Scientific Operations & EH&S Readiness Checklist

Use this when launching, expanding, relocating, or strengthening a research operation to surface practical operating and safety gaps.

Project Snapshot

Add the project context you already know. Leave unknown fields blank.

Organization or site Prepared by Priority program, facility, or risk area Expected Project Start

Current stage

Planning or startup Active operations Expanding or relocating Corrective action or improvement

Before you begin: Check the boxes for work already completed or decisions already confirmed. The remaining gaps will help frame project priorities, scope, and the support you may need.

1. Governance & Accountability

Mission, services, users, capacity, and risk profile are clearly defined.
Scientific, operations, EH&S, facilities, quality, and security responsibilities are assigned.
Decision rights and escalation paths cover routine work, exceptions, and urgent events.
Permits, registrations, oversight requirements, and institutional policies have owners.

2. Workflows & SOPs

Critical workflows, handoffs, approvals, and records are mapped.
Current SOPs and work instructions are approved, accessible, and version controlled.
Exceptions, deviations, temporary procedures, and approvals follow a defined process.
Operational changes receive risk review, authorization, communication, and training.

3. Staffing & Competency

Staffing covers workload, supervision, peaks, absences, off-hours, and emergencies.
Roles define responsibilities, qualifications, authority limits, and prerequisites.
Onboarding and recurring training address tasks, hazards, reporting, and emergencies.
Competency, cross-training, and knowledge transfer are demonstrated and documented.

4. EH&S & Biosafety

Activity-specific assessments address biological, chemical, physical, and ergonomic hazards.
Required IBC, IACUC, IRB, radiation, or other oversight is engaged.
Engineering controls, PPE, containment, signage, and access match the risk.
Occupational health and exposure-response provisions are defined and accessible.

5. Facilities & Equipment

Space, circulation, storage, and risk boundaries support actual workflows.
Equipment ownership, service, calibration, certification, and maintenance are current.
Critical utilities, alarms, monitoring, emergency power, and redundancy are tested.
Operations and facilities coordinate outages, maintenance access, and return to service.

6. Materials & Waste

Significant chemical, biological, and controlled-material inventories are current and owned.
Receiving, labeling, storage, segregation, transfer, use, and disposal are defined.
Hazard information, permits, restrictions, and handling requirements are accessible.
Waste is characterized, segregated, accumulated, documented, and removed correctly.

7. Incidents & Continuity

Incidents, near misses, exposures, spills, and unsafe conditions are easy to report.
Investigations identify causes, assign actions, and verify effectiveness.
Emergency roles, contacts, communications, supplies, notifications, and drills are current.
Continuity plans protect critical people, animals, samples, data, utilities, and equipment.

8. Assurance & Improvement

Vendors and contractors are qualified, oriented, controlled, and reviewed.
New or modified systems receive readiness review, testing, documentation, and training.
Inspections, audits, drills, and metrics test both requirements and actual practice.
Findings and improvement work have owners, priorities, due dates, and closure evidence.

Using Your Results

Unchecked items identify questions or safeguards to evaluate against the operation's work, risk, scale, and obligations. Address foundational ownership, training, hazard control, and emergency gaps first.

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