Laboratory Safety Committee

Georgia State University supports the pursuit of research and academic excellence while promoting safety awareness in the labs. The Laboratory Safety Committee (LSC) at GSU provides guidance and administrative oversight of environmental health and safety procedures in the academic research and teaching laboratories.

The LSC develops policies and guidelines to assist in addressing hazard identification, accident prevention, and security in the laboratory to ensure the safety and welfare of all lab personnel. These policies and procedures can be found in the GSU Laboratory Safety Manual.

The Laboratory Safety Committee meets the second Friday of each month.

Committee Members

Name	Affiliation
Markus Germann Chair	Dept. of Chemistry, Arts & Sciences
Laura Carruth	Neuroscience Institute, Arts & Sciences
Nikolaus Dietz	Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, Arts & Sciences
Crawford Elliott	Dept. of Geosciences, Arts & Sciences
Dereck Faust	School of Art & Design, Arts & Sciences
Teri Morris Florman	School of Nursing
John Houghton	Dept. of Biology, Arts & Sciences
Jennifer McWhorter	Fire Safety
Abdul Momen	Facilities
Stephen Rosner	Athletic Dept.
Pedro Vasquez	Dept. of Chemistry, Arts & Sciences
Betsy Butler Ex officio member with vote	Senior Biosafety Officer, Research & Environmental Safety

Betsy Butler
Senior Biosafety Officer
Phone: 404-413-3510
Email: [email protected]

Jamar Simmons
Chemical Safety Officer
Phone: 404-413-3535
Email: [email protected]

Paul Hysell
Senior Hazardous Materials Specialist
Phone: 404-413-3515
Email: [email protected]

Quintena Tinson
Radiation Safety Officer, Senior
Phone: 404-413-3568
Email: [email protected]

Stephen Johnson
Senior Chemical Safety Specialist
Phone: 404-413-3535
Email: [email protected]

Secret Rhynes
Research Safety Officer
Phone: 404-413-3570
Email: [email protected]

Reggie Sanders
Research Safety Specialist
Phone: 404-413-3565
Email: [email protected]

Georgia State University recognizes that an ethical, efficient, and effective work environment is essential to our continuing to successfully accomplish our mission.

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The Hierarchy System of Controls identifies the major methods of accident prevention to maintain a safe working environment. These controls include:

Engineering controls

may include using a chemical fume hood or snorkel, containing chemicals and other materials in the appropriate containers, eyewashes and safety showers, or increasing the ventilation in a particular area to minimize an exposure to a hazardous substance. Making sure that all equipment in your laboratory are properly maintained and inspected on a regular basis is an integral part of engineering controls. If you have any issues with the equipment in the laboratory, please contact Facilities Department via phone at (404)413-0700 to submit a service request.

Administrative controls

include altering the way in which a procedure is done, monitored, and/or restricted. Examples of an administrative control is to limit the exposure time of a worker, creating written standards operating procedures (SOPs), enforcing rules about daily housekeeping, and performing regular equipment maintenance. Be sure to adhere to all of the rules and regulations established by your department/Principle Investigator, Georgia State University, and the local, state, and federal agencies.It is the responsibilities of all laboratory staff and Principle Investigators to establish administrative controls within their laboratory space. When setting these parameters and procedures, please be sure to follow safety guidelines set by federal, state, and local entities.

Personal protective equipment (PPE)

should only be considered as a supplemental control when engineering controls are not adequate. It should be used to increase the level of safety protection from chemical, biological, and physical hazards to protect you from harm should an accident occur. PPE should also be on hand for use during emergency response and cleanup procedures. PPE includes items such as gloves, safety glasses, protective shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, lab coats, aprons, and respirators and masks.There are many different brands and a variety of materials that protect against different hazards of varying degrees. Make sure to check the packaging of your PPE to determine if that is the right type of glove, eyewear, lab coat, etc. to protect you against the hazard(s) you are exposed to.

More Information:

Accidents that take place in the laboratory and involves any hazardous materials should be immediately reported to GSU Police and Research and Environmental Safety. Our office is prepared to assist with hazardous materials clean up. Any incidents involving fire and injury must be reported immediately to local authorities (911 or GSU Police at (404)413-3333).

The GSU Office of Emergency Management also provides guidance on what to do in case of an emergency.

Contact the Department of Safety and Risk Management at (404)413-9549 to report any claims and injuries associated with the laboratory accident.

Feel free to contact our office at (404)413-3540 or the Department of Safety and Risk Management at (404)413-9549 if you have any questions.

You may also use this link to anonymously report compliance issues and/or accidents/spills/exposures.

Submit anonymous compliance questions & concerns