Latest News

EH&S has released four new online courses to support the basic safe work practices and use of personal protective equipment when using or operating tools and equipment.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increase in the number of disinfection products used by UW departments. EH&S developed two new resources to assist custodial staff and others to safely use disinfectants to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

To help reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Environmental Health and Safety Department (EH&S) is reminding researchers to practice social and physical distancing in laboratories and other research environments. The key preventative measures for principal investigators (PIs) and lab managers should include:

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 biosafety and radiation safety laboratory inspections are available through the online Environmental Health and Safety Assistant (EHSA) portal.

After your next biosafety or radiation safety inspection:

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.

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.