STUDENT & FACULTY LAB SAFETY TRAINING
Before starting research lab work in the Science Center, everyone (students & faculty/staff) must register and attend one of the General Lab Safety Training sessions offered by the Lab Safety & Compliance Director, Dr. Margaret Rakas or the Lab Safety and Compliance Specialist, Hannah Seawall. Attendance at least once during your time at Smith is the minimum requirement.
Note: Before the training session, you are allowed to work on project components that do not involve chemicals, biologicals, or instrumentation of any kind.
For more in depth info on training requirements, see sections below for both students and faculty/staff
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If you need to attend a General Lab Safety Seminar for Fall 2025...register for a General Lab Safety session here. Choose one of the online sessions and write down the given password. Connect on the day/time of your registered session. Individual Zoom links shown below:
Tuesday, September 9 @ 12:15PM |
Students: What you need to know about your responsibilities
Who has to do what….
- If only doing course-based research you are exempt from having to attend a general lab safety training session.
- If you are a Teaching/Prep assistant in a lab course you must attend the general lab safety training session before you can start working and repeat the training annually if you are working in a Chemistry course.
- If you are doing SURF (summer) research you are required to attend an in-depth general lab safety training each summer you have a SURF (or other) award
- If you are doing Special Studies, Honors, or simply volunteering to do lab research during the academic year you are required to attend an in-depth general lab safety training before you start your lab work, but you don’t have to attend a session every semester. Attendance at least once during your time at Smith is the minimum requirement. This requirement is met by both the General Lab Safety Seminar and the SURF Safety Seminar.
Student research safety training requirements:
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Research & other types of students are also personally responsible for their own, and their fellow lab mates, safety. This means you must
- Complete the required safety training mandated by the College and your supervisors.
- Read and acknowledge provided training documentation
- Follow the appropriate guidelines when dealing with hazardous materials and processes
Faculty/Staff: What you need to know about your responsibilities
Principal Investigators and Laboratory Supervisors are legally responsible for
- the safety of anyone working in their laboratory spaces.
- the safety of their own students working anywhere else…unless responsibility has been formally transferred to another faculty/staff member
Specifically, this means ensuring all employees, visitors, and students under supervision…
- Complete the required safety training mandated by the college
- Be provided with documented training specific to their laboratory space
- Follow the appropriate guidelines when dealing with hazardous materials and processes
Faculty/Staff research safety training requirements:
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