University of New South Wales - Human Resources

Step 7- Animal Handling - OHS Requirements
Step 8 - Plant & Equipment - OHS Requirements
Step 9 - Materials & Substances - OHS Requirements
Step 10 - Purchase/Acquisition & Storage of Materials, Plant & Equipment
Step 11 - Purchase of Services/Contractor OHS Management
Step 12 - Develop Safe Working Procedures & Emergency Procedures
Step 13 - OHS Induction/OHS Training & Competency Needs

Step 7 - Animal Handling - OHS Requirements

Action:

If you have not previously documented the animal-related OHS hazards and risks of your project you should document your risk assessment, and obtain approval, before commencing research activities. Give consideration to the full range of hazards that may be associated with animal-based research.

You should account for hazards and risks relating to the:

animal species to be used;
animal handling and research activities to be undertaken;
facility in which the work will be conducted;
type and quantity of hazardous materials used and waste generated
specific regulation of Schedule 4 and Schedule 8 drugs;
knowledge, skills and experience of staff and students involved in the project; and
health status of researchers and animal handlers (eg particular risks during pregnancy or if immuno-compromised).

Examples:

The Animal Research OHS Risk Guideline is available. The table below lists some examples of hazards and controls:

Hazard Category	Examples of Hazards	Examples of Risk Controls
Biological	zoonoses associated with certain animal species, allergens such as urine, dander, dust from food or bedding	biosafety training PPCE - gown, gloves, mask waste management restricted access to facilities vaccination of researchers and technicians
Radiation	radiolabelled food, x-ray equipment	radiation approval and safety training shielding from radiation source waste management
Hazardous substances	formaldehyde used for tissue fixing, CO2 gas, anaesthetic gases	hazardous substances training ventilation, fume hood PPCE - gown, gloves, mask
Poisons and therapeutic goods	S4 and S8 drugs	regulation of drug purchase, storage, use, disposal and record-keeping authorisation for S8 drugs
Gene technology or dealing with genetically modified organisms(GMOs)	transgenic mouse, infection of animals with genetically modified microorganism	approval for GMO dealing gene technology training control as for biological hazards certification of PC2 facilities
Other	wet floors, electrical equipment, autoclave (heat, pressure), noise from animals and equipment	facility and equipment inspection and maintenance procedures standard operating procedures (SOPs) emergency procedures

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
4.4 Specific Hazards Management	Procedures and Guidelines for Specific OHS Hazards, for example: Biological Safety Procedure Fieldwork Safety Guideline Gene Technology Procedure Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods Procedure Ionising Radiation Procedure Manual Handling Guideline Prohibited and Notifiable Carcinogens Procedure Schedule 8 Drugs Procedure

Tools and Resources:

Animal Research OHS Risk Guideline
Web pages for specific OHS hazards - eg fieldwork, chemicals (including schedule 8 drugs)
OHS training courses - eg biosafety, gene technology, safe lifting technique

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Step 8 - Plant & Equipment - OHS Requirements

Action:

If you have not previously documented the plant and equipment OHS hazards and risks of your project you should document your risk assessment, and obtain approval, before commencing research activities.

Examples of factors to be taken into account in the risk assessment include:

electrical safety (eg capacity of the facility's electrical supply, testing and tagging program);
machine guarding (eg prevent access to nip or crush points);
access for inspection, testing and maintenance of the plant or equipment;
specific training in equipment use and maintenance (eg generally provided by equipment supplier);
waste and by-products generated (eg fumes, heat produced, cooling requirements); and
location of equipment (eg delivery of new equipment to point of use, capacity of bench to bear the weight).

You should refer to the equipment safety guide provided by the product supplier.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
4.4 Specific Hazards Management	Procedures and Guidelines for Specific OHS Hazards, for example: Biological Safety Procedure Gene Technology Procedure Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods Procedure Ionising Radiation Procedure Prohibited and Notifiable Carcinogens Procedure Schedule 8 Drugs Procedure

Tools and Resources:

Web pages for specific OHS hazards - eg biological, chemical, radiation
Laboratory hazardous waste disposal - web page and forms
Spills procedures and guidelines - biological, chemical, mercury, radiation
OHS training courses - eg risk assessment, radiation safety

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Step 9 - Materials & Substances - OHS Requirements

Action:

If you have not previously documented the OHS hazards and risks relating to materials and substances used in your project you should document your risk assessment, and obtain approval, before commencing research activities.

Examples of factors to be taken into account in the risk assessment include:

waste management (eg segregation of waste during storage, disposal processes meet EPA requirements);
safe working practices;
emergency response;
storage requirements (eg fire proof cabinet, segregation of different classes of hazardous substances);
labelling requirements; and
personal protective clothing and equipment (PPCE) - selection, use, and maintenance.

Refer to the OHS procedure or guideline for the specific hazard - eg biological, radiation, hazardous substance, gene technology, schedule 8 drugs. You should also read the Material Safety Data Sheet provided by the product supplier.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
4.4 Specific Hazards Management	Procedures and Guidelines for Specific OHS Hazards, for example: Biological Safety Procedure Gene Technology Procedure Hazardous Substances and Dangerous Goods Procedure Ionising Radiation Procedure Prohibited and Notifiable Carcinogens Procedure Schedule 8 Drugs Procedure

Tools and Resources:

Web pages for specific OHS hazards - eg biological, chemical, radiation
Laboratory hazardous waste disposal - web page and forms
Spills procedures and guidelines - biological, chemical, mercury, radiation
OHS training courses - eg risk assessment, radiation safety

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Step 10 - Purchase / Acquisition & Storage of Materials, Plant & Equipment

Action:

Identify OHS specifications prior to purchase or acquisition of materials, plant and equipment;
Verify conformance with specifications on receipt; and
Arrange for safe storage of materials, plant and equipment.

Examples of research materials and equipment that should be analysed for OHS risks prior to purchase/acquisition include:

genetically modified organisms;
hazardous substances (eg biological materials, chemicals and radioactive substances);
scheduled drugs and poisons;
physical items such as plant, equipment, furniture; and
personal protective clothing and equipment.

To meet regulatory requirements you must obtain the necessary approval, licence or permit prior to purchase or acquisition of higher risk materials and equipment. Three examples are:

(1) WorkCover permit for scheduled carcinogenic substances;

(2) Environment Protection Authority licence for radioisotopes; and

(3) OGTR licence for genetically modified organism.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
2.3 Purchasing and Acquisition	OHS Purchasing Guideline

Tools and Resources:

Pre/post purchasing checklist
Ergonomic equipment web page - guide to furniture selection

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Step 11 - Purchase of Services/Contractor OHS Management

Action:

Ensure that potential OHS risks arising from research-related activities conducted by non-UNSW employees (ie contractors and other service-providers including volunteers) are identified and effectively managed; and
Identify potential risks to the service-providers arising from your research activities.

Examples of research-related services that should be analysed for OHS risks prior to purchase/acquisition include:

contractor services for maintenance, construction or refurbishment of premises (contact your Faculty Client Facility Manager);
services for analysis of research materials or data;
electrical testing and tagging service for research equipment;
health or environmental monitoring services;
conference travel.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
2.3 Purchasing and Acquisition	OHS Purchasing Guideline

Tools and Resources:

Visitors to UNSW Facilities Guideline
Contractor safety management - contact your Faculty Client Facility Manager (Customer Service phone ext 55111)
UNSW Travel Procedures - managed through Accounting Services
Travel related tools - SARS travel alert, UNSW travel alert, TravelLock Traveller Tracking System

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Step 12 - Develop Safe Working Procedures & Emergency Procedures

Action:

Document safe working procedures (SWPs) that provide clear instruction on research processes and the use and maintenance of equipment,
Include emergency response information within the SWPS and other OHS documentation (eg laboratory manual, facility safety signs, etc),
Provide your research team with information and instruction in the SWPS and emergency procedures, and
Ensure that only current OHS documents are in use by controlling version number and dissemination, and by removing old versions from circulation.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
4.1 OHS Risk Management Program	Process Control Procedure
4.2 OHS Document and Record Management	OHS Document and Record Control Procedure
4.5 Emergency Preparedness and Response	Emergency Procedures Manual

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Step 13 - OHS Induction/OHS Training & Competency needs

Action:

Ensure that all members of your research team receive instruction in safe and healthy working procedures, they are warned about particular hazards relating to the research premises and activities, and are advised on how to avoid, eliminate or minimise them.

To meet the OHS information and training needs of researchers you should:

ensure that all new research personnel undergo OHS induction and orientation on commencement;
assess the OHS competency and training needs of each individual before they commence hazardous activities;
monitor that the required OHS training is completed;
arrange adequate supervision of researchers until they are deemed competent to undertake hazardous processes; and
ensure that OHS induction, training and supervision is in place for your research staff and students who are working in premises that are not under your direct control.

If you invite visitors or contractors (paid or unpaid) to work in your research facility you must take steps to identify and manage any risk arising from the proposed activities of the contractor/visitor and ensure that they are informed of local hazards, risks and risk controls.

UNSW OHSMS Element and Procedure:

OHSMS Element	Procedure
4.3 OHS Training	OHS Training Procedure

Tools and Resources:

OHS Induction Forms for new staff and visitors
OHS Competency Forms
Training Needs Analysis Template
OHS training courses - eg OHS Awareness, training for specific hazards

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