Ethics and safety
Ethics
The University of New Brunswick has given the Research Ethics Board (REB) the responsibility of ensuring compliance with Tri-Council and UNB policies for all research projects at UNB that involve collecting data from humans. At the same time, the REB strives to ensure that such compliance protects the principles of academic freedom and high scholarship.
Safety
UNB has a fundamental responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for all faculty, staff, students and visitors. Responsibility for safety in research exists at the individual, supervisory and institutional levels.
Deans and administrative heads of departments bear the ultimate responsibility for safety under the New Brunswick Occupational Heath and Safety Act (NB OHSA). However, research supervisors are primarily responsible for ensuring their own safety as well as that of all others under their supervision.
The OHSA places further onus on researchers to investigate, educate and remain current on all safety regulations pertaining to their specific research interests. This can be accomplished by identifying safety issues at the proposal stage of applications for funding.
All applications for research funding must adhere to established federal and provincial safety codes and regulations. Certain types of research involve the use of devices and substances whose use is restricted and may require external licences, permits or special procedures. Failure to comply with established procedures can result in fines by regulatory bodies.
Such failures also present potential corporate liability for the institution, as well as personal liability for the research supervisor. The Safety Offices on the Fredericton and Saint John campuses are available to ensure that all researchers are informed of and adhere to established safety standards. Researchers are encouraged to contact the Safety Offices for assistance on safety-related issues early in the proposal stage.
Animal Care
Animals play an essential role in biomedical, psychological and zoological research, as well as in teaching. Research for which animals are required continues to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in many disciplines and to the improvement of human and animal life.
The welfare of animals used in research is of great importance to UNB. The central purpose of the Institutional Animal Care Committees on the two campuses is therefore to assure that the procurement, care and use of animals in research and teaching meet the highest ethical standards.
The Institutional Animal Care Committee is the highest body within the university responsible for making these assurances. The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) designates to institutional animal care committees responsibility for all activities, procedures and facilities that involve the use of animals.
In particular, the CCAC's Recommended Terms of Reference insist that the institutional committees: (a) must be informed of all research or teaching use of animals, and must ensure that such use conforms to the guidelines of the CCAC; (b) must act to minimize pain, discomfort and stress to animals, and must be empowered to stop any objectionable procedure; and, (c) must ensure that all facilities involved in the use of animals meet the standards of the CCAC and further, must encourage adequate training for personnel engaged in the use and care of animals.
