Policy: Change of Use of Laboratories and other Rooms.

All staff (Principal Investigator, technical, research and students) need to know what is required before proceeding with any laboratory modification - and their research. This is important when building a new laboratory and it is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to produce a risk assessment that states1) the work that will take place, 2) how this work will take place safely, 3) who is affected.

As one of the principal concerns about change of use is safety, any change of use must be accompanied with a risk assessment before any work can take place

The risk assessment must address:

  1. all principal hazards
  2. control of these hazards
  3. assess the remaining level of risk

Controls must use the following hierarchy:

  1. Can the hazard be removed - e.g. use something else
  2. Administrative controls - e.g. warning signs, training, limit who has access
  3. Engineering controls - e.g. barriers, interlocks
  4. Personal protective equipment - e.g. gloves, lab coats, goggles

This assessment must consider the risk to

  1. users or occupiers of the space
  2. support and service/maintenance personnel
  3. cleaning staff
  4. visitors

On completing the risk assessment a clear definition of what must occur before work can start safely will be available to all - and most important, justified.

There is a wealth of experience in the department and the University. PIs should ask for advice when needed. However, if the required information is not available, then in this case the PIs must get advice for external sources, e.g. other Universities, equipment supplier.

It is recommended that the University rapid risk assessment procedure be followed -

For laboratories the following is an indicative (not exhaustive) list of possible hazards