ISIS: Integrated Safety
Information System
By Tera Moskal
Northwestern University
Office for Research Safety
Office for Research Information Systems
Who we are and how we operate
Office for Research (OR) is
an umbrella group to
which all other research
offices report.
OR
Office for Research Information
Office for Research Safety (ORS)
Systems (ORIS) provides
provides services for NU
leadership in the design, creation
community who may be
and deployment of technical
exposed to hazardous materials
solutions for the research
and processes.
community.
ORIS
ORS
Life at NU with outdated paper
and pencil systems…
and
the problems we faced on a daily basis
First, an explanation of an
acronym that we use throughout
the entire presentation
PI = Principle Investigator =
Researcher at the University
The problems with paper
Processes were paperbased, including: the Safety
Plan, registrations and
applications, Lab Annual
Reviews, and committee
reviews.
The problems with paper
For many processes,
information was only
updated annually, but lab
conditions were constantly
changing.
The problems with paper
It was hard to keep an
accurate account of the
hazards in the laboratories.
The problems with paper
With multiple forms came
duplicate information being
requested from the
researchers.
The problems with paper
Researchers and lab
workers tended to glance
through the information
without really reading it.
Many, many problems
Researchers had to go
elsewhere for access to
supplemental information.
Many, many problems
Updating personnel
information was difficult.
Many, many problems
After everyone signed the
forms, if something
changed, it wasn’t always
properly vetted.
Many, many problems
Laboratory inspection
process was not automated.
Many, many problems
No easy way to collect
statistics at the end of the
year.
Who needs statistics, anyway???
The methods we used to solve
our paper problems
Which led to our journey into
unchartered territory
Getting started…
A computer
system was the
obvious solution.
Existing software
products were too
generic for our
safety programs.
System developed
in-house met the
exact safety
program
requirements.
Requirements for the system
It had to be
Since each PI’s
The system
extremely userresearch was
needed to not
friendly because
different,
only track
we couldn’t
requiring
compliance, but
possibly train the also to be used as different safety
entire user
an educational forms, the system
community.
had to be
tool for the
dynamic in its
research
structure.
community.
Our first year of development…
Scope and purpose of the software
• Create a lab safety profile.
• Organize registrations and applications for
regulated programs, such as radiation and rDNA.
• Provide direct access through links to external
resources, such as OSHA standards.
• Educate PIs and lab workers on laboratory safety
best practices.
• For laboratory use only. Not intended for general
environmental and occupational health and safety.
The software collects data in the following
safety and compliance programs:
• Exempt select agents
toxins
• Work at biosafety levels
1, 2, and 3
• recombinant DNA
• Compressed gases
• Bloodborne pathogens
• Controlled substances
• Hazardous chemicals
• Equipment alarms
• Animal use
• Hazardous materials
shipping and receiving
• Personal protective
equipment (PPE)
• Physical hazards
• Laser equipment
• Radioactive materials
How we created our safety system
• Project developed by three IT and ten
Research Safety staff members.
• Two years to develop core product.
• Majority of time spent organizing business
processes.
• Used .NET technology and Oracle database.
• Web interface walked users through data
entry process with wizards.
How we rolled the system out
Soft rollout spanning
one year.
Users requiring new
registrations or
renewals of existing
registrations allowed
to start early.
Small groups
brought online each
month.
Cohorts based on
annual laboratory
inspection dates.
The results
User profile screen
Each user must select the profile that they wish to
maintain during the duration of the session. Based on the
profile they select, ISIS allows different functions to be
performed for the same user.
The first time a PI logs into ISIS, the
system collects information on:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
PI demographics
Emergency contacts
Lab building and room numbers
Lab worker demographics
Abstract of research goals
Procedures used in research
Thirteen questions about research
For PIs who are too busy to enter their
information, they can assign a safety designate.
PI demographic screen
PI demographic information is kept up to date in ISIS.
The system keeps track of mailing addresses, emergency
phone numbers, and department affiliation.
Laboratory information screen
All labs associated with the PI must be entered into ISIS.
More than one PI can be associated to a single room,
such as in the case of open-bay labs.
Laboratory worker screen
All lab workers for each PI are entered into ISIS. It is the PI’s
responsibility to keep the list of their workers up to date.
The list is audited for accuracy during the laboratory annual
inspection.
Research goals screen
The PI or their safety designate enters a short
description of their research goals.
PI procedures and equipment screen
On this screen, the PI or safety designate indicates
which procedures and equipment are used in their
research.
The core of the software
• ISIS is presented in a “wizard” format, which
walks the user through the data entry process.
• Researcher answers thirteen basic questions.
• ISIS determines which forms are needed.
• All data must be kept current in ISIS for
compliance, including regulated registrations
and applications.
With ISIS, unnecessary forms are a
thing of the past!
Beginning the evaluation wizard
The user is led through a series of questions. There
are also links to supplemental material.
ISIS guides user to the Safety Forms Menu
• Becomes main
screen for PI.
• Access to required
safety forms.
•Can submit
registrations and
applications from
this page.
•Upon completion of
basic information,
menu bar at top
grows to include all
available functions.
Hazardous chemicals wizard screen
A user is presented with this wizard only if they have
answered “yes” to the hazardous chemicals question. The
material presented on this screen is designed to be
educational, with links to outside resources.
Lab workers enter their demographic
information and review PI material
Lab Worker main screen
Lab workers can review all of the safety forms
pertaining to their PI from this menu.
The role of Administrator has
special privileges in ISIS
Administrator capabilities
•
•
•
•
•
Search on any user (PI or lab worker).
Bring up detailed information about a PI.
Print several different reports for statistics.
Create a lab annual review.
Change basic questions, links to external
information, and lab annual review questions.
• Review registrations and applications.
Search for PI screen
Administrators can search for a PI to display
complete details about that person.
PI detail screen
From this screen,
administrators are able to see
the complete picture of a PI’s
research.
PI detail screen enlarged
Enlarged PI detail screen continued
Laboratory detail screen
Laboratory Annual Review main screen
PIs are required to have all labs inspected annually.
From this screen an Administrator can create a new
review, edit a current one, or review previous
inspection reports.
Laboratory Annual
Review sections
From the tablet, the Lab
Safety Specialist fills out
the different sections of
the Laboratory Annual
Review form. The form can
be tailored to fit the
laboratory environment by
adding sections of the
form if needed.
Laboratory Annual
Review screen
This form is used at the
beginning of the lab
inspection process.
Laboratory Annual Review screen - enlarged view
The Laboratory Annual Review is the
auditing mechanism for ISIS data
A Lab Safety Specialist
(LSS) reviews the data
the PI entered into ISIS.
Follow-up procedures
in place to ensure PI
addresses LSS’s
comments.
If ISIS data is inaccurate,
PI must go back into ISIS
and update to reflect lab
conditions.
LSS downloads the
latest PI data onto
their tablet PC, and
prints out relevant
reports.
LSS goes and inspects
laboratories.
Report filter screen
Administrators can choose different reports to view or
print. New reports can be easily created from the stored
data, if needed.
Sample report in .pdf format
Some important concepts we
incorporated into the design
All safety forms followed a wizard format.
Kept the wizards in the same question order
and wording as the original paper forms.
Wanted to make the user experience as
familiar as possible.
Provided educational resources through links.
Forms and questions change frequently,
making a dynamic system necessary.
Where are we now?
• Phase 1 rollout was completed in February
2008.
• All cohorts were brought online.
• The ISIS project has moved into Phase II of
development.
• Phase II development will conclude by
October 2008.
Phase II development includes
Laboratory
closeout
procedure.
Annual laboratory
inspection
process.
Revisions to the
recombinant DNA
wizard.
Future
phases of
ISIS.
Electronic
submission and
review for rDNA
and radiation.
Prototype of electronic review process
Conclusions
• Phase I rolled out on time.
• Software was virtually free of bugs.
• Generally well accepted in the research
community.
• Improved the overall level of safety and
compliance.
• Provided comprehensive reports and metrics that
informed management.
• Documented compliance with various regulations.
Things we learned along the way…
Engage the
stakeholders
early.
Have your
business
processes well
defined.
Leverage
regulatory
programs for
greater overall
compliance.
Once you have
the data, you
can no longer
claim
ignorance.
Over three years, we learned a lot!
Gradual rollout
was a more
manageable way
to introduce the
product.
Give
researchers
individual
attention if
needed.
Wizard format
reduced
confusion.
Keep the question
sequence and
wording similar to
original paper
forms.
We still have a lot of paper files,
but we are steadily gaining ground!
Technical take-aways
• Make everything as dynamic as possible.
• You can’t count on everyone using the same
technology, so plan for that.
• XML is a wonderful technology when you
can’t rely on wireless access.
• To develop a large application with a minimal
staff, start small and keep adding to it.
• Help the safety people to think in technical
terms. Show them the possibilities through
prototypes.
ISIS contact information
Todd Leasia
Director
Office for Research Safety
ltl419@northwestern.edu
Dan Volocyk
Director
Office for Research
Information Systems
d-volocyk@northwestern.edu
Tera Moskal
ISIS Project Manager
Office for Research
Information Systems
t-moskal@northwestern.edu
Suresh Mallipeddi
Lead Developer
Office for Research
Information Systems
s-mallipeddi@northwestern.edu