Research Continuity and Campus Access: Please update LION rosters by August 21

Dear Principal Investigator & Laboratory Safety Manager:

In the event of an emergency, the University is committed to providing appropriate laboratory access to essential research personnel (faculty, staff, students), including during potential access restriction periods. We have identified the laboratory personnel rosters in Environmental Health & Safety’s (EH&S) Laboratory Information Online Network (LION) system as an efficient mechanism to facilitate campus access for research continuity purposes. Accordingly, all Principal Investigators (PIs) - or their designees as assigned by them as Laboratory Safety Manager(s) in LION - are requested to log in to LION within the next week and update their laboratory personnel roster.

Please be aware that laboratory personnel must be current with applicable Laboratory Safety Training (TC2150, TC4951 or TC0950) to be eligible for campus access as essential personnel. This training ensures that research personnel are prepared and can perform their essential functions safely, particularly during periods of modified campus operation. The LION enables PIs to monitor the training status of their personnel so that they are eligible for access.

Depending on the nature of the emergency and potential access restriction, campus may be open to all researchers, or only to some. The relevant vice dean for research will have access to the LION rosters of each PI’s personnel in their school, as a starting place in case access restrictions for researchers are needed. As we continue to enhance the LION system, PIs may be required to designate access categories in LION. This step requires updates by the software vendor, and we will be in touch as soon as any such updates are completed. 

As a starting point, it is crucial that all laboratory rosters are up to date by August 21, 2024, in preparation for the start of the fall semester. Further, rosters should be periodically reviewed to add new personnel and remove those that have left. Rosters can be updated by logging into LION and following the stepwise instructions beginning on p.3.

Finally, we know that campus access may also be essential to research continuity for researchers who do not have wet labs and do not use LION. We are working with the vice deans for research of relevant schools to ensure that these researchers are also included in the planning process.

Please reach out to EH&S or email [email protected] with any questions about roster updates, and we wish you a productive start to the fall semester.

Kathleen Crowley

Vice President, Environmental Health and Safety

Helen Kim

Vice President for Research Operations and Policy (VPROP)

Naomi Schrag

Vice President for Research Compliance, Training and Policy