This is a challenging time for many as we adjust to working under the constraints of the COVID-19 situation and plan for impacts outside of our control, some of which may impact research continuity.
Chemical waste generators at the University now have two ways to submit waste collection requests:
The 2019 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 300A Summaries of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses are now posted on the Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) website, along with summaries for previous years. The summaries are required to be posted from February 1, 2020 through April 30, 2020 in a location where employees can easily see them, such as on a department’s safety bulletin board or in a break room.
On February 26, EH&S will be offering a webinar on lab safety and compliance for department staff who support researchers and principal investigators at the UW.
This training is designed for administrators, but it is open to all UW staff who do not work in a laboratory setting. The course provides background material on regulatory, policy and permit requirements, and addresses hazards and risk assessment in the laboratory to ensure lab safety and compliance.
In February 2020, all new biological safety and radiation safety laboratory inspections are available through the online Environmental Health and Safety Assistant (EHSA) portal.
After your next biological safety or radiation safety inspection:
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Communication sent to the UW campus community on 1/28/2020
SENT ON BEHALF OF THE UNIVERSITY’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Dear member of the UW community,
Pure Safety Group (PSG) issued a product recall notice for Guardian Fall Protection and Web Devices 3-Way Rescue and Retrieval self-retracting lifeline and a stop-use notice for Guardian SRL-LEs with Stainless Steel or Web Lifelines. Any UW employee using these products should stop use immediately.
During periods of snowfall and potentially icy conditions, we remind you to use extra caution while walking on campus. Prevent slips, trips and falls when walking on campus by doing the following:
Following the announcement of the Seattle Police Department’s preventable fire alarm initiative (that will result in fines for false alarms starting January 1, 2020), EH&S has fielded concerns about whether a fire alarm should be trigged when a fire is not present.
On December 9, 2019, EH&S hosted the Laboratory Safety Awards & Innovation Event to share new practices developed to enhance the culture of safety in UW research and teaching labs. Executive Director of Health Sciences Administration, Dave Anderson gave the opening speech, and Katia Harb, Senior Director of EH&S, gave the closing remarks. Research leaders presented innovations instated in their labs and departments to improve safety practices and safety training completion.
