Maintaining a strong research and academic safety culture is a central institutional value of the University of Michigan (U-M). To continually enhance this culture of safety, all members of the U-M research community – including faculty, staff, and students – are reminded of their responsibility to report any incidents and/or “near misses” that happen within the laboratory.
Reporting incidents and near misses demonstrates that personnel safety and environmental protection are of crucial importance to U-M’s operations. It also allows the Research and Academic Safety Committee to gain a better understanding of the incidents occurring on campus, share lessons learned to help prevent future occurrences, and partner with units to eliminate the cause(s) of these incidents.
Incidents and “near misses” that should be reported include, but are NOT limited to:
- Injuries resulting from your (work) activities,
- Non-compliance** with safety and environmental rules, and
- General unsafe work conditions.
**Please refer to the Policy on Investigating Noncompliance and Animal Welfare Concerns for information specific to the reporting of animal welfare concerns and suspected incidents of noncompliance within the Animal Care & Use Program.
Reporting a Research-Related Incident
- Any serious (i.e., life-threatening) incident requiring immediate action should first be reported to emergency responders by calling 911 or seeking medical care at the U-M Emergency Room.
- Complete an Illness or Injury Report Form with the Work Connections Office within 24 hours of any work-related injury or illness, including animal bites.
- Use the Laboratory Incident and Near Miss Report Form
to notify Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) about the incident, even if medical attention is not sought.
Where to Learn More
- For an illustrated guide on when to “Report” and when to “Treat” work-related injuries/illnesses that occur within the research setting, visit the EHS Reporting Incidents website.
- Additional resources for managing the occupational health and safety risks associated with working around animals can be found on the EHS Animal Safety website.
Questions?
Questions about work-related injuries or reporting a laboratory safety incident should be directed to EHS at [email protected].
Working together, we will continue to strengthen U-M’s culture of research safety, ensuring all faculty, staff, and students work and thrive in a safe environment.
For more information about research safety, please visit research.umich.edu/research-safety.
Links marked with a lock icon can only be accessed using valid U-M login credentials.