The mission of the Office of Research is to cultivate and support discovery, innovation, commercialization, and economic growth. The Office of Research Safety Affairs supports this mission by promoting regulatory compliance in a manner that attempts to ease the burden placed on researchers, while providing health and safety at UTHSC and in the community at large.
Researchers are required to comply with a diversity of regulations and guidelines from organizations that include the Center for Disease Control, Tennessee OSHA, TDEC and US EPA, National Institutes of Health, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and others. Individual researchers and UTHSC may both be liable for non-compliance. To ensure that research is performed in accordance with these requirements, the Office of Research Safety Affairs provides:
- Training resources,
- Risk assessments and SOP development,
- Management of hazardous materials and wastes including chemical, biological and radiological agents,
- Assistance with IBC and IACUC Protocols,
- Health and safety assistance,
- Exposure assessments, and
- Incident investigations intended to promote continuous improvement
- Lab inspections as mandated by regulations