George Mason University provides a safe and healthful environment for faculty, staff, students, and visitors. The University strives to foster a strong, positive safety culture where all members of the Patriot Community are empowered to actively identify safety concerns, develop and implement of safety controls and continually evaluate and improve safety at the university. Our safety culture is built on four core values:
- Safety is a shared responsibility;
- Safety is integral to scholarly excellence and the responsible conduct of research;
- Optimal safety requires risk-based analysis and continual evaluation of hazards; and
- Safety training and education provided by Mason influence the next generation of researchers, future faculty, and the work force
Members or our research community are encouraged to integrate safety into their research activities, to strive for excellence, and go beyond minimum compliance. It is our expectation that researchers will:
- Assume ultimate responsibility for safety in their laboratory, studio or field site
- Lead by example, modeling good safety behavior
- Conduct a hazard assessment prior to conducting an experimental procedure
- Ensure everyone in the lab receives proper training
- Strive for continuous improvement of safety in their laboratory, studio or field site.
https://www.aplu.org/projects-and-initiatives/research-science-and-technology/task-force-laboratory-safety/