201 Hall Health Center, Box 354400, Seattle, WA 98195-4400206.543.7262 ￜ fax 206.543.3351ￜ www.ehs.washington.edu

GUIDANCE FOR RESUMING WORK IN RESEARCH LABS DURING AND AFTER STATE RESTRICTIONSCOVID-19 HEALTH AND SAFETY RESOURCESThe Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) has developed a webpage for COVID-19-related guidance and resources for faculty, staff, visiting scholars, student workers and other personnel working in University facilities:https://www.ehs.washington.edu/covid-19-health-and-safety-resourcesThe current situation is rapidly evolving and EH&S will update its guidance as new information becomes available. Please check the webpage regularly for updates.

GUIDELINES FOR COVID-19 PREVENTION WHILE WORKING IN THE LABORATORY OR OTHER ONSITE RESEARCH FACILITIESThe Office of Research and EH&S have put together guidance on practices and requirements for working in labs while the State is under the phases of the Governor’s SafeStart order: https://www.washington.edu/research/or/guidance-for-returning-to-in-person-research/Your school/college is tasked with providing any additional guidance on practices or requirements in place at this time for you, such as symptom attestations. Please check with your department for instructions and approval processes.

Even after the Governor’s restriction order is lifted, social and physical distancing practices and other COVID-19 prevention measures are required and will remain in place on UW campuses until further notice. Please review this University guidance document on COVID-19 prevention practices for personnel on UW campuses to ensure that all members of your research group and people working in your laboratory spaces are following best practices and remain in compliance:https://www.ehs.washington.edu/system/files/resources/COVID-19-Prevention-Plan-for-the-Workplace.pdfA checklist is included in the file listed above to assist you in documenting compliance for COVID-19 prevention efforts.

June 4, 2020

CHECKLIST FOR RESUMING RESEARCH ACTIVITIES ON CAMPUS Establish social distancing protocols according to University guidance

(use the UW Requirements for COVID-19 Prevention in the Workplace checklist) for your:

Laboratory spaces Office spaces Shared research spaces Shared office spaces Break areas/food preparation areas Field locations In UW vehicles

Review any Shared Facilities restrictions (this includes areas such as autoclaves, microscopy centers, service analytical labs, core facilities, etc.) and plan accordingly:

Note delays due to shutdown response. Note restricted schedules to accommodate social distancing. Set up procedures and supplies for cleaning equipment before and after

usage. Review Chemical Hygiene Plan materials and revise as needed:

Review and update contact lists. Review and update laboratory standard operating procedures (SOPs). Review and update risk assessment / job hazard analysis (JHA) documents. Create a plan to train all personnel on current procedures and practices and

document training completion. Add updated information to your Laboratory Safety Manual / Chemical Hygiene Plan (CHP).

*Note: Social and physical distancing practices require people to maintain 6 feet of distance from each other at all times. This may restrict the types of work and training that can be conducted at this time. It is important to ensure that people follow distancing practices without putting themselves at risk due to the nature of the work being performed.

Survey your laboratory and research spaces for unsafe conditions Contact your building manager or UW Facilities if you observe any changes to the ventilation or airflow in your lab space.

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Check first aid and spill kit contents. Restock supplies as needed. Conduct a hazardous material inventory to ensure no loss of material (e.g., chemicals, radioactive material stocks, toxins, controlled substances, etc.). Report any missing materials.

Mitigate any chemical or biological leaks, spills, or releases, and report them within 24 hours through Online Accident Reporting S ystem (OARS).

Clean any surfaces or areas that may be unsanitary, contaminated, or in poor condition.

Organize and store any chemicals, supplies, equipment, glassware, and other items left out during the shutdown in appropriate storage locations.

Manage any expired, outdated, peroxide-forming, self-reactive, or limited-lifespan reagents appropriately.

Check condition of any compressed gas tanks in your spaces.*Note: If you discover a hazardous condition that poses a threat to you or to others, such as a hazardous material release, isolate the hazard (e.g., close the door to the lab), notify occupants in the area, activate the appropriate incident response action, exit the building if required, and report the situation. Secure, label, and, if needed, request a pickup for any hazardous

wastes, including: Chemical waste Biological waste Radiological waste

Review equipment operation safety Check equipment that may have been affected by a power disruption first. Check for leaks that may have occurred if refrigerator or freezer temperature was compromised. Keep doors closed until temperature levels are normal.

Review equipment manuals for safe startup instructions. Review equipment state and safely release or mitigate any stored up energy sources.

Confirm fume hoods and/or biosafety cabinets are operating as normal. Create a schedule for equipment use, such as fume hoods, biosafety cabinets, autoclaves, and thermocyclers, to ensure social and physical distancing, and confirm everyone in the lab is familiar with how to schedule usage.

Flush eyewash stations.* Note: Do not use laboratory equipment, such as a chemical fume hood or biological safety cabinet if the alarm is sounding or the equipment is not working properly. Contact labcheck@uw.edu or call 206.543.9510 for assistance. Review research supplies and plan accordingly:

Note relevant supply chain disruptions and limited availability.

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Note order placements that may be slower as the volume of requests increases.

Plan for limited sales of high demand items in the stores / stockrooms. Plan for limited personal protective equipment (PPE) availability (including N95's, face shields, and gloves).

Plan for some reagents having limited availability. Plan for some consumables having limited availability.

Review research-specific needs: Review biological safety needs (may require input from EH&S Biosafety; contact ehsbio@uw.edu or call 206.221.7770).

Review radiological safety needs (may require input from EH&S Radiation Safety; contact radsaf@uw.edu or call 206.543.0463).

Review animal research needs (may require input from Office of Animal Welfare / IACUC).

Review human subject research needs (may require input from Human Subjects Division / IRB).

Other:      

Refer to the Lab Self-Inspections webpage for additional guidance on conducting self-inspections of your research spaces before resuming work:https://www.ehs.washington.edu/research-lab/lab-safety-surveys-and-inspections/lab-self-inspections Please contact EH&S LAB SAFETY at labcheck@uw.edu / 206.685.3993 for additional information.

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