Updated January 14, 2025
The University is committed to maintaining a healthy and safe environmental for learning, teaching and conducting research. Executive Order 55 gives authority to the Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) to conduct safety surveys and inspections in University teaching and research laboratories.
Following the announcement of the Seattle Police Department’s preventable fire alarm initiative (that will result in fines for false alarms starting January 1, 2020), EH&S has fielded concerns about whether a fire alarm should be trigged when a fire is not present.
There are multiple models of biological safety cabinets (BSCs) at the UW that Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) has identified as obsolete.
Visit the Biological Safety Cabinets page for more information.
Welcome to the research community at the University of Washington!
The Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) developed this information to introduce you to the some of the important elements required for safety practices and safety compliance in your research space.
Please review the materials below and and complete all of the items on the Essential To Do List.
Click on the link below to view a presentation that discusses how to effectively conduct self-inspections of your research spaces and labs, how to use the new self-inspection tool, and ways to customize the self-inspection process for your workspace and research group.
A video is also available online for you to watch at your convenience.
EH&S launched a new version of the Lab Safety Dashboard that offers a Self-Inspection Tool that allows PIs and CHOs to conduct and record an audit of their laboratory spaces using the lab survey checklist.
