About the Research Safety First Initiative and Safety Committees
The Research Safety First Initiative launched in 2022 as a new phase in the partnership between the University of Michigan, Environment, Health and Safety and the U-M Research and Academic Safety Committee. The initiative is designed to support U-M researchers by reducing burden while also increasing adherence to research safety requirements, based on feedback from laboratory directors, unit safety committees and others.
Safety First Leadership Roles:
Safety Accountability Lead (SAL): A leader within the unit, designated by the dean (or director of a research center), who has the necessary authority to oversee accountability of research and academic safety within their unit (typically a Research Associate Dean or Chief of Staff)
Co-SAL (optional): A staff or faculty member who may be appointed by the SAL and oversees day-to-day operations related to safety within the unit.
Unit Safety Committee Chair (USCC): A faculty member (typically) who leads the unit-level safety committee and is charged with addressing safety concerns within their unit. (Note: This should ideally be a separate individual from the SAL role)
The SAL is designated by the dean(s) of their unit and will:
- Ensure oversight of the implementation of the research safety initiative for their respective unit.
- Coordinate and engage with Unit Safety committee chair on priorities of the safety initiative to ensure planning and resources are in place as needed.
- Resolve issues that the Unit Safety committee brings for assistance
- Engage with the Research and Academic Safety Committee as needed to resolve issues or discuss ways to enhance safety across campus.
Special programming is being developed for Safety Coordinators. Information about these programs and other Safety Coordinator resources will be displayed on this webpage. If you want to be involved or have questions, find out more by contacting your Safety Committee chair.
| Name | Unit Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Rachael Henry | A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning |
| Sarah Weiss | Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design |
| Andre Boehman | College of Engineering |
| Ken Kollman | Institute for Social Research |
| Cathy Andrews | Life Science Institute |
| Trisha Wittkopp | Literature, Science, and the Arts |
| Jacqueline Jeruss | Medical School |
| Josh Chenier | School of Music, Theatre & Dance |
| Rima Upchurch | School of Environment & Sustainability |
| Vesa Kaartinen | School of Dentistry |
| Natalie Colabianchi | School of Kinesiology |
| Nicole Crandall | College of Pharmacy |
| TBD | School of Public Health |
| Rogerio Pinto | School of Social Work |
| Marieka Kaye | University Library |
Fifteen local safety committees (unit safety committees) have been established across twenty different schools, colleges, institutes and units on the Ann Arbor campus (see list below).
The unit safety committees focus on academic and research activities that involve potentially hazardous materials or equipment, and that occur in laboratories, shops or studios. The unit safety committees work to address communication and information-sharing challenges.
Unit safety committees are encouraged to meet at least quarterly. These meetings provide a forum for discussion of safety issues and include local problem-solving.
Unit Safety Committees Chair Roster
| Name | Unit Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Rachel Henry | A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning |
| Sarah Weiss | Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design |
| Andre Boehman | College of Engineering |
| Thomas Madden | Institute for Social Research |
| Ken Inoki | Life Science Institute |
| Pavel Nagorny | Literature, Science, and the Arts |
| Paul Jenkins | Medical School |
| Jeffrey Kuras | School of Music, Theatre & Dance |
|
Johannes Foufopoulos |
School of Environment & Sustainability |
|
Yuji Mishina and Tao Jin |
School of Dentistry |
|
Jacob Haus |
School of Kinesiology |
|
Nicole Crandall |
College of Pharmacy |
| John Meeker | School of Public Health |
| Marieka Kaye | University Library |
Research and Academic Safety Committee
The U-M Research and Academic Safety Committee is the main oversight committee for the Research Smart initiative, and membership includes faculty, staff, student, trainee and administrative levels from research areas across the university, as well as representation from EHS, OVPR and the Provost’s Office.
The committee focuses on the academic and research activities that involve potentially hazardous materials or equipment and that occur in laboratories, shops or studios affiliated with the Ann Arbor campus and advises the U-M Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) and the Department of Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) on university policies for implementation of federal and state research safety regulations.
The Research and Academic Safety Committee also serves a coordinating role for the school/college/unit safety committees and assists these local bodies by reviewing how safety incidents and concerns are addressed and recommending improvements and remediation, as necessary.
| Karl Jepsen – Chair Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Bioengineering |
Affiliation – Medical School |
| Nancy Calvin-Naylor Assistant Vice Provost for Academic and Faculty Affairs |
Affiliation – Office of the Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Faculty Affairs |
| Chris Gordon Director – Wilson Student Team Projects Center |
Affiliation – College of Engineering |
| Danielle Sheen Executive Director – Environment, Health & Safety |
Affiliation – Facilities & Operations; Environment, Health & Safety |
| Jackie Hoats Shields Associate Director – Research Safety Compliance |
Affiliation – Office of Research – Research Policy & Compliance; Research Safety Compliance |
| James Morrissey Professor, Biological Chemistry and Internal Medicine |
Affiliation – Biological Chemistry; Medical School |
| Janet Follo Manager – Environment, Health & Safety |
Affiliation – Facilities & Operations; Environment, Health & Safety |
| Kevin Ferrell Program Manager – LRSI |
Affiliation – Facilities & Operations; Environment, Health & Safety |
| Lorraine Currie Director of Enterprise Strategic Risk Management |
Affiliation – Office of Executive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Business & Finance |
| Nathaniel Szymzak Associate Professor of Chemistry |
Affiliation – College of Literature, Science, and the Arts |
| Peter von Buelow Professor of Architecture |
Affiliation – School of Architecture |
| William Greer Assistant Vice President, Animal Program Compliance Oversight |
Affiliation – Office of the Vice President for Research; Animal Care & Use Office |
| Marie-Anne Rosemberg Assistant Professor of Nursing and Director, Occupational Health Nursing (OHN) Program |
Affiliation – School of Nursing |
| Alex Rickard Associate Professor of Epidemiology |
Affiliation – School of Public Health |
| Kelsey Keeves Communications Manager |
Affiliation – Office of the Vice President for Research |
| Yoko Kushner EHS Representative |
Affiliation – Facilities & Operations; Environment, Health & Safety |
Individual goals to support culture enhancement including knowledge sharing for enterprise
- Ensure leadership is demonstrating safety is a core value of the institution through a consistent and visible commitment to the Research Safety First Initiative.
- Follow a campus-wide approach to overall consistency toward enhancing the safety culture while allowing for flexibility within the implementation within units to best meet their needs and serve their communities.
- Promote an environment where safety is a consideration in decision making.
- Ensure that the U-M research community has a voice, and feels safe, as well as equipped, to report any safety issues or concerns.
- Ensure that the U-M research community fully understands their roles and responsibilities with regard to safety and receives the necessary knowledge to perform their job safely.
- Ensure that the feedback loop on identified safety issues and concerns is closed in a timely and sustainable manner and that units are implementing their safety accountability processes when necessary.
- Position EHS as a resource for safety information and consultation for the research community.
- Promote the reporting of incidents and near misses that occur on our campus and share lessons learned broadly to create an environment where reporting is safe and others can benefit from the experience to prevent future occurrences.
- Promote the sharing of best practices around research safety across the campus community.
- Prioritize the analysis of the reduction of research burden in all of our activities.
- Promote excellence in research and academic safety performance.
- Collaborate with Flint and Dearborn campuses to share resources and future plans for the Ann Arbor campus and discuss how their campuses can leverage this guidance to enhance their culture.