Researchers & Lab Work Plan Resources

Researchers & Lab Work Plan Resources

 

Updated Research Guidance Resources

Last Updated 8:41 AM MST 06/15/2020


Phase 3 Research Restart Plan and Checklists

View Plan and Checklist

Last Updated 8:41 AM MST 06/15/2020

RII 's Research Restart Plan outlines the principles, phases, some best practices/guidance for restarting or increasing research activities, and access to the Restarting Research Checklist. Research currently operating under an approved Essential Research Activity Waiver can continue, but increasing activities will require the checklist process. Checklists will be completed online, through Qualtrics. Do not fill out and submit the Word or PDF versions of the checklist; those are only for reference. Checklists will be reviewed by DHDs and the ADR and if approved routed to RII for final confirmation. RII 's checklist process is not meant to supplant any departmental requirements for safe practices that may also be required by departments/units. The checklist process is meant to help PIs prioritize work for the safety of faculty, staff, and students, while employing sensible risk mitigation strategies, examples of which can be found here, here and here. Research-related questions about the checklist can be addressed to reiners@arizona.edu. Software and technical questions about the checklist should be addressed to research-re-start@list.arizona.edu.


Last Updated 4:44 PM MST 05/08/2020

Editing and Requesting New Essential Research Activity Waivers

Researchers who would like to edit existing waivers or request new waivers for essential research activities should follow procedures outlined in RII'€™s 05/06/20 memo. Please direct questions to Pete Reiners (reiners@arizona.edu)


COS Lab Work Plan Guidance

Last updated 12:48 PM MST, 4/03/20

Arizona 's stay-at-home order requires that any on-site research activity be approved as essential by DHD, ADR, and RII. Please see SVPR Cantwell 's memo explaining the rationale and requirements for submission of an Essential Research Activities Waiver (deadline 5 pm Monday 6 April). Non-essential research activities that are not already suspended must be shutdown following Temporary Laboratory Closure procedures in Lab Work Plans by 8 April. Please direct questions to Pete Reiners (reiners@arizona.edu).


Previous guidance, issued prior to stay-at-home order; refer to above for most recent guidance.

Employees/students are strongly discouraged from being on campus, but if they are voluntarily present as essential personnel in an essential facility, following the Provost 's distancing/room-occupancy guidance, the lab/research director needs to submit a Lab Work Plan to their DHD for initial review, then to ADR/RII (via Lori Schultz, lschultz@arizona.edu) as soon as possible. At this time we are encouraging lab directors to develop plans using guidance from RII available here: COVID-19 Guidance for Research Safety and here: Core Facilities/Labs Continuity of Operations Guidance Document, following either the RII template available here: https://arizona.app.box.com/s/2f7cbs95uw3e5yv9ukdl4och3r28ggjx, OR the CoS format, addressing, at a minimum, the bullet points below.

We encourage lab/research directors to not develop individual plans for (potentially multiple) individual research projects, but instead focus on plans for distinctive facilities and activities that require personnel. Also, the plans described here are for facilities/activities not involving human-subjects/participants/IRB (for IRB-related projects see this RII guidance).

Last updated 3:40PM, 3/21/2020; Note addition of required "Temporary Laboratory Closure plan"

  • Lab/Research Director leadership and accountability (identify the primary lab director and POC for the plan)
  • Confirmation (as reasonably as possible) that there will be no involvement of employees that are considered 'at risk ' by the CDC
  • Appropriate number of staff/students needed to continue the work
  • How and how often staff/students will communicate with the lab/research director
  • Risk mitigation plan for staffing, compliant with University of Arizona and CDC guidelines, including Provost 's call for no more than 4 people/room, separated by at least 6 ft., and other potential specific safeguards (e.g., staged/rotating staffing, gloves, disinfectant procedures, minimization of shared equipment)
  • Confirmation that all staff involved agree to the plan and participation.
  • Plan and checklist for Temporary Laboratory Closure in the event of a University closure or more strict restriction of activities. This plan should identify steps to be taken to reduce hazards and stabilize critical operations if no one can come into the lab or if only a few maintenance checks can be permitted for an extended period. Use RII's Procedure for Temporary Laboratory Closureas a template for this part of the plan, and see the "Sample Temporary Laboratory Shutdown Procedures (Modify to suit your lab): page" as a guide.

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