Responsible unit: Property Management Office
Contact: Mikael Corell

Introduction

Stockholm University handles chemical and biological products and radiation sources, as well as physical sources of risk. Improper handling of these can lead to a negative impact on both human health and the environment. Stockholm University's laboratory safety policy is a declaration of intent and provides a framework for the activities’ systematic work environment management and environmental work. The laboratory safety policy covers the areas of the environment, occupational health and safety, which include radiation safety, chemical safety, handling of flammable and explosive goods, biological safety, electrical safety and other occupational health and safety risks related to laboratory activities. By following the university's laboratory safety policy and following governance and support documents for laboratory safety, risks are minimized and environmental management is achieved.

Laboratory safety policy

With the aim of constantly improving laboratory safety at Stockholm University, laboratory activities will:

  • Where possible, work according to higher requirements than the legal rules and minimum requirements imposed on the activities.
  • Allocate resources to conduct systematic and proactive laboratory safety work in your own operations.
  • Promote the utilisation of the expertise within the university through a continuous knowledge and experiential exchange between core activities and operational support.
  • Establish risk assessments that include environmental, work environment and safety risks before laboratory work begins.
  • Work to ensure that the handling of chemical and biological products, radiation sources and physical sources of risk takes place safely from both an environmental and a work environment perspective through competence development in laboratory safety for relevant employees, students and others active at the university.
  • Work to minimise emissions to air, water and soil.
  • Promote the application of the substitution principle, i.e. replacing hazardous chemical products and methods where possible, and when substitution is not possible to minimise the use of hazardous chemical products and methods.
  • Store all chemical and biological products and radiation sources safely and in accordance with regulatory requirements.

Responsibility

The University President is ultimately responsible for compliance with laws and regulations. To be able to ensure this, the President has delegated tasks concerning laboratory safety to the deputy vice presidents, the deans and the University Director, who in turn delegate tasks to department heads and the equivalent. The head of department/equivalent can choose to further delegate tasks to other managers at their department/equivalent.

All employees and students at Stockholm University have an obligation to comply with the laws and regulations that exist in areas of the environment, work environment and safety, and to comply with the policies, rules and procedures/equivalent that the employer/education provider has enacted.