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BioRAFT/SciShield FAQ
What is BioRAFT/SciShield and why am I getting emails about it? Accordion Closed
BioRAFT/SciShield is NAU’s safety training and compliance management platform. This system automates the tracking of job-specific activities and delivery of required safety training for NAU employees and students, management of area inspections, and provides supervisors with dashboards showing compliance status for employees or departments. BioRAFT/SciShield increases compliance by reducing administrative burden, increasing the availability of training, and providing useful metrics for departments.
Does everyone at NAU have to participate in BioRAFT/SciShield? Accordion Closed
All current staff and students can access training programs in BioRAFT/SciShield through the CAS login process. However, participation is only required for employee groups or risk categories whose work assignments result in a regulatory requirement for safety training. EHS has pre-identified groups that are required to participate but can provide assessment or guidance on a case-by-case basis if questions remain. Contact NAU EHS (www.nau.edu/ehs) for assistance.
I am a student and my program requires a BioRAFT/SciShield training, but I can’t access it. What should I do? Accordion Closed
Students must currently be enrolled in academic classes to access BioRAFT/SciShield trainings. If you are not currently enrolled in classes but are preparing for a future semester or it is a condition of acceptance for your program, ask your faculty member to contact EHS (nauehs@nau.edu) for assistance.
What are “Risk” categories and what do they mean? Accordion Closed
EHS has categorized our campus community into general “Risk Categories” defined by the type of work activities or potential risks that workers might be exposed to. Within each category, training requirements are expected to be similar (but not identical) from employee to employee. In general employees with office and classroom work environments are low enough risk that enrollment in BioRAFT/SciShield is not required. Other groups are enrolled to track and maintain compliance status of their safety training.
What happens if I ignore the messages about required training? Accordion Closed
BioRAFT/SciShield will continue to send training notifications until the training is completed. If you feel a training is not applicable, consult with your supervisor or EHS. If you ignore training notifications the training delinquency will be noted in BioRAFT/SciShield and will be reported to your local leadership during scheduled inspections and audits.
I am part of a “Low Risk” group on campus, but I think I might need training. What do I do? Accordion Closed
To determine if training is needed, contact your supervisor or EHS to ask for a Job Hazard Assessment. To obtain training you have several choices: All NAU employees can access training in BioRAFT/SciShield simply by following the link at the bottom of the EHS homepage (www.nau.edu/ehs), then navigating to “Training”>” Course Directory” and selecting the training they want. But you may also ask your supervisor or EHS if it is appropriate to enroll you in BioRAFT/SciShield for ongoing notification purposes.
Can I access BioRAFT/SciShield training even if it’s not required for my role? Accordion Closed
Yes! All active NAU employees and students with current enrollment in academic classes can access training in BioRAFT/SciShield simply by following the link at the bottom of the EHS homepage (www.nau.edu/ehs), then navigating to “Training”>” Course Directory” and enrolling in the training they want.
Can I access BioRAFT/SciShield training that is not assigned to me? Accordion Closed
Yes! While you will only be assigned training required by regulation or NAU policy, you may take any training that is available based on interest, personal growth, or professional development. Just be sure to coordinate with your supervisor if you would like to complete the training during business hours.
How can I get a copy of my training records? Accordion Closed
You can access your training history by logging into BioRAFT/SciShield from the EHS homepage (www.nau.edu/ehs). Your personal welcome page will have a window titled “Required Training”. Follow the “Training History” link in this window to view your history, print certificates, or download your training history by selecting the Excel icon in the upper left corner of the training record page.
What happens if I get notification for a training that doesn’t match my work duties? Accordion Closed
There are several reasons that training assignments might not match up with your work duties. These can generally be resolved by your supervisor, who has permissions to edit your job assignments in BioRAFT/SciShield. NAU EHS can provide guidance on both the editing process and the applicability of training assignments based on assigned work duties.
What happens if I move to a new job or department on campus? Accordion Closed
Supervisors have a responsibility to maintain current departmental enrollment in BioRAFT/SciShield. If you Transfer, your former supervisor should remove you from the department you are leaving, and your new supervisor should enroll you in the department you move into. If this does not occur, you will receive training notifications for both departments. If you are receiving messages related to your old position, contact your former supervisor to be removed from that department. EHS can assist either or both supervisors with the enrollment/de-enrollment process if necessary.
How do I check my employee’s training status? Accordion Closed
Supervisors may check the status of their employees by logging into BioRAFT/SciShield and under the “View” tab, Follow the “Training Dashboard” link. This will provide a general overview of the entire department without specific names. For employee specific records, go to the “Members” tab and select the employee in question, then select the “Training” tab to see the individual’s training history or training requirements. This information may be downloaded by selecting the Excel icon in the upper left corner of the training page.
How do I add new employees to my department and assign task/hazard training in BioRAFT/SciShield? Accordion Closed
Supervisors can add employees by logging in and selecting the “Members” tab which has an employee lookup. Just enter the employees first and last name, or email (most reliable) select the proper name from the dropdown list. Then select their membership type (IE department member, department manager, assistant director, department head). You have the option of adding task/hazard assignments now, but can also do this once they are added from the “Manage Job Activities” tab. Once all the pertinent information has been completed. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Lookup/Add” or “Submit” (depending on which page you are on) at the bottom of the page. *Don’t forget to add the Job activities if you didn’t do it during the enrollment process!
The enrollment process is covered in detail in the BioRAFT Basics Tutorial on the EHS website.
How do I remove employees who have left my Department in BioRAFT/SciShield? Accordion Closed
If an employee separates from the university, you do not need to do anything. They will be removed automatically once HR removes them from the LDAP directory. If an employee transfers or remains on payroll after departing, they may need to be manually removed from your department. From the “Members” tab, find the employee in question, and at the right side of their account information, select “remove”.
To remove a department manager or department head, you must first replace them with a new manager/head. To do this, designate the new person as department head/manager in their account, then in the “Members” tab, select “Change Department head” and use the dropdown to select the new department head. Once this is complete, go back to the “Members” page and refresh. You should now be able to remove the head/manager.
What happens with our annual departmental compliance report? Accordion Closed
EHS staff will perform semiannual or annual inspections/compliance audits for the purpose of ascertaining each departments level of compliance with OSHA required training. The results of this training will be provided to departmental leadership for the purpose of understanding and continuous improvement, and to divisional leadership for the purpose of feedback on departmental success.
What is a JHA (Job Hazard Assessment) and how is it related to BioRAFT/SciShield? Accordion Closed
OSHA requires employers to identify and control hazards that employees may be exposed to. The primary tool for this is a workplace Job Hazard Assessment or JHA. This written or electronic document identifies specific work tasks and the hazards associated with them, and then identifies specific controls to reduce or eliminate those hazards. At NAU, BioRAFT/SciShield is our primary vehicle for workplace JHA documentation.