EH&S STAFF RESOURCES

Federal, state, and UW regulations and policies require that individuals with disabilities must be able to access digital information and resources in the same manner as individuals without disabilities. 

Documents (Word, PDF, PowerPoint, etc.)

• Use a template that has built-in accessibility features (refer to the Forms and templates section on this page).
• Follow the accessibility instructions to ensure headings, images, lists, tables and other features are set up correctly: T:\1Outreach\Writing Guidelines and Resources\Creating Accessible Documents.
• An editor will do an accessibility check before the document is uploaded to the website.

Forms (PDF, Word)

Refer to the Which Format Should I Use to Create a New Form guide when developing a new form saved in the folder T:\1Outreach\Writing Guidelines and Resources\Creating Accessible Documents\Accessible Forms.

Images

All images and graphics in digital documents and uploaded to the EH&S website must have Alternative (Alt) Text. This includes infographics, posters, signs, logos, photos, illustrations, charts, graphs, diagrams and other complex images.

• Documents: Refer to the UW-IT Accessible Technology website (and/or the accessibility instructions above) for instructions on adding Alt Text to images in documents.
• Webpages: Follow the How to insert images instructions when uploading an image to the EH&S website saved in the folder T:\1WEBSITE\Drupal CMS - Instructions\How to Edit Web Pages.
• Photos must adhere to the EH&S Photography Guidelines (refer to the Photography section below).

EH&S staff working with UW Creative Communications to produce graphics intended for use in a digital document or on a website should confirm it will meet UW-IT Accessibility Guidelines.

Procuring IT

In order to facilitate the procurement of accessible information technology, the following three steps should be implemented for all products and services that fall within the scope of the policy.

Step 1: Solicit accessibility information from the vendor in the form of a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT).

Step 2: Validate accessibility information you receive.

Step 3: Include accessibility assurances in contracts for all IT products.

UW-IT Accessible Technology Services can assist with any of the above steps. Refer to the Procurement policies & procedures page for more information.

If you purchased or leased a product and are unsure whether it is accessible, review the contract with the vendor and contact UW-IT Accessible Technology Services to request an accessibility review of the product.

Videos

Videos should be produced and delivered in ways that ensure that all members of the audience can access their content. An accessible video includes captions, a transcript, and audio description (as needed) and is delivered in an accessible media player. For a more detailed overview of this issue, refer to the IT Accessibility Checklist page on Audio and video.

UW Video can assist with new video creation and editing of existing videos to make them accessible.

Videos can be uploaded to the EH&S YouTube account where captions can be added. Contact ehstech@uw.edu with questions.

More information and resources

• Refer to the UW-IT Accessible Technology website for more information.
• Watch an accessibility webinar.
• Submit the Accessibility Consultation Form to request UW-IT help you improve accessibility of your document, form, website, software, video, online course, or other technology.

Contact Karen Crow at karenlc@uw.edu for assistance.

Reviewed by Karen on 8/18/23.

The following resources provide guidance to EH&S staff for identifying and controlling workplace hazards, instructions for responding in an emergency and reporting incidents.

• University of Washington Accident Prevention Plan covers the anticipated workplace hazards that generally apply to employees across the University
• EH&S Supplemental Accident Prevention Plan covers additional health and safety topics beyond those covered in the UW Accident Prevention Plan.
  • T:\1EHSINFO\Accident Prevention Plan\EHS Accident Prevention Plan\EH&S Supplement to the APP.

Managers should instruct new staff to review accident prevention resources during the onboarding process.

Reviewed by Karen on 8/21/23.

EH&S provides instructions to staff for requesting building access and requesting facilities services.

Reviewed by Sarah on 8/21/23.

The following resources are available in the event of an interruption to regular business operations.

If an emerging situation is occurring at the University, read the alert banner on the EH&S home page or uw.edu.

Reviewed by Karen, Diana on 8/21/23.

Only staff who have completed Driver Safety and Awareness Training may use University vehicles.

EH&S’s vehicle key locations:

• Environmental Programs Office (ESOB) - next to the front door
• Environmental Safety Storage Building (ESSB)- in the office area
• Radiation Safety Office – T-245  

Remember to always reserve cars in Outlook before using. Follow the instructions "EH&S cars - reserving online, keys and parking locations" saved in T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides.

Instructions for vehicle use and parking:

Reviewed by Sarah on 8/21/23.

Colors

Use UW Brand colors as much as possible in written and visual communications.

Colors should have adequate color contrast to be accessible to people with disabilities. Refer to the UW Colors Contrast Checker on the digital accessibility tab

Fonts

UW Brand fonts should be installed on your computer. Contact asahelp@uw.edu for assistance.

Formatting Rules

Use of colors, fonts, graphics and logos should follow the EH&S External Communications Guide.

Graphics

• EH&S tagline graphic files and EHS Tagline Use Guidelines are in the folder T:\1Outreach\Tagline graphic.
• UW Graphic files are available for download and are saved in the folder T:\1Outreach\UW Graphics.

Logos

EH&S logos are in the folder T:\1Outreach\Logos.

• Use EH&S logos in JPG format on EH&S documents
• Use EH&S logos in PNG format on EH&S webpages and PowerPoint slides
• Use UW logos on documents that are not owned by EH&S.
• Use "reversed" (white) logos on materials that have a dark background

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25.

EH&S committees and workgroups maintain documents in the folder T:\1Committees_Workgroups_Teams.

Committees, workgroups and project managers are encouraged to use the following resources:

​Reviewed by Karen on 8/18/23.

STAFF LISTS

The following staff lists are saved in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\Staff Lists:

• EHS Day Contact List
• EHS Essential Emergency Personnel
• Staff on Call After Hours Emergency Contacts
• Staff on Call (SOC) schedule
• Staff List – by first name
• Staff List – by last name

EH&S Staff Directory

EH&S Organization Charts

UW Directory

Instructions for updating your information in the UW Directory are saved at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx

Reviewed by Sarah on 8/21/23.

Forms used for internal EH&S processes are available in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\FORMS FOR USE BY ALL, including:

• Access Cards and Forms
• EOSS links and forms
• HR Forms
• Mobile Phone Stipend Forms
• Risk Assessment Forms
• Shipping Forms
• Surplus Forms
• Telework Forms
• Vehicle Forms

Need to create a new form? Refer to the Accessibility section of this page.

Reviewed by Sarah and Karen on 8/21/23.

EH&S hosts regular lunch-n-learn sessions for EH&S staff covering administrative, technology, and communications topics.

Past lunch-n-learn presentations and recordings are saved in the folder T:\_PNA\Information Sessions.

Staff can suggest topics for future lunch-n-learn sessions to Jenna, Diana, Sarah or Karen.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25

Visit the Directions page for mailing addresses to EH&S offices.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25.

SCHEDULING A MEETING

Refer to the instructions saved at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx

• Doodle poll - how to set up
• Using Outlook Scheduling Assistant

RESERVING A CONFERENCE ROOM

Refer to the instructions saved at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx

• Reserving conference rooms - HSB and SLU
• Reserving HUB meeting rooms

Refer to the section Reserving a shared space in Hall Health below to reserve a workspace in Hall Health.

SETTING UP AUDIO/VIDEO

Refer to the instructions saved at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx

• Projecting in HSB T-269
• Reserving the Departmental Conference Line
• Using the Departmental conference phone line
• Using Meeting Owl Pro for Zoom and Teams

ORDERING FOOD

1. Complete the Food Approval Form 
2. Follow the instructions "Purchasing food with departmental funds" saved at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx.
3. Review the Temporary Food Service Permit page to find out if you need to obtain a Temporary Food Service Permit.

Ask your administrative support person for assistance.

HOSTING A MEETING

• 1 on 1 Meeting Agenda Template for use in meetings with managers: T:\1EHSINFO\FORMS FOR USE BY ALL
• EH&S Meeting Agenda Template: T:\1Outreach\Templates\EHS-Blank-Templates
• Best practices for meetings: T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Policies\Guidance Documents\Best Practices for Meetings
• EH&S All-Staff meeting information is saved in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\All Staff Meetings\All EHS Staff Meeting

University Land Acknowledgment

ZOOM 

Refer to the Zoom section below for instructions on using Zoom. 

Reviewed by Sarah, Caitlin and Diana on 9/11/23.

EH&S external newsletter

The EH&S external newsletter contains links to articles on the EH&S website that cover health and safety topics for the campus community. It is distributed to University personnel quarterly and in December.

An article template, style guide, topics, submission guidelines and due dates are in the Newsletter section of the EH&S External Communications Guide.

Contact Karen Crow with questions.

EH&S internal newsletter

The EH&S internal newsletter is a PDF that is emailed monthly to EH&S staff from the senior director's office. Talk with your manager or AD about submitting content to the internal newsletter.

Past internal newsletters are saved in the folder T:\_Office_of_Director\Internal_Newsletter_EHSDirector.

Contact Meli Ahumada with questions.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25.

Reviewed by Caitlin on 8/21/23

EH&S staff are required to follow the EH&S Photography Guidelines saved in the folder T:\1Outreach\Photos.

All images used in digital documents and uploaded to the EH&S website must have Alt Text (refer to the Accessibility section of this page).

Copyright-free photos

• UW Visual Asset Collection
• EH&S Staff Photo Archive
• A list of websites with copyright-free or public domain photos is saved in the folder T:\1Outreach\Photos.
• Read about copyright and fair use.

Guidance for staff who take a photo at a University location

• Follow the UW Photography Guidelines when taking photographs.
• If the photo features one or more individuals and will be used publicly, refer to the EH&S Photography Guidelines for instructions. You may need to request the personal release form from the featured individuals.
• Upload photos (if appropriate) to the EH&S Staff Photo Archive.

Contact Karen Crow with questions.

Reviewed by Karen on 8/18/23.

 EH&S staff must follow the policies, standards and procedures of the department and the University.

EH&S policies: T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Policies\EH&S Policies

UW Administrative Policy Statements: https://policy.uw.edu/

Internal policy, standard and procedure templates: T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Policies\Internal Policy, Standard and Procedure Templates

Reviewed by Meli on 3/13/23.

The following resources are available to EH&S staff when organizing a project that is limited in time, scope or budget.

Reviewed by Karen on 8/18/23.

Ask your administrative support for:

• Business cards
• Credit card purchases (e.g., Amazon)
• Office supplies, furniture purchases (refer to the Office equipment, furniture and supplies section above)
• Printing jobs (large or complicated)
• Reimbursement for parking, food, travel (refer to the Travel and training section below)
• Registration for conferences or training classes

Ask the EH&S Business and Finance Specialist for:

• Billing
• Blanket Purchase Orders (BPOs)        
• Purchases totaling over $10,000
• Vendor or contract questions or problems

Reviewed by Sarah on 3/13/23

You’ll need to follow your program or section’s records retention requirements, in addition to the University’s retention policy.

Refer to the Business Process Guides saved in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides:

• Record Retention
• Retention applied to emails in Outlook
• Semi-Annual File and Records Clean-up
• T:Drive maintenance 

Additional resources:

Reviewed by Sarah and Diana on 3/13/23.

All EH&S staff are expected to have a baseline level of awareness of risk assessment principles. The Job Hazard Analysis webpage on the EH&S website provides basic steps for conducting a routine risk assessment.

EH&S staff who are responsible for conducting risk assessments may utilize the following resources.

Reviewed by Karen on 8/21/23.

Ask your administrative support person for help with stamps, campus mail, shipping packages (FedEx or UPS) or certified mail.

Reviewed by Sarah on 3/13/23.

EH&S refer to the following resources when working from home or teleworking:

Reviewed by Jenna on 8/21/23.

A template must be used when drafting documents intended for external distribution (outside of EH&S) and uploading to the EH&S website.

Documents includes, but is not limited to, agendas, business letters, checklists, focus sheets, guidelines, instructions, manuals, memos, reports, posters, signs and PowerPoint presentations.

Use the Templates Selection Guide to pick the right template: T:\1Outreach\Templates.

All documents distributed externally (outside of EH&S) must follow the EH&S External Communications Guide and the EH&S Written Communications Review Guide.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25

Ticketing Agents must log in to Freshdesk to access tickets in the ticketing system.

Instructions for Agents using the ticketing system for the first time are in the folder T:\1Committees_Workgroups_Teams\Ticketing.

Contact Diana Sartorius with questions.

Reviewed by Diana on 5/16/23.

If someone has asked you to record your hours toward a specific service, memorandum of understanding (MOU), or client, you will need to install the Key Client database and use it to record your work hours.

Email ehstech@uw.edu with questions with accessing, downloading and entering data in the database.

Reviewed by Jenna on 3/13/23.

TRAVEL

EH&S staff who are interested in participating in professional development training/education, or attending a conference or other industry meeting should take the following steps:

1. Get approval: Fill out the Travel/Training Authorization Form (TTAF) in T:\1TRAVEL.

• The TTAF must be signed by your assistant director (AD).
• Instructions for completing the TTAF are located at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx.
• The TTAF is saved in T:\1Travel and provides a record of your travel and expenses.

2. Get reimbursed: The PNA administrative assistant will submit a request for reimbursement for travel expenses on your behalf. Refer to the instructions in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx.

TRAINING

EH&S has a list of required training that all new hires (including workstudy students) must take within the first month of work: T:\1EHSINFO\Employee Hiring\5 - Onboarding\Onboarding Training Information.docx.

Reviewed by Sarah on 9/11/23.

Log in to Workday to perform the following tasks:

• Update personal and directory information
• Access payslips and pay rate details
• View and update benefit information
• Manage time off, absences and holidays
• Manage time sheets (classified staff)

Reviewed by Sarah on 3/13/23.

GUIDELINES

All documents distributed externally (outside of EH&S) must follow the EH&S External Communications Guide.

REVIEW

Use the Editor Checklist to ensure communications are in alignment with EH&S, UW, and Washington state guidelines and requirements. 

The EH&S Written Communications Review Guide outlines requirements and considerations for different types of communications. The check mark indicates the minimum level of internal review required for a given communication. Those not selected can be selected as needed (in consultation with your manager) based on the specific issue or topic that is being communicated.

TEMPLATES

A template must be used when drafting documents intended for external distribution (refer to the Templates section of this page).

Contact Karen Crow (karenlc@uw.edu) with questions about writing resources.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25

GET HELP

• Desktop computer support (MS Office, hardware, etc.): Contact asahelp@uw.edu or 206-543-9413
• IT project, database, or system support: Contact ehstech@uw.edu

Additional resources:

Reviewed by Diana on 3/13/23.

Follow the instructions below to set up and use your digital (electronic) signature to sign PDFs, such as the Travel and Training Authorization Form.

EH&S content owners can update webpages assigned to them, and add or replace documents uploaded to the EH&S website.

UPDATE A WEBPAGE

1. Log in to Drupal (click the "EHS Login" link in the footer).
2. Navigate to the page you want to edit.
3. Click New Draft (or "Edit Draft" if applicable).
4. Follow the instructions in the EH&S Website Drupal User Manual.
5. Follow the EH&S review and approval process (as applicable).
6. Notify an editor (or contact ehshelp@uw.edu) when it’s ready for final review and publishing.

UPLOAD A DOCUMENT (Word, PDF, PowerPoint, etc.)

Content Owners/Contributors: Send your request and the file to ehshelp@uw.edu.

Please indicate in your request:

1. I want to upload a new file that was not previously uploaded; 

OR

2. I want to replace an existing file that was previously uploaded.

When replacing an existing file:

– Please provide the URL of the file you want to replace.

– Indicate whether (or not) you want to change the URL. If you don’t specify, the Editor will keep the same URL.

The document must be reviewed according to the EH&S Written Communications Review Guide and edited following the Editor Checklist prior to publishing on the website.

ADD A NEWS POST/ARTICLE

1. Fill out the Newsletter Article Template.
2. Review the article using the Newsletter Article Review Checklist.
3. Complete the steps in the EH&S Written Communications Review Guide.
4. Follow the steps in the EH&S Website Drupal User Manual to add a news post.

ADD A NEW WEBPAGE

Email ehshelp@uw.edu 

Questions?

Contact ehshelp@uw.edu with questions.

Reviewed by Karen on 2/3/25

Follow the instructions below to set up and use your Outlook email and calendar.

Reviewed by Sarah on 3/13/23.

Set up your phone and voicemail

Using your phone

Using voicemail

Contact your administrative support staff for assistance.

Reviewed by Sarah and Karen on 10/7/24.

Log in to your Zoom account to use your personal meeting room or to schedule a meeting.

Refer to the instructions “IT_Technology_Using Zoom for meetings” at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx.

Starting a meeting and screensharing

Refer to the instructions “Communication_Zoom - Starting a meeting and screen sharing” at T:\1EHSINFO\EH&S Business Process Guides\BPG_TABLE_OF_CONTENTS.xlsx.

Update your Zoom background image. EH&S and UW background images are saved in the folder T:\1Outreach\Zoom backgrounds.

The following resources are available to supervisors:

Reviewed by Jenna on 3/13/23.

Supervisors must review safety procedures and training requirements for new personnel using the following files are saved in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\Employee Hiring\5 – Onboarding.

• EH&S Employee Handbook 2023
• Supervisor Checklist for Onboarding New Employees
• Onboarding Toolkit UW,
• UTemp New Hire Checklist These

Training Requirements for New EH&S Employees are included in the Supervisor Checklist for Onboarding New Employees.

Reviewed by Sarah on 9/15/23.

Supervisors must begin the Employee Exit Checklist for Supervisors upon notice of employee leaving. The checklist is saved in the folder T:\1EHSINFO\Employee Exit.

Reviewed by Jenna on 3/13/23.

Hiring managers refer to the instructions and resources in the Employee Hiring folder: T:\1EHSINFO\Employee Hiring.

Reviewed by Jenna on 3/13/23.

The following resources are available for strategic planning:

Reviewed by Jenna on 3/13/23.

Supervisors have access to the following resources: