Safety Resources

Standard Operating Procedure/Safe Work Procedure (SOP/SWP)

You are required to write an SOP for any hazardous laboratory work. To help you write the procedures the Department has built a database with SOP's written by fellow students. Select one that has content similar to the SOP you want to write. Modify it, date it, enter your name under author, and submit it to be posted. Our goal is to have enough SOP's listed that it becomes a simple exercise for you to write a procedure for every aspect of your research.

Note: Use your CCID and password to log in.

Transportation of Dangerous Goods

You may need to ship chemicals or samples off-campus for testing. Certification is required if you ship Dangerous Goods (DG) off-campus. A TDG training course is offered online by Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS), which will provide you with the information that you need to ship and receive hazardous goods at the University of Alberta. If your research group only needs to ship DG out occasionally, please ask department safety coordinator Shaofeng Yang at shaofeng@ualberta.ca for help with the shipping.

Chemical Waste Disposal

Hazardous waste should be disposed of through CHEMATIX, a web-based system to manage waste disposal. Based on CHEMATIX input, EHS will schedule waste pickup and transfer for the university. To get started, register online to get access. You will be added to the system and notified by email. Then use your university CCID and associated password to log into the system. For information about the safe disposal of hazardous waste take the Hazardous Waste Management course and review the CHEMATIX user manual.

Emergency Response Plan

Review the unit action plan (emergency response plan) for the Chemical & Materials Engineering laboratories. This provides detailed information on steps to take in case of an emergency.

Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

SDS's are available online for all chemicals. The following are two popular sites you may want to search:

• Fisher Scientific
• Sigma Aldrich

Safety Document Management and Record Keeping

Please note that this list is not completely exhaustive - some laboratories have different needs than others. All documents and organizational systems should be modified to suit your research group's needs best. Many of the templates listed here are directly from HSE’s Resource webpage, other’s are maintained by the Faculty of Engineering Safety and Risk Management team and the department of Chemical and Materials Engineering

Please contact the department safety coordinator at shaofeng@ualberta.ca if you have any questions.

Recommended Folder Structure (with clickable links)

01 - Leadership and Supervision

• Delegation of Laboratory Supervision

02 - Emergency Preparedness 

• Unit Action Plan form request 
• Unit Action Plan template (Engineering)
• Emergency Response Procedures
• Contact List
• Working Alone and After Hours Policy

03 - Hazard Management

• Hazard Assessments
• Standard Operating Procedure
• PPE Checklist
• HA and SOP Index

04 - Inventory of Goods

• Biological Inventory
• Chemical Inventory
• Nuclear Substance Inventory 

05 - Training and Documentation

• Onboarding Procedure (plus records for each lab member)
• Off-boarding Procedure (plus records for all previous lab members)
• Competency Assessment
• Laboratory Specific Training 
• Training Needs Assessment
• Training Matrix and Log
• Folders for each lab member training certificates

06 - Procurement and Purchasing

• Equipment Receipts (folder)
• Chemical Receipts (folder)

07 - Regulatory Documentation and Licenses

• Folders for laser / nuclear / bio licenses 
• Canadian Biosafety Standard (3rd Edition)
• Nuclear Safety and Controls Act (2017)
• Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code (2023)
• Any other applicable regulatory document

08 - Equipment, Maintenance, and Inspection Records

• Preventative Maintenance Program (if applicable)
• Completed Inspections (folder)
• Corrective Actions (folder)

09 - Other Documents

• Chemical Incompatibilities 
• Chemical Safety Guidelines
• Chemical Storage Guidelines
• Laser Safety Manual
• Signage Folder
  • First Aid
  • Chemical Shower (incomplete)
  • Spill Kit (incomplete)
  • Fire Extinguisher (incomplete)
• Noise Management Program
• Hearing Protection Fit Test Procedure
• Safe Transport of Hazard Materials (On-Campus) Guidelines
• Respiratory Protection Program
• Use, Care, and Storage of RPE
• Forms
  • Equipment Decontamination Form
  • Surplus Disposal Form
• Any other applicable safety procedures, guidelines, recommendations, etc.

10 - Archive

• Files and records must be maintained for 10 years.

IF IT IS NOT WRITTEN DOWN, IT DOES NOT EXIST

GOOD SAFETY IS GOOD SCIENCE