Illinois Institute of Technology has committees to create and review safety policies, assist with safety issues, and oversee specialized hazards that have extended federal oversight. Any processes that require the use of specialized hazards must be approved by the appropriate committees before the material can be ordered or used. Approval forms from these committees can also be used as the Standard Operating.
Illinois Institute of Technology is committed to the humane care and use of animals in research and teaching. Illinois Institute of Technology recognizes the scientific and ethical responsibility for the humane care and use of animals involved in research and education and enjoins all individuals involved to the highest standards of animal care and consideration.
The Animal Welfare Act and the Policy on the Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals both require institutions to have Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUCs), which include experts in the care of animals and members of the public. These committees review and approve research proposals using animals, oversee animal care programs and facilities, and respond to concerns about the use of animals in research.
All over the world, researchers work daily in laboratories to find cures for diseases, improve human, animal, and plant health, and better understand infectious agents and toxins. Researchers apply the principles of biosafety and follow them carefully to ensure the safety of people inside and outside the laboratory and the safety of the environment
Biosafety is the use of specific practices, safety equipment and specially designed buildings to ensure that workers, the community, and the environment are protected from infectious agents, toxins and biological hazards. The Biosafety program Identifies biological hazards, measures the level of health-related risk the biological hazards present, and identifies ways to reduce the health-related risks associated with the biological hazards.
The mission of the CSWG is to assist the Director in ensuring a safe and healthy environment for the IIT community. The CSWG is a multidisciplinary group that facilitates communication about safety issues and supports the Director. Under the direction of the Director, the CSWG will generally provide assistance to coordinate programs and services to reduce safety, health and environmental risks at IIT in a manner consistent with responsible fiscal and environmental stewardship and to encourage all employees to make safety an increasingly important priority. At the request of the Director, the CSWG may also periodically review all physical and chemical hazards in and the standard operating procedures of laboratories and, based on such reviews, submit recommendations to the Director. More specifically, the CSWG may undertake any of the following activities:
- Assist the Director in developing action plans on occupational health and safety matters, including, without limitation, helping to set priorities to control hazards and conducting safety inspections;
- Act as a problem-solving group to aid in identifying and controlling of hazards, including, without limitation, ensuring that safety training is being offered as effectively as possible to meet existing needs and devising efficient and cost-effective means for resolving health and safety issues;
- Develop recommendations for the Director, the Safety Policy Committee and/or one of the specialized committees, as appropriate, related to long-range environmental planning and meeting applicable regulatory requirements; and
- Help install a “culture” of safety across IIT that makes the health and safety of everyone in the IIT community a priority and emphasizes compliance and preventive action as key to reducing injury and illness; and
- Establish a centralized online resource of safety information that can be accessed by all members of the campus community.
Organizational Management
The CSWG is intended to be representative of the IIT community and will include members from both the academic and facilities divisions. The CSWG will aim to meet monthly. The CSWG is intended to guide and support the Director. Through proactive assessment of potential health and safety issues and by responding to concerns raised by members of the campus community, the CSWG strives to reduce sources of risk by developing and recommending courses of action to ensure compliance with the policies, procedures and programs of the IIT Safety Policy Committee and applicable regulatory requirements.
The CSWG is not intended to change established lines of authority or reporting responsibilities. As indicated, ultimate responsibility for environmental health and safety on campus is vested in the Director. The Safety Policy Committee is authorized to recommend adoption of university-wide safety policies and programs to the Provost and the Vice President for Business and Operations, and more specialized committees -- such as those concerned with radiation safety, lasers, human subject research, animal research and biohazards -- remain empowered to act to ensure compliance with relevant laws. Designated departmental faculty and staff members are responsible for implementing appropriate safety procedures and protocols in their areas.
With the foregoing framework, the CSWG, based on its thorough consideration of collected technical inputs, may recommend actions for approval by the Provost, the Director, the Safety Policy Committee and/or one of the specialized committees, as appropriate.
Membership
Membership of the CSWG will include the Director and the Laboratory Safety Coordinator and such members of the faculty and the Facilities staff as may be appointed from time to time by the Provost on the recommendation of the Director.
The Electrical safety Committee (ESC) recommends policies and practices regarding the conduct and regulatory compliance of electrical and related work at Illinois Tech. The ESC will:
- Provide recommendations to the Director of Environmental Health and Safety for training and requirements to implement the program.
- Provide recommendations for funding of electrical safety initiatives
- Develop and review technical material related to the electrical Safety Program.
- Review and suggest revisions and the technical electrical information for electrical lockout/tagout.
- Assist line management in the interpretations of electrical safety requirements.
- Assist in employee training and safety awareness for electrical hazards.
- Assess the performance of Electrical Safety Program, including assessments, audits, inspections, and reviews of electrical accidents and near misses.
- The ESC may be requested to review electrical and electronic equipment and their installations at Illinois Tech.
This committee may also discuss, and study issues brought to them by Illinois Tech and EH&S staff, Laboratory and/or Department management with the approval of the Chair and/or the Director of Environmental Health and Safety.
Chair: Jeff Barrie, jbarrie@iit.edu
Anyone who conducts research with human participants needs to protect the interest of research subjects by complying with federal, state, and local regulations and with relevant codes established by professional groups. These provisions are designed to ensure that risk to human participants are minimized; that risks are reasonable given the expected benefits; that the participants or their authorized representatives provide informed consent; that the investigator has informed participants of key elements of the study protocol; and that the privacy of participants and confidentiality of data are maintained.
The safe use of sources of radiation requires a multi- layered effort. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) regulates uses of sources of radiation. The Radiation Safety Office is responsible for operational safety and compliance. The Radiation Safety Committee approves authorized users of radioactive material. The Authorized Users are responsible for the safety and compliance of their activities. The overall goal is to ensure that faculty, staff, students, and the public are safe, and that IIT is in compliance with required IEMA rules and regulations, and license conditions.
Radiation Safety aims to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure with the goal to minimize the harmful effects of ionizing radiation. Illinois Institute of Technology believes in the proper management and disposal of all radioactive materials used in educational and research activities.
ALARA
Although radiation is naturally present in our environment, it can have either beneficial or harmful effects, depending on its use and control. The guiding principle of radiation safety is “ALARA” ALARA stands for “as low as reasonably achievable”. This principle means that even if it is a small dose, if receiving that dose has no direct benefit, you should try to avoid it. To do this, you can use three basic protective measures in radiation safety: time, distance, and shielding.
Time
- Time refers to the amount of time you spend near a radiation source.
- Minimize your time near a radiation source to only as long as it takes to accomplish a task.
- First responders can use alarming dosimeters to help them minimize the amount of time they are in an area with elevated radiation levels
Distance
- Distance refers to how close you are to a radiation source.
- Maximize your distance from a radioactive source as much as possible.
- If you increase your distance from a radiation source, you will decrease your dose.
Shielding
- To shield yourself from a radiation source, you need to put something between you and the radiation source.
- The most effective shielding will depend on what kind of radiation the source is emitting.
- Some radionuclides emit more than one kind of radiation
Radiation Safety Committee (RSC)
Radiation Safety Officer
Eli Port
RSSI
(847) 965-1999
The Safety Policy Committee formulates and updates various safety-related policies, programs and manuals.