Laboratory Ramp-Down Checklist
Use this checklist to restrict research on campus to critical activities performed by a limited number of designated personnel. The only research activities that should continue to be conducted on campus are those that are necessary to retain critical research assets necessary to maintain laboratory viability, such as:
- Care for animals, plants, and unique or expensive cell cultures or biological specimens,
- Preservation of unique reagents and other unique or expensive materials, and
- Maintaining equipment (e.g., liquid nitrogen and liquid helium systems and shared computational clusters) that cannot be maintained remotely or shut down without significant cost or consequences to the research effort.
This checklist may not address every consideration for your lab. Please contact your Safety Representative or askEHS@cornell.edu with questions about how to secure hazards or safely suspend research operations in your laboratory.
| Item | Complete or N/A | Notes |
|---|---|---|
Preparing | ||
| Identify all non-critical activities that can be ramped down, curtailed, suspended or delayed. | ☐ | |
| Identify primary and backup personnel able to safely perform essential activities. | ☐ | |
Communications | ||
| Create a contact list of lab personnel, principal investigator, lab administrative director, research operations manager, and building manager. | ☐ | |
| Ensure the contact list is saved where it can be remotely accessed by everyone in the lab. Include home and cell phone numbers. | ☐ | |
| Test your phone tree or email group to facilitate emergency communication amongst lab researchers and staff. | ☐ | |
| Ensure that HASP is up to date with hazards and emergency contacts listed and posted on outside of lab doors. Request access to update HASP at askEHS@cornell.edu. | ☐ | |
Shipping/Receiving | ||
| Limit new orders to items needed to support minimal critical functions. | ☐ | |
| If possible, cancel orders for non-essential research materials if they have not yet shipped. | ☐ | |
| Plan ahead for any outgoing hazmat shipments, both on the shipping and receiving end | ☐ | |
| Contact loading dock/mail services personnel to notify them of any expected incoming shipments. | ☐ | |
| Research Operations | ||
| Plan ahead for any Dry Ice shipments and ensure they are properly stored. | ☐ | |
| Freeze down any biological stock material for long term storage. | ☐ | |
| Consolidate storage of valuable perishable items within storage units that have backup systems. | ☐ | |
| Fill dewars and cryogen containers for sample storage and critical equipment. | ☐ | |
| Consult with CARE about current animal care recommendations. CARE may be emailed. | ☐ | |
| Secure all hazardous materials in long-term storage. Label and securely cap every container. | ☐ | |
| Ensure all flammables are stored in flammable storage cabinets. | ☐ | |
| Ensure that all items are labeled appropriately. All working stocks of materials must be labeled with the full name of its contents and include hazards. | ☐ | |
| Remove all chemicals and glassware from benchtops and fume hoods and store in cabinets or appropriate shelving. | ☐ | |
| Request waste pickup for peroxide forming compounds or other chemicals (i.e. piranha etch) that may become unstable over time. Peroxide forming compounds must be tested prior to pick up. Please use vent caps on these containers. | ☐ | |
| Collect contents of any acid/base baths and request waste pickup. | ☐ | |
| Remove infectious materials from biosafety cabinets, and autoclave, disinfect, or safely store them as appropriate. | ☐ | |
| Confirm inventory of controlled substances (including syringes and needles) and toxins of biological origin. Document in logbook. | ☐ | |
| Secure controlled substances according to DEA regulations. Consider additional measures to restrict access to controlled substances. | ☐ | |
| Secure physical hazards such as sharps. | ☐ | |
| Secure radioactive materials. If you need to transfer RAM to another location, please contact askEHS@cornell.edu. | ☐ | |
Physical Hazards | ||
| Close gas valves. If possible, shut off gas to area. | ☐ | |
| Turn off appliances, equipment, and computers. Unplug if possible. | ☐ | |
| Secure gas cylinders and store in upright position. Remove regulators and use caps. | ☐ | |
| Plan for management of non-essential cryogenically cooled equipment like SQUIDS and cryostats. | ☐ | |
| Protect against flooding from broken pipes. Elevate chemicals, materials, supplies, equipment, electrical wires, off of the floor. | ☐ | |
| Check that equipment requiring uninterrupted electrical power is connected to an Uninterrupted Power Supply and/or emergency power. | ☐ | |
Equipment | ||
| Prepare equipment if routine upkeep is required | ☐ | |
| Check that refrigerator, freezer, and incubator doors are tightly closed. | ☐ | |
| Biosafety cabinets: surface decontaminate the inside work area, close the sash and power down. Do NOT leave the UV light on. | ☐ | |
| Fume hoods: Clear the hood of all hazards, allowing for proper airflow and shut the sash. | ☐ | |
| Review proper shutdown procedures and measures to prevent surging. | ☐ | |
| Shut down and unplug sensitive electric equipment. | ☐ | |
Decontamination | ||
| Decontaminate/sanitize areas of the lab as you would do routinely at the end of the day. | ☐ | |
| Decontaminate/sanitize and clean any reusable materials. | ☐ | |
| Document a contamination survey if you have a radioactive material permit for unsealed material. | ☐ | |
Waste | ||
| Collect and label all hazardous chemical waste in satellite accumulation areas (SAAs). Segregate incompatible chemicals (e.g., in plastic secondary bins or trays). | ☐ | |
| Place a Request for chemical hazardous waste to be collected. | ☐ | |
| Biological waste: Disinfect and empty aspirator collection flasks. | ☐ | |
| Collect all solid biological waste in appropriate containers. If your lab does not have a routine biowaste pick up, request removal. | ☐ | |
| Collect radioactive waste in appropriate waste containers. Request removal if necessary. | ☐ | |
| Discard unwanted, non-hazardous chemicals. Refer to EHS guidance for drain and trash disposal. | ☐ | |
| Perform general housekeeping. | ☐ | |
Security | ||
| Lock all entrances to the lab. Ensure key personnel supporting critical functions have access. | ☐ | |
| Close all windows. | ☐ | |
| Secure lab notebooks and other data. | ☐ | |
| Take laptops home. | ☐ | |
| If DEA/NYSDOH Controlled Substances are needed during wind-down or animal emergencies, ensure that those performing the essential tasks are authorized and know how to access. | ☐ |