The Office of Research Infrastructure and Safety helps fulfill a critical need for safe lab operations in the Vice President for Research (VPR) facilities. Our primary goal is to ensure that research conducted in the VPR facilities is done so in a safe manner through collaboration with researchers and UNLV’s Risk Management and Safety (RMS) office.

All new faculty and staff researchers, as well as graduate and undergraduate student research assistants who will work in our lab environments, are required to complete chemical hygiene training. This lab safety training is scheduled for the first Monday of each month, and as necessary depending on demand.

Topics covered in this training class include:

• chemical hygiene
• general lab safety
• proper waste handling
• emergency procedures
• hazard identification and communication
• chemical procurement, inventory, and storage
• exposure, detection, and controls

In addition to training, we routinely visit labs and consult with Principal Investigators and researchers regarding a wide variety of common issues and unique configurations. For example, many research projects are novel, and it is essential to ensure that safety mechanisms, controls, and procedures are in place prior to procuring highly hazardous materials such as some gasses or chemicals. We support researchers through helping develop solutions to allow the necessary research to occur safely and in compliance with any applicable regulations.

Everyone has the right to a safe working environment and can contact us at any time with safety concerns or questions. Those who wish to remain anonymous while reporting a safety concern may do so through Risk Management and Safety 

To discuss existing or planned projects with our office, or to register for the chemical hygiene class, please contact the VPR facilities Safety Manager, Julie Bertoia at Julie.bertoia@unlv.edu, or 702-895-2613.