13.4 Responsibilities

13.4.1 All Employees and Students

The University's safety management is based on the premise that all members of the OIST community shares responsibility for ensuring safety. Every member of the OIST community must comply with the University's safety, health, environmental protection, and disaster preparedness program.

13.4.2 Faculty members and Section Leaders

Faculty members and section leaders fall into the "foremen" under Article 60 of the Industrial Safety and Health Act (those who directly guide or supervise workers in operations), and have the following responsibilities: they are primarily responsible for the safety and environmental sanitation of their laboratory or workplace, and must have an understanding of the hazards associated with operation and/or research and disseminate the information on hazards to their members under their supervision; they also need to set and reinforce safety standards for their laboratory and/or office, having their members receive proper training on general and lab-specific hazards and making sure that the members are using the appropriate equipment following proper procedures; they need to have their members receive designated health examinations and make sure that the members have completed the health examinations; they are also required to make sure that the members comply with relevant legal and regulatory provisions, and OIST Rules and follow proper procedures; further, during lab rotation and when appointed to a PhD Thesis Supervisor, they are primarily responsible for ensuring safety and environmental sanitation of the students.

13.4.3 Fire Safety Manager

Fire Safety Manager is responsible for fire prevention management for the University. This includes preparing a fire defense plan, providing drills for fire fighting and evacuation, enabling emergency reporting and evacuation, ensuring inspection and management of fire extinguishers and similar equipment, and other efforts to prevent fires and mitigate the effects of both man-caused and natural disasters.

13.4.4 Manager of Occupational Health and Safety

Manager of Occupational Health and Safety is responsible for ensuring research in the University compliance with requirements of the University’s rules, and legal and regulatory provisions.

13.4.5 Manager of Animal Resources Section

Manager of Animal Resources Section is responsible for ensuring safety, and health, environmental protection, and disaster preparedness in Animal Facilities and Animal Experiments.

13.4.6 Manager of General Facility Management Section

Manager of General Facility Management Section is responsible for management and maintenance of facilities in a manner that will ensure the workplace safety and health, environmental protection, and disaster preparedness.

13.4.7 Research Personnel

In order to avoid unnecessary risk to themselves and/or other researchers, individuals engaging in research at OIST, regardless of their titles such as researcher, technician or student, are responsible for conducting experiments only when they acquire sufficient knowledge and understanding of health and safety issues associated with research activities. To this end, research personnel must actively participate in a variety of educational and training programs on safety and health, and follow appropriate instructions and advice from faculty members, section leaders and personnel associated with OIST safety management duties, including principle investigators, as listed below.

13.4.8 Specific Research-Related Responsible Roles

• Biosafety Officer： Must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions as well as the University Rules so that the operation of Recombinant DNA Experiment and Experiment Handling Pathogens and Toxins is appropriately performed in the University.
• Human Subject Research Officer： Must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions, and guidelines as well as the University Rules so that the operation of Human Subject Research is appropriately performed in the University.
• Personal Information Officer for Human Subjects Research： Must manage personal information to ensure appropriate protection of personal information related to Human Subject Research in the University.
• RI Facility Director： Must manage and mitigate radiation hazards and ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions as well as the University Rules so that experiments using radioisotopes are appropriately performed in the University.
• Radiation Protection Supervisor： Assists the RI Facility Director, and must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions as well as the University Rules such that the prevention of radiation hazards and the implementation of proper experiments are ensured.
• Chemical Materials Safety Officer： Must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions as well as the University Rules so that the handling of chemical materials is appropriately performed in the University.
• Diving Safety Officer: Must ensure safety and compliance with legal and regulatory provisions, as well as the University Rules, for diving and snorkeling, through activities such as reviewing plans involving diving or snorkeling before institutional review by the Field Work Safety Committee, and providing safety training (including hands-on trainings) and giving guidance necessary for diving or snorkeling.
• Animal Experiment Coordinator： Must ensure compliance with legal and regulatory provisions, and guidelines as well as the University Rules so that the operation of Animal Experiment is appropriately performed in the University.
• Controlled Drug Management Officer： Must instruct and advise the users of Controlled Drugs on their use and management in the University.