As we begin the fall semester, I want to reaffirm that the safety of our students, faculty, staff, visitors and campus community remains one of Texas Tech University’s highest responsibilities. This commitment applies across every aspect of university life, including our classrooms, laboratories, research spaces, offices, residence halls and campus facilities.
Laboratory and research safety deserve particular attention because of the complex and specialized work taking place across our campus each day. The university’s research and teaching missions depend on environments where safety practices are understood, followed and continuously reinforced. Every individual working in, supervising or overseeing a lab or research setting shares responsibility for maintaining that culture.
Faculty supervisors, principal investigators, staff and students are expected to complete required safety training, follow established protocols, promptly report hazards or incidents and take corrective action when concerns are identified. University leaders, deans, department chairs, center directors, principal investigators, lab supervisors and managers are also expected to actively oversee safety within the areas and personnel under their responsibility by ensuring training is completed, risks are understood, appropriate safeguards are in place and deficiencies are corrected promptly. When unsafe conditions exist, work should be paused until those conditions are addressed. Safety procedures are not administrative formalities; they are essential safeguards that protect people, support academic excellence and preserve the integrity of our research enterprise.
Environmental Health & Safety, Facilities & Campus Services and university leadership continue to strengthen our institutional safety systems through improved training, oversight, documentation, lab personnel tracking, facility-issue monitoring and incident follow up. We are also improving how safety information and metrics are reviewed across the institution so that concerns can be identified, escalated and addressed more quickly and consistently.
In the coming year, we will continue engaging with deans, department chairs and research leaders regarding safety expectations, compliance responsibilities and continuous improvement efforts across academic and research operations.
A strong safety culture requires vigilance, accountability and shared commitment at every level of the university. Thank you for the role you play in helping maintain a safe and responsible environment for all members of the Texas Tech community.