University departments and units must follow the guidance in the Installing Equipment, Furnishings and Fixtures in UW Buildings Focus Sheet to avoid potential exposures to regulated building materials.
We rely on electricity, but sometimes underestimate its capability of causing injury. Even household current (120 volts) can stop your heart. UW personnel need to be aware of the hazards electricity poses, such as shock, fire and explosion, and either eliminate or control those hazards.
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) offers resources to help organizational units prepare for various types of building emergencies that may arise. This page provides documents that can be useful to help plan for these emergencies.
Additional information about responding to emergencies and conducting evacuation drills can be found on the Building Evacuation and Fire Drills page.
Automated external defibrillators, or AEDs, are electronic devices designed to recognize cardiac arrhythmias and treat them through defibrillation, an electrical therapy shock that allows the heart to reestablish its proper rhythm. Modern AEDs are designed to administer the shock only if an abnormal rhythm is detected, and will prompt the user with step-by-step audible or visual cues.
Laboratory animal allergens can pose a serious health concern for those who work with or near animals.
Use the General Autoclave Safety document to familiarize yourself with the hazards involved with operating an autoclave. Learn how to protect yourself before operating an autoclave. These general autoclave safety guidelines need to be reviewed by any person that operates an autoclave for any reason.
Use the Exposure Response Poster as a guide for responding to a biological, chemical or radiological exposure.
Post in your lab alongside the Spill Response Poster.
University supervisors submit a Respirator Request Form to EH&S, when respiratory hazards are first identified, when processes change that may impact respiratory hazards, and annually thereafter.
