Lab Closeouts
Lab Closeouts
Proper lab closeouts ensure the safety of all personnel involved and prevent potential issues relating to waste disposal and material transport, which have the potential to generate fines from regulatory agencies. The best approach is to involve EH&S as early as possible in the process to prevent delays or unexpected issues. For this reason, labs must report their closeouts to EH&S at least 30 days in advance.
Closeout Process
- Report a lab closeout by submitting the lab closeout form linked on this page.
- EH&S will contact the lab within a week to schedule a lab closeout consultation – there is no need to complete any of the closeout tasks before the visit.
- During the consultation, an EH&S representative will walk through the lab offering guidance and answering questions about required closeout tasks. A safety survey report will be generated through Gator TRACS based on what is found in the lab. This survey report will serve as the lab’s “to-do list” for a successful closeout. Although system-generated reports default to a 2-week deadline, this deadline is flexible and can be modified to meet the lab’s needs. Please ensure that you discuss corrective action deadlines with your EH&S representative during the consultation. Extension requests may also be requested through Gator TRACS once the report has been received.
- Throughout the following days/weeks, an EH&S representative will check in to verify the status of pending items. As items are completed, the actions in Gator TRACS can be closed. EH&S may conduct a final walk through of the space to verify that items have been addresses appropriately.
- Once all items are closed, EH&S will update Gator TRACS and issue a final closeout completion notice.
Closeouts must be reported at least 30 days in advance. It is never too early to report a closeout and best practice is to report a closeout to EH&S as soon as possible. We will work with the lab to determine the best time for a consultation visit and can adjust corrective action deadlines to meet the lab’s needs.
Closeouts should be reported to EH&S as soon as possible even if you don’t have an exact moving date. Please include an estimated move out date when reporting your closeout to EH&S. We understand that this date is flexible and can be changed in the future. It is best to conduct the closeout consultation early on and request an extension for the corrective actions rather than rushing through the process later on.
The default setting in Gator TRACS is 2 weeks for closeout reports, however, this deadline is flexible and can be modified. Please discuss timelines with your EH&S representative during the closeout consultation so they can extend the deadline prior to submitting the report. Once the report is submitted, the lab may request an extension through the Gator TRACS portal by viewing and managing corrective actions.
Please ensure that all corrective actions are administratively closeout in Gator TRACS (Survey Findings > Corrective Actions > Manage > Complete). Once all items have been closeout, please email gatortracs@ehs.ufl.edu to request a final walkthrough of the space.