HEALTH AND SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR GRANTEES AND CONTRACTORS

NIH GUIDE, Volume 24, Number 33, September 22, 1995



P.T. 34



Keywords:

  SCIENCE PLANNING/POLICY 

  Health & Safety Standards, Environ 

  Occupational Health and Safety 



National Institutes of Health



This notice is a republication, with minor modifications, of the

notice Health and Safety Guidelines for Grantees and Contractors (NIH

Guide, Vol. 23, No. 23, June 17, 1994).  It is being published again

to emphasize the continuing importance of adherence to the Health and

Safety Guidelines and provide additional sources of guidance to the

National Institutes of Health (NIH) contractors and grantees.



Organizations receiving grant or contract awards from the Federal

Government are responsible for protecting their employees from

hazardous conditions.  The Government is not legally liable for

accidents, illnesses, or claims arising out of research, but the NIH

nonetheless encourages awardees to minimize the hazards that may

threaten the safety and health of laboratory and clinical research

personnel.  Accordingly, the guidelines that follow are designed to

(1) identify potential hazards, (2) advise awardee organizations and

investigators of standards that should be considered to address

particular health and/or safety concerns, and (3) emphasize that

concerns about potentially hazardous conditions could result in grant

or contract funding delays until those concerns have been resolved to

the satisfaction of the awarding component.



1.  Source of potential danger to research personnel include the

following classes of hazard:



a.  Biohazards (e.g., Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), other

infectious agents, oncogenic viruses)

b.  Chemical hazards (e.g., carcinogens, chemotherapeutic agents,

other toxic chemicals, flammable or explosive materials)

c.  Radioactive materials



2.  Several guidelines and standards are available that can assist

grantees and contractors in providing a safe work environment for

research personnel.  Therefore, depending upon the particular safety

hazard at issue, grantees and contractors are expected to consult

appropriate guidelines.  These include, but are not limited to:



a.  Biosafety in Microbiological and Biological Laboratories, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health. HHS Publication

No. (CDC)93-8395.  This publication may be obtained from:



Division of Safety, Office of Research Services

National Institutes of Health

Building 31, Room 1C02

31 Center Drive  MSC 2260

Bethesda MD  20892-2260



b.  Prudent Practices for Handling Hazardous Chemicals in the

Laboratory.  Price $19.95.



c.  Prudent Practices for the Disposal of Chemicals from the

Laboratory.  Price $19.95.



d.  Biosafety in the Laboratory:  Prudent Practices for Handling and

Disposal of Infectious Materials. Price $19.95.



These may be obtained from:



National Academy Press

2102 Constitution Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC  20418



e.  Additional guidance is available from the Regional Offices of the

Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health

Administration, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission



f.  State and local environmental, health, and/or occupational safety

agencies can provide guidance specific to local situations.



3.  Grant applications and contract proposals posing special hazards

typically are identified during the initial review process, but such

concerns can formally be expressed by agency staff or consultants at

any time prior to award.  Regardless of the timing of the described

concern, grant or contract funding could be delayed until the matter

has been resolved to the satisfaction of the awarding component.



Special hazards that are identified after an award is made may lead

to suspension of work under the grant or contract pending corrective

action by the awardee.  45 CFR 74, Subpart M, addresses grant

suspension and 48 CFR 12.5 addresses contract "stop work" orders.)



Grantee and contractor organizations are not required to submit

documented assurance of their specific attention to the guidelines

and standards identified in this notice.  However, grantees and

contractors should be able to provide evidence that pertinent health

and safety standards have been considered and put into practice as

appropriate.  Such evidence may be requested by appropriate NIH

staff, for example, during a site visit.



.

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