To all School of Medicine Research Faculty,
UCI Office of Research and School of Medicine are planning for Phase 2. It will enable ongoing Phase 1 research activities and research activities that may pose lower risk for virus transmission. Laboratory occupancy will be restricted at any one time to 30% of the level of previous occupancy. The exact timing will be determined by the UCI Office of Research, which is following guidelines from the State of California. Please refer to the School of Medicine website and monitor your email for ongoing updates.
On May 22, the UCI Office of Research released template documents for research ramp-up steps and planning. The Office of Research will expect that, while adhering to the state requirements outlined in these templates, schools will develop plans to ensure that they are school-appropriate and allow for documentation of key information. I have formed a Research Ramp-Up working group to finalize this SOM-adapted plan and will share it with you this week. It will outline the requirements for training, hygiene, social distancing and return to work at Phase 2 levels. These forms will be communicated by email and will be posted on the SOM OR website.
Consider starting work on your ramp-up plan now knowing that you will need the following in place:
- A calendar system for managing the use of shared spaces to ensure occupancy that allows for 6-feet social distancing and approximately one person per small room or per lab bay of approximately 250 sf. Because the school is split between OIT and HS, choice of calendaring software will be left to investigators since certain software is not approved for use by HS.
- Persons in the laboratory are documented to have completed their Laboratory Safety Fundamentals training before they can return to the lab. This is the core Environmental Health & Safety training through UCI Learning Center: uclc.uci.edu
- A COVID ramp-up contact and compliance person for each laboratory if the current EHS Safety-on-Site representative is not appropriate for this responsibility. This could be the PI or another lab member.
- On-hand gloves, hand sanitizer, and masks for each individual. When we are fully underway, hand sanitizer will be provided by Facilities and masks by EHS.
- Individuals have completed review of COVID- laboratory safety information available in the documentation at the Office of Research Ramping-Up Website: https://news.research.uci.edu/research-continuity/research-ramp-up/ (all the items in the Research Ramp-Up Menu in the grey box), and the PI will have reviewed the major points of compliance with all lab personnel. There will be an EHS-certified training video, but the timing of publication of this is not confirmed.
- A plan for 20% occupancy (approximately Phase 1) should that become necessary based on public health guidance.
Who should expect other guidance? Senior Associate Dean Bota will be in charge of clinical trial ramp-up operations and will communicate separately. SOM faculty who are in spaces controlled by Special Research Programs, and Beckman Laser Institute and the Stem Cell Research Center will receive directions from Directors Milner and Anderson, respectively, and which will also be announced shortly.
Stay tuned for the next update regarding the Ramp-Up and Phase 2 entry.
Thank you all for your work during this unprecedented time.
Stay safe and well.
Suzanne Sandmeyer, PhD
Vice Dean for Research |
