Terms of Reference

Research Safety Committee Terms of Reference

Version Date: October 2022

1.0 Preamble

The Research Safety Committee (hereto referred to as the RSC) reports to the Vice-President of Research and Innovation (hereto referred to as the VPRI) and manages the University of Windsor’s biosafety program, laser safety program, radiation safety program, and X-Ray safety program. The RSC encompasses the University of Windsor’s Biological Safety Committee, Radiation Safety Committee, and Laboratory Safety Committee. The RSC oversees the policies and procedures for the safe handling, usage, monitoring, storage, and disposal of biological materials, chemical materials, and radioactive materials and ensures that any research and teaching conducted at the University of Windsor complies with guidelines and regulations set out by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Ministry of Environment, and all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal legislation. Any projects involving the use of biological materials, Class 3b or 4 lasers, X-Ray devices, and radioactive materials, and are conducted by University of Windsor faculty, staff, and students either off-campus or on-campus, fall under the jurisdiction of the RSC.

2.0 Membership

• The Chair of the RSC

• A Vice-Chair for radiation safety

• A Vice-Chair for biosafety

• A Vice-Chair for laser safety

• Student representative(s)

• University of Windsor community representative(s)

• Core members which include representatives from Chemistry & Biochemistry, Biological Sciences, Physics, Creative Arts, Engineering, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) and Human Kinetics

• Ex-officio members who have full voting rights, including the Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Animal Care Committee Chair, the Research Ethics Board Chair, and the Director of Research and Innovation Services

The Research Safety Coordinator whose role is as follows:

• Maintains records of all RSC approved permits and the accompanying documents including SOPs and authorized personnel lists

• Takes meeting minutes for all RSC meetings and provides information to the Chair, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, and VPRI

• Manages correspondence between the RSC, principal investigators, and VPRI on requests for information and decisions at the direction of the Chair of the RSC

• Assists with the scheduling and coordination of lab inspections

• Provides administrative support to assist with the submission of research safety certifications

3.0 Terms of Office

3.1 The Chair of the RSC reports to the VPRI for all matters involving biological safety, laser safety, and radiation safety at the University of Windsor.  The Chair is appointed by the VPRI for a term of up to three years.

3.2 Core members of the RSC are appointed by the VPRI for a term of up to three years. Should qualified faculty members not be available to serve on the RSC, an extension of a three-year term for a committee member will be considered.

3.3 Ex-officio members will serve indefinite terms until they no longer hold office.

3.4 The Research Safety Coordinator will serve as the RSC secretary but does not hold voting rights.

4.0 Frequency of Meetings

4.1 The RSC meets quarterly to review safety permit applications, regulatory information, inspection updates, and laboratory safety issues. These meetings are generally scheduled during the months of March/June/September/December. Specific meeting times are posted on the RSC website as they are scheduled.  

4.2 Quorum for meetings is 51 percent of the committee. Recognizing that certain tasks of the committee require individual expertise, members will be permitted to offer comments in writing in advance of a meeting if they are not available to attend, which will allow for a meeting to proceed should less than 51 percent of the committee be available.

4.3 Decisions of permit applications and the recommendations and conditions outlined for principal investigators will be recorded in the meeting minutes, along with any overarching laboratory safety issues, regulatory information, and inspection updates. A copy of the meeting minutes will be distributed to the Chair and RSC members. 

5.0 Authority

5.1 The RSC has the authority for enforcing the University of Windsor’s research safety programs. The RSC manages the standards of these programs through the issuance of permits for any projects involving biological materials, radioactive materials, Class 3b and 4 lasers, and X-Ray devices.

5.2 The respective safety officer is responsible for conducting lab safety inspections on behalf of the RSC and reports any issues to the RSC. Should emergency safety issues be identified, the safety officer can take prompt action to immediately address the outstanding issues. After the incident, the RSC will meet as soon as possible to discuss the incident and address any outstanding concerns.

5.3 Principal investigators are responsible for ensuring that the information provided in their applications are complete and accurate to the best of their knowledge and for following the approved protocols. If it is found that a principal investigator is not following their approval protocol, the RSC will issue a written warning to the principal investigator and ask that any identified issues be promptly addressed. Should these issues not be addressed to the satisfaction of the RSC, the RSC has the authority to suspend or withdraw approval of the principal investigator’s permit. This will lead to the suspension of research activities and access to research funds until the safety issues are rectified.

6.0 Responsibilities and Duties

6.1 The RSC is responsible for reviewing and approving biological safety permits, laser safety permits, X-Ray safety permits, and radioisotope safety permits. Decisions on safety permits can be designated as approved, conditionally approved, or deferred.

6.1.1 For safety permit applications that are approved, the Chair of the RSC will communicate this decision in writing to the principal investigator with a copy sent to the Environmental Health and Safety Manager and the respective safety officer. The respective safety officer will then issue the permit for the principal investigator to print and display in their facility.

6.1.2 For safety permit applications that are conditionally approved, the conditions of approval will be outlined in writing to the principal investigator.  Once the principal investigator has addressed the conditions, the RSC chair (or designee) will review the response to determine if RSC conditions are met. In some cases, additional input from RSC members may be requested by the RSC Chair for conditionally approved proposals.  In these cases, RSC members will be asked to provide their input through a poll generated on the RSC TEAMS data base to facilitate rapid decision making and expedite approvals before the next scheduled meeting. Where conditions are met at the RSC chair’s (or designee’s) discretion, the Chair of the RSC will communicate this decision in writing to the principal investigator with a copy sent to the Environmental Health and Safety Manager and the respective safety officer. The respective safety officer will then issue the permit for the principal investigator to print and display in their facility.

6.1.3 For safety permit applications that are deferred, the reasons for deferral will be outlined in writing to the principal investigator, and the principal investigator will be invited to respond and provide additional information for the RSC’s consideration. Generally, deferred applications will not be decided on until the next RSC meeting in which the faculty responses will then be reviewed by the RSC membership. 

6.2 For permit applications that require expedited approval, the RSC members will be asked to complete a poll generated on the RSC TEAMS data base. For permit renewal or amendment applications, official approval can be granted by vote through the RSC Teams data base. For new permit applications, interim approval can be granted by vote through the RSC Teams data base, then formal approval will be granted at the next RSC meeting. This will allow for principal investigators to continue with their projects while meeting all the necessary safety requirements.

6.3 For any permit applications that require changes (either amendments or renewals), the principal investigator must submit this request to the RSC for their review and deliberation. If the changes are minor, the RSC Chair or their delegate may approve the changes. If the changes are major, (i.e., a change in materials, a change in the SOP, etc.), the amendment/renewal must be reviewed and approved by the RSC before any new materials can be acquired and funds can be released for the project.  

6.4 The RSC, at its discretion, may request that a principal investigator attend an RSC meeting to help answer questions and facilitate approval of the proposal.  Normally such requests would occur following the first review and after the initial RSC deliberations have been communicated to the faculty researcher.  Requests of this nature should be performed where the committee feels that in person questioning of the research would help to clarify complex proposals.  In such cases, the RSC chair will send an invitation to the principal investigator to attend the next meeting.

7.0 Appeal Process

7.1 Any decisions made on a permit application will be outlined in writing to the principal investigator. The principal investigator then has the opportunity to respond to the conditions in writing for the RSC’s consideration. The Research Safety Coordinator will then forward the response to the RSC, and the RSC will either review and discuss the response at the next RSC meeting or deliberate through the RSC TEAMS database if urgent attention to the matter is required.

7.2 In the event that there is a disagreement between the principal investigator and the RSC, every effort will be made to ensure that a resolution will be reached that is mutually agreeable for both the principal investigator and the RSC. The RSC may request an informal meeting with the principal investigator for further discussion of the matter in an effort to reach a satisfactory resolution.  

7.3 If a principal investigator disagrees with a decision made by the RSC, and the issue cannot be resolved between the two parties, the principal investigator should communicate their disagreement in writing to the VPRI with a copy sent to the RSC and respective safety officer. After reviewing the appeal, the VPRI will make the final decision regarding the outcome of the permit and issue this decision in writing to the principal investigator with a copy sent to the RSC.

8.0 Conflict of Interest

8.1 To avoid a potential or actual conflict of interest, RSC members who are principal investigators or co-investigators on a submitted application will refrain from comment and voting on a project that they are affiliated with unless specifically asked to do so by other members of the RSC.

8.2 In the event that the RSC chair declares a conflict of interest on a proposal, they will defer to the Environmental Health and Safety Manager to chair the deliberation of the proposal.