The 2017 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 cost of disposing radioactive waste is recovered via a cost center at the UW. Fortunately, the rates for disposing most radioactive waste streams decreased this year due to switching to a waste processing facility with thermal treatment capabilities. The new waste processor charges by the pound for thermal treatment so the new rates are calculated based upon weight as opposed to volume as in the past.
What are the new waste disposal rates?
The EH&S website was redesigned to be more user-friendly, easier to navigate and aligned with the UW brand style.
Please note that most web page URLs have changed; please update your bookmarks and materials accordingly.
The main menu options are organized by safety topic to quickly locate safety information.
According to Public Health — Seattle & King County, as much as 60% of foodborne illness may come from cooking at home.
During the holidays, take these important safety precautions to avoid giving the gift of sickness to your guests (or yourself):
An enhanced version of the Lab Survey Dashboard, a resource vital to campus safety and the Laboratory Safety Initiative, was launched on November 14. The enhanced Dashboard has portals for scientific department chairs, deans and UW executives that allow them (or their designee) to review safety performance data for their units.
EH&S is responsible for collection of hazardous waste for the University, including all its campuses and offsite locations. If you have waste to be collected, you will need to submit an Online Chemical Waste Collection Form. Please be aware that the PDF version of the chemical waste collection form will be phased out soon.
Kidde, a manufacturer of fire extinguishers, is working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall some portable fire extinguishers due to potential safety issues. The recall involves plastic handle and plastic push button extinguishers manufactured between January 1, 1973 and August 15, 2017.
If you hire contractors or invite vendors to work on campus, you need to know about chemical hazard communication (HazCom) requirements. The Washington state HazCom standard requires that:
Updates include revised WAC codes, chemical storage guidelines, chemical shipment guidelines, training information, restrictions on minors in the workplace and new website links. A list of significant changes is highlighted in the log of changes.
MyChem has a new chemical waste report feature to help people who generate routine chemical waste. You can now save your chemical waste list and reuse it for future waste reporting purposes!
