Research Safety

Office of Research Safety (ORS) offers a broad range of comprehensive safety training classes, conducts risk assessments, partners with the campus community to identify and address research safety needs and helps with the implementation of controls necessary to minimize risks and to ensure personnel safety.  ORS directly administers the requirements for many of the university’s federal and state licenses and registrations for hazardous and risk significant materials, ensuring that all regulatory commitments are met as the research community achieves their research goals.

Do you have comments or suggestions for ESSR's Office of Research Safety? Tell us more here.

Expectations for Conducting Safe Research

• Demonstrate a Commitment to Safety. Lead by example, adhere to the rules and be willing to speak up if you see unsafe practices. Faculty and other supervisors are expected to put safety on the agenda and build it into the way their group works and thinks.
• Assess and Plan for Hazards and Risks. Take the time to systematically assess risks and plan for the hazards identified. Incorporate safety into laboratory standard operating procedures.
• Implement Controls. Take action to control your risks. Make sure you have the right protective equipment and that engineering controls are working correctly. Principal investigators must enforce the established rules in their lab.
• Complete Safety Training. Ensure that new researchers have the knowledge and skill to safely perform their research activities. It is the responsibility of the principal investigator to ensure that researchers receive research specific safety training.
• Strive for Continuous Improvement. Research is not a static endeavor. Managing safety requires ongoing reassessment, feedback and reinforcement. Encourage reporting and resolve safety concerns. Involve all lab members when identifying and reviewing lessons learned after incidents and near-misses.

What actions can you take to ensure you meet these expectations and improve safety culture? Check out our Summary of Expectations for Conducting Safe Research for ideas on how you can take action today.

University of Maryland Research Safety Standard

Vice President for Research and ESSR announce the University of Maryland Research Safety Standard. The University of Maryland Research Safety Standard and the associated Procedures applies to all research conducted under the auspices of UMD where hazardous materials or hazardous operations are present. This includes research laboratories, studios, makerspaces, workshops, machine shops in research departments, shared support facilities, field research, and research at university-owned farms. For support in implementing this Research Safety Standard please contact labsafety@umd.edu.