Mission and Vision
UW Environmental Health & Safety's mission is to partner with the UW community to provide a healthy and safe campus and protect our environment.
Welcome to Environmental Health & Safety
The University of Washington is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for faculty, staff, students, visitors, and volunteers in all sites owned, operated, or controlled by the University. This commitment includes supporting a culture of health and safety across the University.
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is an administrative unit that assists University units in meeting their responsibility to protect the environment and to provide a safe and healthful place for employment and learning. Please read about our services described below.
2021 Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovations Event Winners
Awards were given to labs, departments, and personnel in recognition of their achievements in safety culture.
The 2021 award winners for Top Dawgs in Safety:
- Burke Museum
- Department of Pharmacy
- Center for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound
- Department of Emergency Medicine
- Department of Allergy & Infectious Disease
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology
The 2021 award winners for Pack Leaders in Safety:
New Notice of Cleaning and Decontamination Form
A new Notice of Cleaning and/or Decontamination Form was published in August 2021 to replace the prior decontamination form. The new form contains expanded information to include cleaning as well as decontamination procedures for lab instruments, equipment, appliances, and furniture.
National Biosafety Month 2021: Wear a Lab Coat to Protect Yourself
October is National Biosafety Month, a time to focus on your lab’s biosafety policies and procedures. For 2021, EH&S would like labs to focus on the importance of wearing lab coats. Lab coats are an important barrier between your skin or clothes and any hazards that you work with in the lab. Not only do lab coats protect you from exposure, they also help prevent you from transporting laboratory contamination home to your family, friends and pets.
Grounding and Bonding Focus Sheet
Use and dispensing of flammable liquids presents fire and explosion hazards to facilities and occupants. Proper grounding and bonding limits the potential of static electrical spark during dispensing.
Key Elements of Lab Self-Inspections
Use the Key Elements of Lab Self-Inspections to ensure that all key elements are covered when you conduct a self-assessment of your laboratory or research space.