Research compliance is often a component of research projects, but do you know just how frequently? 

While the need for Human Subjects or Vertebrate Animal certification in a proposal is usually recognizable, other necessary certifications such as hazardous chemicals, biological materials, and radioactive materials are often overlooked.   

According to FSU’s Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), all wet labs throughout campus need to have, at minimum, hazardous chemical certifications.  That means that any proposals utilizing one of these labs will also need that certification, regardless of the personnel’s level of confidence in handling the various materials in question. 

EH&S concerns don’t apply to just STEM fields, however.  Many Fine Arts programs use hazardous chemicals such as solvents and heavy pigments in their projects.  Proposals associated with these types of materials would need to have hazardous chemical certification through EH&S.  Research projects in departments not traditionally associated with biohazardous materials – Anthropology, for instance – should also work with EH&S to procure the necessary certifications for their proposals.

For more information on this topic, please email Environmental Health and Safety at ehs@admin.fsu.edu, or the CRC Coordinator at gadkison@fsu.edu.