Emory Research Administration News

Tag: ehso

  • Beat The Heat: Preventing Heat Injuries at Emory

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    Kim Richards
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    Author: Carol Wilkins-Hall, Associate Director (EHSO) As summer temperatures rise, the risk of heat-related illnesses increases for Emory University faculty, students, and staff. Whether you are working outdoors or in an indoor environment having temperatures in excess of 80°F, it is crucial to recognize the signs of heat stress and take preventive measures to stay…

  • Emergency Alert: A Guide to Reporting Work-Related Injuries

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    Ashley Myers
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    Authors: Nicole Campbell (EHSO) & Tiffany Dothard (EHSO) The Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) is committed to ensuring the safety and health of Emory employees. In compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, it is crucial to promptly report any serious occupational injuries or life-threatening emergencies. Outlined below are the specific…

  • Environmental Health and Safety Office Updates (February 2025)

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    Ashley Myers
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    Authors: Kalpana Rengarajan, PhD & Rashida Moore DVM DCLAM The Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) is working on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institute of Health (NIH) driven initiatives including downgrading of biocontainment requirements for SARS CoV-2 work and new guidelines for Dual Use Research of Concern.  Also included is…

  • Gene Drive: Risks and Benefits

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    Ashley Myers
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    Authors: Kalpana Rengarajan, PhD; Rashida Moore, DVM, DACLAM Gene drives refer to genetic elements that skew the pattern of inheritance of a given characteristic in sexually reproducing organisms. They can be used to spread a characteristic that can alter or even reduce the numbers of individuals in wild populations of a certain species. As they…

  • H5 Avian Influenza Virus Exemption

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    Ashley Myers
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    Authors: Kalpana Rengarajan, PhD & Rashida Moore, DVM Select agents are biological agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to both human and animal health, plant health, or to animal and plant products. These materials are regulated by the Federal Select Agent Program, under 7 CFR Part 331, 9 CFR…

  • Biological Safety Protocol Electronic Submission

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    Ashley Myers
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    Author: Scott Thomaston, AVP, EHSO For the last several years the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) has been utilizing software named BioRAFT as an electronic platform for investigators to submit their Biosafety protocols. Recently BioRaft has been rebranded and is now SciShield. Aside from the name change the software remains the same, including the…

  • Occupational Health Services (OHS)

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    Ashley Myers
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    Authors: Dr. Javier Valle, Medical Director, OHS & Cynthia Holbrook, Corporate Director, OHS Occupational Health Services (OHS) is the medical branch of an occupational and environmental health partnership with the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) to ensure the health and safety of the Emory community. Both branches directly support the Office of Research Administration…

  • Dual Use of Research Concern

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    Ashley Myers
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    By Scott Thomaston, Assistant Vice President, EHSO Some biological agents used in research are considered to be Dual Use of Research Concern (DURC) because of their ability to be used both for benevolent purposes or modified in such a way as to present risk to public health and safety, agriculture, animals, and the environment. This…

  • High Containment Laboratory Program

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    Ashley Myers
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    Author: Scott Thomaston, AVP, EHSO The commissioning of the Health Sciences Research Building Phase 2 (HSRB2) brings a significant increase in Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) and Animal Biosafety Level 3 (ABSL3) capacity to our research community.  This addition of 12 high containment labs significantly adds to our ability to work with infectious biological agents that…

  • EHSO Information Technology Upgrade

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    Ashley Myers
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    Author: Scott Thomaston, AVP, EHSO As part of the ORA Information Technology modernization initiative, the Environmental Health and Safety Office (EHSO) continues to refine and consolidate data management systems to eliminate redundancy, decrease inaccuracies and better inform critical decisions. A significant step in this process is the expanded use of the Environmental Health and Safety…