Latest News

Updated October 1, 2024

The Employee Health Center provides scheduled preventive health care for UW employees who are at higher risk for occupational exposures to potentially hazardous materials. We provide physical exams, screenings, vaccinations and medical surveillance for personnel working in high risk areas, such as research labs, animal care centers, clinical settings and the UW Police Department.

As the University is working toward a return to normal operations, you may be lifting and moving things around, such as chairs, printers, and other equipment, in preparation for on-site work. Take precautions before lifting or moving objects, as incorrect lifting can lead to back pain and/or a back injury.

When 9-1-1 is called on the Seattle campus, UW Police and Seattle Fire Department emergency vehicles will use designated fire lanes to get to the scene of the emergency quickly. It is critical that campus fire lanes are kept clear at all times to avoid emergency responders losing time getting to someone who needs help.

Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) published new guidelines for radiofrequency safety aimed at protecting workers who perform tasks on rooftops with wireless cellular antennas.

The key points of the new radiofrequency wireless cellular antennas safety guidelines include:

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) serves as the University representative and liaison to Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) for all campus locations, including UW Medicine, and will coordinate all activities related to an L&I investigation. EH&S will coordinate on behalf of the University with the appropriate unit and University representatives, including Human Resources Labor Relations.

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) published an updated Hearing Loss Prevention Program Manual. The updates impact all UW personnel with a potential for elevated exposure to noise in the workplace at all University locations.

EH&S launched an updated online Wildfire Smoke Safety course to address new regulatory requirements. UW personnel can access it in the EH&S Course Catalog.

This course is required for University personnel who work outdoors and may be exposed to wildfire smoke at an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 72 or higher. Annual retraining is required.

The UW community can help save a life by knowing where automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are located in University buildings before a sudden cardiac arrest occurs. PulsePoint provides a map of AED locations and a free app that allows smartphone users to easily find AEDs at UW locations.

If your research involves the use of centrifuges, ovens/furnaces, vacuum pumps, or other laboratory equipment, the Laboratory Equipment Maintenance webpage provides resources that can help you mitigate the hazards associated with commonly used lab equipment.