This guide is designed to help new lab personnel determine what training is required, based on the potential hazards they will be exposed to while working in a laboratory at VU or VUMC. Most lab safety training topics are required before beginning work and annually.
| Complete training if the following hazards are present in the lab: | Training Title | Training Frequency | How Training is Provided |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemicals | Chemical and Physical Safety in the Laboratory | initial and annual training |
Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange, |
| Chemical Waste Training for Lab Personnel | initial and annual training | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange. | |
| Human blood, tissues or tissue cultures | Working Safely with Human-Derived Materials in the Lab | initial and annual training | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange, and included in the instructor-led training for Biosafety 201. |
| Ergonomic hazards (repetitive motion, static postures, cold, back injury prevention, etc.) | Laboratory Ergonomics | initial | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange. |
| Lasers | VU Laser Safety | initial and annual training | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange. |
| Radioactive material | Radioactive Material Safety | initial and annual | Initial Radioactive Material Safety training is provided in two parts. Part one is provided as a live lecture training session and part two is assigned online in the VUMC Learning Exchange and VU Oracle Learn. Annual refresher training is provided online in the Learning Exchange. |
| Analytical x-ray | Analytical X-Ray Safety | initial and annual | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange and VU Oracle Learn. |
| Biological materials and/or recombinant DNA | Biosafety 101: Standard Microbiological Practices | initial | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange. This training is a prerequisite for Biosafety 201. |
| Works with a Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) | Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) | initial | Available online in the VUMC Learning Exchange. This training is a prerequisite for Biosafety 201. |
| Biological materials and/or recombinant DNA that require BSL2 containment | Biosafety 201 | initial and annual | Lecture course provided through Teams. Registration is required. Biosafety 101 and Biosafety Cabinet (BSC) training are prerequisites for this course. |
| Other biological hazards | Biological Safety Training | various | Refer to the Biosafety Training page. |
Refer to the training topics list for additional biological, chemical and radiation safety training information.
If you have questions about training requirements for laboratory staff, send a message to safety@vumc.org.
If you will have visitors in your lab, refer to Laboratory Safety for visiting students, staff and faculty.