2.2 Departments, Laboratories and Centers (DLC)

On this page:
2.2.1 Department Heads, PIs, and Supervisors
2.2.2 EHS Coordinators and Representatives
2.2.3 Employees, Students, Contractors and Visitors

The Departments, Laboratories and Centers (DLC) are the primary organizations that implement and maintain sound EHS practices and that assure EHS compliance. (See Chart)

The following sections explain roles and responsibilities for EHS activities within DLCs. A person in a specific role is responsible for certain EHS activities whether by performing those activities or overseeing other in performing those activities. This is intended to provide flexibility to each DLC and the central EHS office to operate in the most efficient and effective manner.

2.2.1 Department Heads/Directors, Principal Investigators and Supervisors

DLC Head/Director - has the primary responsibility of directing and managing the DLC and therefore has final responsibility for assuring sound EHS practices and compliance within the DLC. The DLC Head/Director is ultimately responsible for enforcing consequences arising from moderately serious and very serious incidents. The DLC's EHS performance evaluation is included in the annual report to the President of MIT.

Principal Investigator (PI)/Supervisor - is responsible for compliance with EHS regulations and good practices in his or her laboratory or non-research facility. The PI/Supervisor has the responsibility to appoint an EHS Representative to assist in meeting his or her EHS responsibilities. If an EHS Representative is not appointed, the PI/Supervisor also acts as the EHS Representative. In the Department of Facilities and Division of Student Life, the supervisor acts as the EHS Representative. In addition, the PI/Supervisor is responsible for registering assigned spaces where hazardous and/or regulated materials or equipments are used and stored, ensuring that all laboratory or facility personnel under his or her supervision are trained, and that inspections are conducted to meet EHS requirements. In some operational departments, the EHS Coordinator may be responsible for registering spaces.

2.2.2 EHS Coordinators and Representatives

EHS Coordinator - receives authority from and acts on behalf of the DLC Head/Director to carry out EHS programs. The EHS Coordinator provides operational day-to-day oversight of the DLC's EHS-MS requirements. In addition, the EHS Coordinator supports the EHS Representatives and PIs/Supervisors by providing additional authority and resources to address EHS issues, including regulatory deficiencies, training needs, and other EHS-MS needs. The EHS Coordinator serves as Co-Chair, is a member of the DLC EHS Committee, and is responsible for retaining a record of EHS Committee meeting. Please refer to EHS Team List for your DLC EHS Coordinator. The EHS Coordinator is also responsible for convening a meeting of the DLC EHS Representatives at least annually, and for retaining a record of the meeting. An EHS Coordinator who prefers to meet one-on-one, or with smaller groups of EHS Representatives instead of convening the entire group must work with the EHS Office to determine a sustainable strategy for including the EHS Lead Contact in these meetings.In some operational departments, the EHS Coordinator may be responsible for registering spaces.

EHS Representative - reports to and assists the PI/Supervisor in identifying and addressing EHS issues. The EHS Representative initiates actions where appropriate, and brings issues to the EHS Coordinator and PI/Supervisor when his or her authority is required to address an EHS issue. The EHS Representative assists the EHS Coordinator in the maintenance of PI/Space registration data (as outlined in section 3.2) and emergency contact information. In the Department of Facilities and the Division of Student Life the Supervisor acts as the EHS Representative.

DLC EHS Committee - is a forum for single or multiple DLCs to review and discuss EHS regulations and practices and establish strategies to implement them in the DLC. This Committee is co-chaired by the EHS Coordinator and a senior faculty member, researcher or supervisor from within the DLC. The EHS Office Lead Contact and/or other EHS Team Members also participate in the committee in an advisory role. Each Committee meets annually at a minimum and keeps records of the meetings. In a DLC where the DLC Head / Director wishes to be actively involved with the DLC EHS Committee and act as the committee chair, the DLC's EHS Committee could consist of the DLC Head, DLC EHS Coordinator and EHS Lead Contact. Their meeting(s) that takes place during the course of inspections could be considered to satisfy the requirement for an annual committee meeting if a record is kept. In addition, the DLC EHS Committee provides guidance to the DLC EHS Coordinator and reviews operations within the DLC that may impact compliance with EHS requirements, EHS incidents and EHS-MS documents. DLC Heads/Directors have discretion to determine the extent to which they employ their DLC Committee to oversee EHS performance in their DLC.

2.2.3 Employees, Students, Contractors and Visitors

Employees, students, contractors and visitors are responsible for compliance with EHS regulations and requirements in their research or work areas. (For more information, see EHS and Security Information for Visitor/Contractor (PDF)) They have the responsibility to complete required training prior to commencing their regulated or hazardous work and duties and perform inspections in their research or work areas as outlined in Section 6, Inspections of this Manual.