The UW was recently notified of a potential hazard for users of laser equipped microscopy equipment manufactured by ZEISS. The hazard identified by the manufacturer is potential exposure to Class IIIb laser light, which can cause serious and permanent visual impairment. All users of laser equipped microscopy equipment should contact EH&S immediately if using or possessing the following equipment:
EH&S’s Radiation Safety team recently celebrated its paperless Radiation Use Authorization (RUA) program by sending 12 banker’s boxes full of active files off for secure records destruction.
This transition to a paperless program was part of a TAP Initiative effort to streamline the RUA approval process. With the transition to a digital record, a paper record is no longer needed, so those 12 boxes of files will go to records destruction instead records retention.
Have you seen someone trip and fall? Report it! Slips, trips and falls are leading causes of injury at the UW, but incidents often go unreported until after an injury occurs.
A Tacoma woman died from asphyxiation and her daughter-in-law is in critical condition after riding in a car with containers of dry ice. Even at normal room temperatures, dry ice will warm and release carbon dioxide gas, which can displace the oxygen inside a small, enclosed space.
Dry ice is commonly used in UW research. Its properties allow for rapid cooling of materials, but also pose unique worker safety hazards.
Does your lab share space or resources with other labs? If so, come to this session to learn more about best practices and tools that you can use to manage safety and compliance.
There will be a brief presentation followed by a Q&A session to address any questions or concerns you have about your shared spaces and resources.
On June 1, 2018, a UW employee was releasing chains holding a 20 foot shipping container on a trailer when the cheater bar on the lever load binder sprang loose with excessive force. The employee received a minor head injury.
Excessive exposure to heat can cause a range of heat-related illnesses, from less serious heat rash and heat cramps to more serious heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat stroke requires immediate medical attention because it can be deadly, so take precautions while working in the summer heat.
When 9-1-1 is called on the UW Seattle campus, UW Police and Seattle Fire Department emergency vehicles will use designated fire lanes to get to the scene of the emergency quickly. It is critical that campus fire lanes are kept clear at all times to avoid emergency responders losing time getting to someone who needs help.
Lead is a neurotoxin that accumulates in the body and damages the nervous system and causes blood disorders. Faculty, staff and students using metallic lead in a lab, shop or other workspace could be at risk for toxic lead exposure.
All quantities of metallic lead (e.g., metallic lead like bricks, buoy weights, window weights, lead sheeting, or solder) must be recorded in MyChem. MyChem is the UW’s chemical inventory management system and helps maintain our compliance with environmental and occupational health requirements.
Two UW environmental health and safety projects were selected by the Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA) to receive an Award of Merit in the Innovation Award category at its national conference.
