Safety Resources
Access important documents, labels, videos and training material provided by OLSEH.
Documents
Important safety documents and laboratory forms.
Monthly Newsletter
Monthly newsletters and updates from OLSEH.
Labels
Download and use the appropriate laboratory safety labels.
Videos
Safety training videos for laboratory users.
Cryo Safety Videos
Safety Guidelines for Safety Funding
Understand funding responsibilities, safety infrastructure and the procedure for requesting safety-related funding at IISc.
What will be funded? What will not be funded?
The table summarizes the expectations. PI must dip into project funds for safety consumables and equipment. IISc will take care of all infrastructure requirements, including fire, waste, utilities, etc. OLSEH can help with knowledge sharing, e.g., safety audits, HAZID studies, vendor contacts, regulatory requirements, etc.
| Item | PI Contribution | IISc Contribution | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety consumables | 100% | 0% | Items such as gloves, aprons, lab-coats, goggles, safety glasses, laser safety glasses, etc. and safety related items that get consumed in a lab within 2 years, like batteries for sensors, lights, replacement cartridges for sensors, etc. |
| Capital equipment for labs | 100% | 0% | Items such as gas sensors, gas banks, barriers, gas tubing, gas cabinets, chemical safety cabinets, exhaust scrubbers, etc. |
| Capital equipment with Dean Division’s recommendation | X% | (100-X)% | Divisional Deans may decide to extend the definition of basic infrastructure. For example, Chemical Science decided to purchase hoods for the new Chemical Science Division Building. OLSEH will escalate such requests to Dean Division and Dean A&F. |
| Fire Safety | 0% | 100% | All Fire safety infrastructure, including fire exits, fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, fire alarm systems, fire detection systems, fire suppression systems, etc. |
| Utility infrastructure | 0% | 100% | Covers safety related issues of all utilities, like Electrical: earthing, wiring, etc. Water: water leaks, seepage, waste-water treatment, etc. Building: cracks, seepage, lightning protection, etc. |
| Waste management | 0% | 100% | Collection of segregated waste, waste disposal, waste collection sheds, effluent treatment, etc. |
| Safety Studies | 0% | 100% | Hazard Identification study (HIZ), Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Safety Integrity Levels (SIL), Hazardous Area Classification, Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) and Fire and Explosion Analysis (FEA). |
What safety infrastructure will IISc offer?
Institute will provide the necessary infrastructure for safety. IISc has defined this specifically to include the following:
- Fire Safety: Alarms, hooters, fire extinguisher. If needed, sprinkler & hydrants. Regular maintenance of these systems.
- Emergency Plan: battery lights, exit signs, fire exit(s). Assembly points. Basic safety signage.
- Waste collection: Frequent waste collection to ensure no pile-up. Reasonably sized centralized storage for storing waste between pickups.
- Effluent management. Includes water, gas exhaust, and scrubbing.
- Ramp or service elevator: For heavy goods/chemicals/cryogenic liquids.
- Receiving dock or access road: For delivery.
Divisional Deans may decide to extend the definition beyond this;for example, Chemical Science decided to purchase hoods for the new Chemical Science Division Building. If a fundamental capital item is missing from your department, please submit a proposal with budget. OLSEH will escalate the proposal to Dean (Division) and Dean (A&F). Funding will be provided by IISc, as per their approval.
Which safety systems must be purchased with project funds?
Safety consumable and capital must be purchased by project funds. These include:
- PPE: PPE are often cheap and easily budgeted as consumables in project proposals. Most PPE are readily available from local vendors with same/next-day delivery. These suppliers also stock imported and high-quality PPE. OLSEH can provide references. Online purchase is also an option. In case a specialized PPE cannot be sourced, OLSEH is happy to work out a solution, e.g., long-term rate-contract or batch purchase.
- Regular maintenance of lab safety equipment, even essential ones like hoods, must be managed by department or PI. Departments are requested to explore AMC and other long-term maintenance contracts. Funding can come from departmental expenses or project funds.
- Safety systems needed for specialized lab equipment must be purchased with project funding. There is a precedence of funding agencies supporting safety equipment, provided there is a strong justification.
Is it possible to get partial funding from IISc?
Maybe. These decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis by the Institute Administration. OLSEH will forward these requirements to the relevant the Dean(s) for their guidance. We recommend that you discuss the issue with Dean (Division) before sending the proposal.
Process for Applying
Step 1: identify the issues.
- These can be at the lab level or department level.
- A good place to start is the self-audit or external audits. If you need help, ask for lab audit on ADSER (https://adser.iisc.ac.in).
- For high-risk labs, OLSEH will fund HAZID/HAZOP studies. Raise request on ADSER (https://adser.iisc.ac.in).
Step 2: Draft a proposal.
- Just a page or two is enough. We just need line items (budget) and a justification
- The proposal can be submitted by individual faculty, department safety champion or staff-lead of a central facility.
- Budget must be backed by quote(s).
- Ensure that only safety related items are included. We will not fund furniture, tube-lights, phones, etc.
- Budget must conform to the guidelines. Consumables will not be funded.
Step 3: Submit to OLSEH for technical evaluation
- Upload the proposal and quotes to ADSER (https://adser.iisc.ac.in). If you are having an issue, send email to safety.olseh@iisc.ac.in.
- One of the Officers will interact with you to refine the proposal.
- Goal is to establish urgency and suitability.
- Infrastructural or building improvements are executed by CCMD, so we need a quote from them. If there is delay in getting quotes from CCMD. Escalate the issue to OLSEH. We will work with you.
Step 4: Budget sanction by Dean(s)
- For capital funding, we need extra approval from the Dean Division. OLSEH will forward your request to Division Dean. If not needed, we skip this step.
- Next, OLSEH forward the request to Dean-A&F.
- Once sanctioned, a letter/email will reach you. IISc will transfer money directly to department expenses account.
Step 5: Implement
- Implementation is managed by department (from PO to execution).
Step 6: OLSEH verification & close
An officer will visit to verify. Safety Guidelines for Safety Funding.
FAQ
Find answers to commonly asked questions about laboratory safety, OLSEH responsibilities, safety funding and emergency procedures.
OLSEH stands for Office of Laboratory Safety and Environmental Health. OLSEH oversees. It is an Council-approved office under the Director to implement the Safety Policy on IISc campuses.
OLSEH focuses on only laboratory safety. Residential and administrative buildings are under the purview of CCMD and Security. The only exception is fire safety infrastructure, like extinguishers and hydrants. OLSEH is managing fire infrastructure even in residential and administrative buildings.
OLSEH works closely with CCMD and security to execute projects and share knowledge.
Please CCMD and Dean (P&I) Issues related to construction, seepage, water-logging, electrical infrastructure, etc. Please contact Security and Registrar for all issues related to theft, camera, security, etc.
No. CCMD and Dean (P&I) are in-charge of those. OLSEH only focuses on laboratory safety.
Contact Security Office on 080-2293-5555. Security Office will contact OLSEH.
Send email to safety.olseh@iisc.ac.in . The template of the incident report is here . As per the Safety Policy all accidents, exposures, near-misses, and injuries must be reported to OLSEH.
Send email to safety.olseh@iisc.ac.in . If needed, the reports can be kept confidential.
Faculty are responsible for establishing and enforcing rules for safe conduct in lab. This includes access control, training regimen, PPE, and regulatory approvals. For details see Section 5 of Safety Policy .
Yes, please raise a ticket on ADSER ( https://adser.iisc.ac.in ) to schedule an audit. For high-risk labs a profession HAZID study can also be done.
You can contact the Chair, Safety Committee . You can also contact Department Safety Champion of your department, and request them to follow-up.
Yes. Please see the process and guidelines on Safety Funding .
Please submit a proposal to OLSEH via ADSER ( https://adser.iisc.ac.in ). Please ensure the proposal is as per the guidelines on Safety Funding .
Department Safety Champion can submit a proposal to OLSEH via ADSER ( https://adser.iisc.ac.in ). Please ensure the proposal is as per the guidelines on Safety Funding .
Details to the guidelines on Safety Funding . To summarize:
- PPE and consumable must be purchased using project funds.
- Regular maintenance of lab safety equipment, even essential ones like hoods, must be managed by department or PI.
- Safety systems needed for specialised labs, e.g. sensors, must be purchased with project funding.
Details to the guidelines on Safety Funding . To summarize:
- Fire infrastructure, including extinguishers, smoke detectors, hooters, fire alarm control panels, hydrants, and sprinklers.
-
Safety related issues of all utilities,
e.g.
- Electrical: earthing, wiring, etc.
- Water: water leaks, seepage, waste-water treatment, etc.
- Building: cracks, seepage, lightning protection, etc.
- General safety infrastructure as per regulatory codes like IBC 2016. This include items like safety showers, eye-wash stations, mandatory signage, exit-doors, etc.
- Waste management: e.g. collection of segregated waste, waste disposal, waste collection sheds, effluent treatment, etc.
- Specialized risk assessment studies, like Hazard identification study (HIZ), Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP), Safety Integrity Levels (SIL), Hazardous Area Classification, Quantitative Risk Analysis (QRA) and Fire and Explosion Analysis (FEA).
- Capital equipment, but only after special approval of Dean Division and Dean A&F. All such requests will be forwarded to the Dean Division after technical evaluation by OLSEH.
Maybe. For details refer to the guidelines on Safety Funding .
Capital equipment require special approval of Dean-Division and Dean-A&F. All such requests will be forwarded to the Dean Division after technical evaluation by OLSEH. Quantum of funding is a matter of negotiation between the PI and the Deans.
After approval, usually the funds are transferred to the Department expense accounts. So the department or PI is responsible for shepherding the PO. OLSEH will manage the purchase process only if the allotted WBS element is under the control of OLSEH.
Yes, please fill the waste disposal forms . We currently pick waste in 8 categories. More can be added. If have a special need, please raise a ticket on ADSER .
Yes, please raise a ticket on ADSER(https://adser.iisc.ac.in/) . OLSEH will fund the installation and maintenance.