tools, strategies, illustrative examples, and/or best practices drawn from a community of stakeholders. These resources were selected to help an appointed campus team navigate the process of strengthening their culture of safety.
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Eighmy

Taylor Eighmy, vice chancellor for research and engagement, is heading a new national task force to enhance safety in college and university laboratories.

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities formed the Task Force on Laboratory Safety recently to provide research universities with recommendations and guidance on strategies to enhance a culture of laboratory safety. The task force is composed of senior research officers and environmental and health safety experts. Eighmy and Mark McLellan, vice president for research for Utah State University, are co-chairs.

APLU formed the group in coordination with the Association of American Universities (AAU), the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the Council on Government Relations (COGR).

“This is an essential matter to address,” Eighmy said. “The culture around lab and studio safety is integral to the responsible conduct of research and scholarly excellence. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated task force and support from APLU, AAU, COGR, and ACS. It will be important for us to listen and learn and bring forward recommendations for implementation. We are excited to work together to help lead this effort.”
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Laboratory accidents are not only a threat to the safety of our students, faculty and staff, but the media exposure can be a threat to the reputation of an institution as well.

January 7, 2010, chemistry laboratory explosion at Texas Tech University. Photo by U.S. Chemical Safety Board

Texas Tech University

Four people were taken to the hospital for minor injuries following a chemical explosion at a Texas Tech University chemistry building on February 2, 2015. A university spokesperson confirmed that the explosion was caused by chemical waste products.
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