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Everybody has a shared responsibility for health and safety within laboratories; however, it is ultimately the responsibility of the Center Directors and Principal Investigators to ensure that persons working in the laboratory have received all appropriate training, and have been provided with all the necessary information to work safely in laboratories under their control. Principal Investigators, faculty, and lab managers have numerous resources available to them for helping to ensure a safe and healthy laboratory.
It is the responsibility of Center Directors and Principal Investigators to ensure that all persons in the laboratory are familiar both with the Lab Safety Practices given in our webpage and the relevant Laboratory Safety Plan, and are properly trained and competent to safely carry out their job duties and research.
Research Center Directors and Principal Investigators are accountable for the health and safety of employees engaged in activities under their supervision. This responsibility cannot be delegated. In situations where multiple Principal Investigators fall under a Research Center (use a common/shared space and equipment), the Center Director bears the ultimate responsibility for health and safety.
To fulfill this responsibility, Center Directors and Principal Investigators should be familiar with KAUSTʼs HSE policy and this Laboratory Safety Manual. Center Directors and Principal Investigators cannot delegate their responsibilities but they can delegate their authority to empower lab managers to help in meeting their health and safety obligations.
Laboratory managers play an important and integral role in the implementation of health and safety programs for laboratory operations. However the responsibility for the health and safety of laboratory personnel still ultimately belongs to the Center Directors or Principal Investigators. Laboratory managers can greatly facilitate and help the Center Directors and Principal Investigators meet their health and safety obligations. Therefore HSE encourages Center Directors and Principal Investigators to empower laboratory managers to help in the enforcement and implementation of their laboratory safety plans and their responsibilities outlined above.
In the cases of Research Centers where multiple Principal Investigators and their students and staff conduct work, HSE highly encourages Center Directors to appoint laboratory managers to help implement and carry out the Center Directorʼs health and safety responsibilities. Center Directors should clearly define and communicate the lab managerʼs roles and responsibilities to all affected personnel.
The Laboratory Safety Representative (LSR) serves a very important function in implementing the safety requirements given in this webpage within their lab(s). The role of the LSR is to assist the director, unit head, and faculty member meet their responsibilities for safety and compliance. Each Laboratory Safety Representative shall be delegated authority in regard health and safety matters by the unit head to whom they report.
The Laboratory Safety Representative (LSR) serves a very important function in implementing the Laboratory Safety Manual within their laboratories. The role of the LSR is to assist the director, unit head, and faculty member meet their responsibilities for safety and compliance. Each Laboratory Safety Representative shall be delegated authority in regard health and safety matters by the unit head to whom they report.
