The UW hosted the annual conference for Pac-12 environmental health and safety (EH&S) directors April 11-13 on the Seattle campus. There were 14 participants from various Pac-12 universities sharing strategies for maintaining health and safety in academic settings.
EH&S has new and updated tools for UW units to help protect staff engaging in high risk activities:
Lithium batteries have become the industry standard rechargeable storage device. They are common to University operations and used in many research applications. Lithium-ion battery fires and accidents are on the rise; however, the risk can be mitigated.
EH&S recommends faculty, staff and students take precautions to help prevent fire, injury and loss of intellectual and other property. The following best practices may help reduce the possibility of a reaction, fire or explosion when handling, charging, storing or disposing of lithium-ion batteries:
Laboratory Safety and Compliance is now Laboratory Safety Compliance AND Laboratory Safety Practices!
In response to attendee suggestions, the Laboratory Safety and Compliance course has been revised and split into two easily-accessible parts: An online and a classroom training.
The Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) is hosting a regional conference at the University of Washington on June 13-15 to discuss a variety of interdisciplinary topics. The target audience is EH&S professionals and employees with responsibilities for environmental health and safety at colleges and universities.
The 2018 update to the University’s Biohazardous Waste Management Plan is now posted online.
Summary of changes:
Each year thousands of workers are killed and millions more injured or diseased because of job-related hazards.
Please join the Northwest Center for Occupational Health and Safety on Worker Memorial Day (April 25) to honor those who have died in 2017 from a work-related injury or illness in King County. This special ceremony will raise awareness about how we can strengthen our commitment to make jobs safer and save lives in Washington state.
The UW Police selected EH&S’s Building & Fire Safety team to be the recipient of their P.R.I.D.E award for Community Partner of the Year. Mark Murray, assistant director of Building & Fire Safety, and Scott Nelson, fire safety & engineering manager, were recognized for their collaborative work with the UW Police throughout last year at an event on February 28, 2018.
EH&S celebrated the nomination of our Laboratory Safety team for a Distinguished Staff Award at a reception on February 27, 2018. They were honored to be among 16 teams and 67 individuals across the University nominated for this award.
EH&S presented posters showing three distinct process improvements at the TAP Showcase on March 6, 2018. The changes are intended to create efficiencies and improve customer service in our Lab Safety Survey Program, Hazardous Waste Collection service and Radiation Safety Survey Program.
The improvements included:
