AeroAstro Environment, Health, & Safety

The Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is committed to promoting a safe environment for all members of MIT and surrounding communities by maintaining a cooperative and progressive working relationship with the MIT EHS office. The MIT Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) office is responsible for the management and the delivery of services that promote environmentally responsible practices at MIT, reduce MIT’s impact on the environment, and protect the health and safety of our community at the operational level.

EHS Training

Requirement for Everybody at AeroAstro

Emergency Preparedness, EHS 404
Everyone working at MIT should feel comfortable with their knowledge of what to do in case there is a fire or other emergency.  There are many campus-wide services as well as department specific procedures that should help to increase your level of comfort. At AeroAstro we think that this information should be provided as soon as possible.  Emergency Preparedness is part of our on-boarding process to let new members know that we care about their safety and that we have planned for these difficult situations.

Please review the Emergency Preparedness Presentation to familiarize yourself with AeroAstro Emergency Preparedness and General Safety guidelines.  

All new members to the AeroAstro Community will be required to watch this presentation prior to receiving key/card access to general areas.

You will need to complete additional requirements for access to labs.

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Requirements for affiliation with a Laboratory

Training Needs Assessment (TNA)
Training Needs Assessment
Need help with your Training Needs Assessment?

Training is required by the Institute before beginning work with any potentially hazardous materials or activities in a laboratory at MIT. All PIs, graduate students, UROP students, postdocs, visiting scientists, and other researchers working in a laboratory must complete the Training Needs Assessment (TNA). Upon completion, training requirements will be generated based on your activities. Many courses are available both online and in person.  Lab-specific training is provided by your PI or EHS representative.  If you have any questions about your training, please contact either your EHS rep or your  EHS Coordinators

Lab Specific Training
Each lab is different and has specific considerations when it comes to safety.  It is important that each member go through an introductory hazard/safety awareness training when they first join their group and annually thereafter.

This training is usually given by the designated EHS Representative for the group but the PI can delegate this role to anyone who has the knowledge and experience to provide a good overview of the lab features.

PI Space/EHS Representative contact information

Information for Lab Specific Safety Trainer:

• The Checklist for Lab-Specific Safety Training is available here for new members and the annual refresher.
• Please contact Marie Gentile or Anthony Zolnik should you need assistance in preparing or giving this important training.
• When a new member has been trained, please submit this form. Credit for new members will be given once a completed & training checklist has been received.

Key/Card Door Access
For requirements regarding being granted Key/Card access, please visit the Key/card Access page to get the key and card access that you need for your offices and labs.  Some or all of the above training is required before access will be granted.

Chemical Hygiene Plan and Signature
For AeroAstro members that will be using any chemicals within their labs, please read the following executive summary of our department-specific chemical hygiene plan and submit the form linked at the end.   

**This is a campus-wide required task**
Read and sign off on the AeroAstro Chemical Hygiene Plan (PDF)

Other resources for completing AeroAstro’s EHS requirements can be found on the AeroAstro EHS Resources & Tools page.

AeroAstro EHS Coordinators

MIT EHS Contacts