OHS

1
OHS W/Ethics and Safety Overview
2
Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare

• OHS W is everyones responsibility
• Students are responsible for
• not placing themselves or others at risk of
  injury
• reporting hazards associated with their class or
  other activities to the relevant staff member
• reporting every incident and injury irrespective
  of its seriousness to the relevant staff member
• http//www.unisa.edu.au/ohsw/procedures/studentinf
  ormation.asp

3
Human Research Ethics

• Any research that involves contact with human
  subjects requires ethics approval
• This includes (but may not be limited to)
• Clinical research
• Action research projects
• Research involving data collection by interviews,
  questionnaires, focus groups, observation
• Use of human tissue
• In addition to personal contact, access to
  medical records or access to other records that
  are not publicly available and which identify
  individuals, and which contain intimate personal
  information also requires ethics approvals

4
Human Research Ethics

• http//www.unisa.edu.au/res/ethics/human.asp

5
Biohazards Clearance

• The use of hazardous substances-pathogenic,
  carcinogenic or teratogenic substances or any
  highly toxic chemicals that require special
  precautions to be taken in their use or storage,
  requires safety approval.
• Researchers are required to consider what
  biosafety/health and safety issues relate to
  their research and must be aware of the
  legislative and regulatory requirements which
  apply to their research.  The provisions must be
  complied with.

6
Biohazards Clearance

• Applications for approval must be made for work
  involving
• Pathogenic substance in Risk Group 3 or 4
  (AS/nzs2243.3)
• Carcinogenic, teratogenic or highly toxic
  chemicals including
• cytotoxic drugs
• IARC Monographs Groups 12 Carcinogens
• heavy metals
• chemicals with a ChemWatch chronic or acute
  health risk rating of 4
• Projects which propose the use of large amounts
  of chemicals with a relatively low toxicity (risk
  rating of 3 or below) should also be approved
  before their commencement.

7
Biological Hazards

• Research involving the use of biological hazards
  must be approved by the Institutional Biosafety
  Committee
• This includes pathogenic organisms of Risk Group
  3 or 4 of the Australian Standards
• Research involving GMOs (Genetically Modified
  Organisms) must also be approved by the
  Institutional Biosafety Committee

8
Chemical Hazards

• Research involving chemical hazards must be
  approved by the Chemical Hazards Committee

9
Biohazards Clearance

• http//www.unisa.edu.au/res/ethics/biohaz.asp

10
Animal Experimentation

• All research involving animals must be approved
• It is necessary for all applications for approval
  of the use of animals to be considered at a
  meeting of the Institute of Medical and
  Veterinary Science (IMVS) Animal Ethics Committee
  (AEC), appointed by the Minister of Environment
  and Conservation, the Minister responsible for
  animal welfare.

11
Animal Experimentation

• http//www.unisa.edu.au/res/ethics/animal.asp

12
Plant, equipment devices and pressure vessels

• If your project involves the use of plant,
  equipment, devices or pressure vessels that are
  not part of the normal plant, equipment, devices
  or pressure vessels assessed and managed by the
  school or institute under its routine
  Occupational Health Safety and Welfare (OHSW)
  responsibilities, please complete a Project
  Proposal Safety Authorisation form (OHSW70) (Word
  doc) and submit it to your Head of
  School/Institute Director.

13
Radiation Safety

• If you intend to use radiation and/or radioactive
  material in your research or teaching, please
  contact the Universitys Radiation Safety
  Officer, Mr John Pattison (ext 23043 or email
  john.pattison_at_unisa.edu.au). The Radiation Safety
  Officer oversees radiation-related activities.
• http//www.unisa.edu.au/ohsw/procedures/radpolicie
  s.asp