Who is this article for?

Users who need to complete a LATCH assessment.

Administrator role is required.

A LATCH assessment is a step-by-step review of the hazards in your lab and the protective equipment your team needs, completed at least once a year or whenever new hazards or activities are introduced.

1. Starting a new assessment

To start a new assessment, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Assessment tab.
2. Click New Assessments in the top right corner.

Note: If you have started an assessment before, a pop-up will appear with options to start a new blank assessment, continue an open (in-progress) assessment, or copy a previously completed assessment as your starting point.

2. Selecting the assessment type

To select the assessment type, follow these steps:

1. Choose how you want to organise the assessment:
   • By Principal Investigator — covers all rooms under a specific PI
   • By Group — covers a group of rooms
   • By Room — covers activities within a specific laboratory or room
2. Select the rooms to include using the PI Room List.
3. Check or uncheck rooms as needed, or click Select All to include all rooms at once.
4. Click Start when ready.
5. You can click Cancel Assessment at any time to discard your work, or Back to make changes.

3. Reviewing activities and hazards

The Activity Assessment section allows you to review all activities in your lab and identify which ones apply to your space. Hazard categories appear as tabs across the top of the screen, such as Chemical Hazards, Biological Hazards, Radiation Hazards, Physical Hazards, Regulatory Hazards, Process Hazards, and Other Hazards.

To review activities for each category, follow these steps:

1. Select a hazard category tab.
2. Review the list of activities shown on the screen.
3. Check the box next to any activity that applies to your lab
4. When you check an activity, it expands to show additional options.

4. Selecting rooms for each activity

To select which rooms an activity applies to, follow these steps:

1. Locate the Activity Locations section (which appears when you check an activity).
2. Select the rooms where the activity takes place.
3. You can click Select All to apply it to all rooms at once, or uncheck rooms that are not relevant.

5. Reviewing and adjusting PPE

For each activity, the system automatically assigns a set of standard personal protective equipment (PPE) items, such as gloves, a face shield, or a lab coat. You cannot remove these defaults.

To add additional PPE beyond the defaults, follow these steps:

1. Select the extra PPE from the Required PPE dropdown.
2. Click Add to PPE.
3. Type a reason in the comment box explaining why the additional PPE is needed.

6. Saving each category

To save a hazard category, follow these steps:

1. Review all activities for the category.
2. Click Save & Continue.
3. The category button will show a green checkmark once it has been saved. You can click back on any saved category at any time to reopen it and make changes.

7. Completing all hazard categories

Before moving forward, all available hazard categories must be reviewed and saved. Look for green checkmarks on each category button to confirm they are complete.

To proceed after completing all categories, follow these steps:

1. Verify that all category buttons show a green checkmark.
2. Click Save & Continue.

8. Uploading attachments

In the Attachments section, you can upload relevant safety documents, such as Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) or other safety-related files.

To upload attachments, follow these steps:

1. Drag and drop your files into the upload area, or click Browse to navigate to the files on your computer.
2. Click Save & Continue when done.

9. Adding notes

The Notes section is an open text field where you can record any additional information that was not captured during the assessment. This section can also be used to describe lab activities in more detail.

To add notes, follow these steps:

1. Enter your notes in the text field.
2. Click Save & Continue when finished.

10. Reviewing and completing the assessment

The Review Assessment page shows a full summary of everything you have entered.

To complete the assessment, follow these steps:

1. Review the summary carefully.
2. Click View/Print Draft to preview or print the assessment as a PDF before finalising (optional).
3. Click Complete Assessment when you are satisfied and ready to submit.

11. Signing the assessment (if enabled)

After completing the assessment, you will be taken to a summary page. If electronic signatures are turned on for your organisation, a signature box will appear.

To sign the assessment, follow these steps:

1. Use your mouse (on a computer) or your finger or stylus (on a mobile device) to draw your signature in the box.
2. Click the green Save button to submit your signature.

Note: All lab members on the roster will receive an email notification about the completed assessment. Each person must log in and sign the document to confirm they have read and understand the assessment.