Workplace Safety

EH&S updated the Site-Specific Bloodborne Pathogen (BBP) Exposure Control Plan template in congruence with Washington state BBP regulations. This update includes an expanded list of personal protective equipment (PPE) and engineering controls, a section on sharps safety, and a personnel training log.

Vacuum pumps are used to remove air and other vapors from a vessel or manifold. Weak points in containers or systems under vacuum can create implosion or explosion hazards, and cause injury by violently spraying glass and hazardous materials. An example of this is an incident that recently occurred at the University of Pennsylvania resulting in an explosion and fire.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) has increased in the Seattle, Bothell, and Tacoma areas, which may require public and occupational health and safety measures to be taken (summarized below).

Alumni, affiliates, visitors, and students with valid UW NetIDs are (at various times) not able to log into EH&S online training courses and will see an error message when attempting to do so. This is because Bridge, the UW learning management system, does not recognize their UW affiliation. The Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) developed a new self-service tool to assist these individuals with obtaining access to Bridge.