Office of Safety, Health & Environment

Research Safety Compliance and
Project Risk Assessment

Introduction

The Workplace Safety and Health Act (Risk Management) Regulations enforced by the Ministry of Manpower require all Principal Investigators (PIs) and academic laboratory supervisors to develop and implement a safety and health management system for their laboratory/workshop-based and/or field research activities.

PIs who are not certified under the Safety & Health Management System (SHMS) for Academic Supervisors certification scheme and starting new research grants are required to conduct a project risk assessment to identify the safety and health risks associated with the project and submit to ORMC via iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) system for review and final approval by Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC) for life science related research projects or Institutional Laboratory Safety Committee (ILSC) for non-life science related projects.

PIs awarded certification to the SHMS for Academic Supervisors certification scheme need not submit individual hazard forms of project risk assessments for new grant-based projects. However, PIs shall notify ORMC of new projects and submit the Lab Certification Form in iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) system. If their project involves animal work and/or the use of regulated materials, PIs will also need to submit additional hazard forms. Please refer to Management of Change for Academic Supervisors Already Certified under the Scheme here.

Submission of new applications and subsequent amendments

With effect from 17 September 2024, all new applications related to research grant safety approval and subsequent amendments shall be submitted online through the iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) system.

Details on how to use iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) system can be found in the User Guides.

All new project risk assessments requiring approval by Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine BSL3 Biosafety Committee (BBC) or Duke-NUS ABSL3 Biosafety Committee (ABC) must also be submitted through iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) for approval by these respective safety committees.

Submission of amendment to applications approved before launch of iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety)

Submission of an amendment is necessary for any significant changes to protocol, practices, materials, personnel or environment including the use of animals in research work.

For project risk assessments approved in Integrated Online Research Compliance (iORC) system from 2018 to 2024 before the launch of iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety)
PIs can submit an amendment of these previously approved project risk assessments in iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) as these have been migrated to iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety).
For project risk assessments approved in Integrated Online Research Compliance (iORC) system from Nov 2012 to 2017 before the launch of iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety)
PIs will need to submit a new project risk assessment in iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) and quote the previously approved iORC reference number.

iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety)

iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) system is also accessible via the Staff & Student Portal.

Application submission and approval process

Selection of forms

iRIMS-IBC (Hazard Safety) can be used for the following:

To obtain safety & health approval for release of research grants
- For PIs certified under the Safety & Health Management System for Academic Supervisors Certification Scheme - complete lab certification form
- For PIs certified under the Safety & Health Management System for Academic Supervisors Certification Scheme - complete applicable risk assessment forms
To obtain approval for conducting the following research
- Animal research
- Field research
- Diving research
To submit an amendment and obtain approval for management of change of a previously-approved application

For New Submissions

*Refer to Management of Change for Academic Supervisors Already Certified under the SHMS for Academic Supervisors Certification Scheme