General Safety

Employee Responsibilities

Employees shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations and orders issued pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

You must protect your own safety and that of your fellow workers. You should know and follow the safest and proper procedures and be aware of hazards pertaining to your job.

You must use the proper safety equipment provided at all times as directed.

It is of utmost importance that you immediately report to your supervisor any hazardous conditions, unsafe practices, or improperly functioning equipment in your area. Only by your constant attention and quick reporting will we be able to eliminate hazards and thereby prevent accidents, making this the safest possible place of employment.

Immediately report all work-related injuries/illnesses to your supervisor. Your supervisor will direct you to the proper medical facility for treatment. Failure to report work-related injuries/illnesses may result in the denial of benefits under worker's compensation. Refer to employee information letter on worker's compensation.

Back Safety

Back injuries can be one of the most debilitating injuries that occur occupationally. They are also one of the most expensive injuries to industry across the United States . Therefore, back safety should not be taken lightly.

Risk Management & Safety can provide training on back safety as it relates to lifting, pushing, pulling and material handling. The focus of this training is to familiarize you with the proper principals of back injury prevention and with the proper procedure for lifting heavy or awkward loads and repetitious lifting. The department can also come out to individual work sites and provide recommendations that can minimize back injury potential.

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is defined as: A multidisciplinary activity dealing with the physical stresses (real or potential) that are created by the way people interact with their work. Ergonomics can be applied to a number of different work activities from meat cutting and package handling to computer workstations and laboratory bench top tasks.

Risk Management & Safety can provide consultation for concerns that employees may have relating to their work interaction. This applies to any type of work activity related to the job. However, the vast majority of inquiries come from computer workstation concerns. In addition to consultation, Risk Management can also provide ergonomics training to groups of people.

Fall Prevention

Mechanical lifting equipment, scaffolds and ladders that are available to university departments. However, the University does not permit people to use or operate mechanical lifting equipment or scaffolds without effective training.

In order to operate mechanical lifting equipment (Man-Lifts), you need to contact Risk Management & Safety to set up Man-Lift training.

In order to use scaffolding you need to contact Risk Management & Safety to set up both Scaffold Use and Scaffold Erection training.

Ladder safety is periodically provided to groups of people and departments and covers the effective and safe use of ladders.

Note that anyone working at heights greater than head height may need to wear fall protection devices (such as harnesses and lanyards) when there are no proper railings around the work area. Please contact Risk Management if you are not sure.

Food Sanitation

All food sales outside the Food Services Department are subject to Risk Management & Safety's discretion and written approval. Risk Management & Safety will view food sales proposals to assure that safe food handling procedures take place and that local and state requirements are met. A temporary Food Service Permit application should be used by anyone who is proposing to prepare the food. The permits can be obtained through the Student Activities office. In addition to the approval of Risk Management, the approval of the Food Services Department (Catering By Design) is needed. See the form for further details.

All student organizations will need the approval of their advisors and the Student Activities office, in addition to Risk Management and Food Services, when preparing food (whether it is to be sold or not). Representatives from each organization will also need to be trained in the minimum food service requirements for temporary food sales. This includes football game day concession stands. The training is conducted by Risk Management & Safety, Catering By Design and Student Activities. Please contact Student Activities for scheduled classes.

Forklift Training

A number of departments on campus own and/or use forklifts. There is no other on-shore occupation in the United States that causes more fatalities than forklift operation. One of the biggest reasons for this is the lack of awareness of how forklifts operate, how they turn and how their center of gravity shifts. Therefore, the University does not permit anyone to operate a forklift who has not been effectively trained.

Risk Management & Safety conducts periodic training, on an as-needed basis, for forklift driver certification. The training involves both classroom and hands-on activities.

Indoor Air Quality

Risk Management & Safety knows the importance for employees, students and visitors to enjoy safe atmospheric conditions wherever they are on campus. The Department of Risk Management & Safety is equipped with the knowledge and testing equipment necessary to investigate most indoor air quality concerns. Please notify Risk Management when indoor air quality concerns develop in your occupied area. Non-emergency concerns should first be discussed with your building's administrator or departmental director prior to contacting Risk Management and Safety.

Lockout-Tagout

The University has established some minimum requirements for locking out (or in some cases, tagging out) equipment to isolate potentially hazardous energy sources. This usually takes place while employees work on, service or are otherwise access equipment which has moving or energized parts, thus, potentially exposing themselves to injury.

Each department who has employees who perform such tasks has developed some more specific procedures for locking out equipment with the assistance of Risk Management & Safety. Risk Management will schedule training for employees who engage in Lockout-Tagout (LOTO) procedures. The training involves employee and employer responsibilities, LOTO procedures, different types of energy sources and other related details.

Personal Protective Equipment

The University has two policies with regards to personal protective equipment (PPE); University Requirements for Personal Protective Equipment and Laboratory Requirements for Personal Protective Equipment. The policies address the different types of personal protective equipment that are available for each unit of the University, the proper use of the PPE, the University's responsibilities regarding the PPE and the employee's responsibilities.

Each employee's duties have been evaluated for the need for personal protective equipment by departmental supervisors and the Department of Risk Management & Safety. Risk Management & Safety also provides routine training on the safe use of personal protective equipment which includes the following elements:

When it is necessary to wear the PPE.

What PPE is necessary.

How to properly don, doff, adjust and wear the PPE .

The PPE's limitations.

The proper care, maintenance, useful life and disposal of the contaminated PPE.

All employees will demonstrate their knowledge of their PPE to their supervisor, with regards to the above elements. There is a certified document that will need to be filled out for each employee of the University who uses personal protective equipment.

Respiratory Protection

The University has developed a policy with regards to the use of respiratory protective equipment. This policy applies to all employees who wear mechanical devices to filter out atmospheric hazards. Respirators include dual cartridge masks (both half-face and full face), SCBA's (self-contained breathing apparatus), supplied air respirators and even strap-on style dust/mist masks.

Whether respirators are used voluntarily or mandatorily, they are subject to the University's requirements. Requirements for people who would like to wear a respiratory voluntarily are generally quite liberal, however, at a minimum, certain information will be reviewed with the individual, which will be documented, and a Pulmonary Function Test will be needed if the respirator is a cartridge style respirator.

When respirators are required as part of your job, the following items will be required of you:

Training on the proper use of respirators

Issuance of your respirator by Risk Management & Safety

Fit testing of your respirator

A Pulmonary Function Test at the University Health Center

Water Quality

Risk Management & Safety periodically samples the University's drinking water to ensure that it is safe for human consumption. Over time, such testing has indicated that the University's water supply is safe and healthy. Risk Management & Safety is available to respond to water quality concerns that may arise on campus.