Effective training is critical to facilitate a safe and healthy work environment and prevent laboratory accidents. All PIs/Laboratory Supervisors must participate in formal safety training and ensure that all their employees have appropriate safety training before working in a laboratory.
UCLA Worksafe is a learning management system that allows personnel to:
• Register for classroom training
• Complete online training & assessment
• Access and print training history reports
• View and print certificates of completion
The EH&S Training and Outreach Program provides both in-person and self-paced training to help meet this requirement. Contact them at training@ehs.ucla.edu.
Types of Training
General Lab Safety Training
Anyone with unescorted access and/or working in a laboratory is required to complete general laboratory safety training covering:
- Laboratory rules and regulations, including the Chemical Hygiene Plan
- Recognition of laboratory hazards (LHAT)
- Types of engineering controls and personal protective equipment
- Signs and symptoms associated with exposures to hazardous chemicals
- Procedures for responding to chemical spills and accidental exposures
- Chemical exposure monitoring
- Procedures for disposing of hazardous chemical waste
- Fire safety and emergency procedures
- Information required by CCR Title 8 Section 3204 regarding access to employee exposure and medical records (annually required)
To satisfy these training requirements, courses that must be completed shall include Injury & Illness Prevention Program Online Training, Chemical Hygiene Plan Training, and one of the following basic laboratory safety classes provided by EH&S as appropriate for their employment status:
- Laboratory Safety Fundamentals – for anyone working in a laboratory
- Principal Investigator Orientation with EH&S – for PIs/Laboratory Supervisors responsible for implementing a laboratory safety plan
Additionally, all personnel are required to complete annual laboratory safety re-training. The training requirement is based on the calendar year and can be found here: Online Refresher . General laboratory safety training requirements are summarized on the Research Safety Training Guide . This includes information on required safety trainings for those working with non-chemical hazards (e.g. biohazards, ionizing radiation, or lasers). Additional information can be obtained on the EH&S website and UCLA Worksafe .
Laboratory Directed Training
PIs/Laboratory Supervisors must also provide training specific to their labs/operations. Topics that require specific training include, but may not be limited to:
- Location and use of the Chemical Hygiene Plan, Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), Safety Data Sheet (SDS)(s) and other regulatory information
- Review of Emergency Action Plan, including location of emergency equipment and exit routes
- Emergency procedures for chemical spills, chemical exposures
- Location(s) of fire and life safety equipment (e.g. eyewashes, emergency showers, and fire extinguishers)
- Use of engineering controls, administrative controls and personal protective equipment to mitigate hazards
- Use of specialized equipment
- Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
- Review of reference materials (e.g., SDS) on hazards, handling, storage and disposal of hazardous chemicals
- Specialized procedures and protocols
- Particularly Hazardous Substances, including physical and health hazards, potential exposure, medical surveillance, and emergency procedures
- Lab-directed training is required on a annual basis to promote a strong safety culture.
Many of these topics are covered in the Site Safety Orientation Checklist . It is a University of California policy that each person working in a laboratory or technical area receives a one-time site safety orientation.
Documentation of Training
Accurate recordkeeping is a critical component of health and safety training. EH&S maintains records of all safety training that it provides. Departments and/or laboratories are responsible for documenting all other health and safety trainings, including safety meetings, one-on-one training, and any third-party in-class or online training. Electronic copies are encouraged, however if hard copies are maintained, documentation should be located in the laboratory safety manual. For lab-directed training please include a sign-in sheet with sufficient details such as the date, names and status (e.g. faculty, graduate student) of each participant, topics discussed, and who led the training. Lab-directed training shall include all laboratory users regardless of what duties/procedures they will be doing within the workspace. For example, if a member of a collaborator’s laboratory only comes into the room to use a specific piece of equipment, they must be trained in all the peripheral hazards to ensure they understand how to respond in case of an emergency or exposure.
EH&S provides recordkeeping resources on our websites associated templates .
Training histories for EH&S taught trainings for all laboratory personnel are available to PIs/Laboratory Supervisors through the Training Tab located in the Lab Hazard Assessment Tool (LHAT). Any questions about the available training records can be directed to EHST@ehs.ucla.edu. The training records available through the LHAT can serve as an official record of laboratory safety training conducted by EH&S.
EH&S has a number of tools available for laboratories to complete appropriate training, including:
- Worksafe online training modules
- Chemical Hygiene Plan
- Lab Safety Fundamentals
- Lab Safety Fundamentals Refresher
- Injury & Illness Prevention Program Online Training
- Hazard Communication
- Fact Sheets
- Cal/OSHA Inspections
- Compressed Gas Cylinders
- Formaldehyde Use
- Hydrofluoric Acid
- Lab Attire – Natural Fiber Clothing
- Laboratory Safety Orientation Online Hazardous Waste Program (WASTe)
- Online Safety Videos
- Pyrophoric Liquids Safety
- Pipette Safety & Ergonomics
- Hazardous Waste Management Safety
- Fire Safety in the Laboratory
- DVD Lending Library
- Accident Prevention and Investigation
- Air Quality Control
- Chemical Hygiene/Laboratory Safety
- Hazard Communication and General Safety
- Respiratory Protection
- Waste Management