The University of Washington is committed to providing a healthy and safe environment for faculty, staff, students, visitors, and volunteers in all sites owned, operated, or controlled by the University. This commitment includes supporting a culture of health and safety across the University.
Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is an administrative unit that assists University units in meeting their responsibility to protect the environment and to provide a safe and healthful place for employment and learning.
EH&S employs about 100 people who are spread across the UW Seattle campus in multiple locations.
Please read about our services (below) and view our organization chart.
The Building Safety & Accident Prevention section has programs that include accident prevention, building emergencies and fire drills, electrical safety, emergency washing equipment, ergonomics, health and safety committees, incident reporting, and safety training.
We provide assistance to University units and departments to develop Accident Prevention Plans, Fire Safety & Evacuation Plans and prepare staff for emergency evacuations. We help the campus community with fire department permit applications for campus events and we monitor compliance with the International Fire Code. We track reports of accidents and injuries on campus and work closely with health and safety committees to prevent future incidents.
Find our programs and services listed under the Fire & Life and Workplace menus.
The Environmental Programs section supports UW departments by collecting, transporting, recycling and disposing of hazardous chemical waste generated on campus. Our pollution prevention activities involve reduction of chemical waste volume through chemical treatment and recycling, substitution of less hazardous chemicals, and avoiding excess chemical inventory.
The Environmental Programs section maintains the MyChem chemical inventory system and safety data sheets used across the University.
We are preventing environmental pollution by managing the University's underground storage tanks, and air operating permits. We also monitor stormwater and wastewater quality, and provide assessment and cleanup guidance for chemical spills on UW campuses.
Find our programs in the Chemical and Environmental menus.
The Planning & Administration section consists of the senior director and the assistant to the director, the administrator, the information systems team, and the strategic planning and fiscal programs. The Outreach and Communications program engages the campus community to communicate health and safety information and encourage compliance with health and safety rules, polices and regulations.
The Public & Occupational Safety & Health section consists of programs to maintain the health and safety of faculty, staff and students on campus.
The Employee Health Center provides medical evaluations and medical clearance for UW faculty, staff and students who work with hazardous substances or may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens.
The Environmental Public Health program ensures the safety of the food served on campus, drinking water, pools and spas, and handles pest and wildlife issues.
Industrial Hygiene and Physical Safety programs include:
- Confined spaces
- Cranes, hoists and rigging safety
- Fall protection
- Hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout)
- Hearing loss prevention
- Indoor air quality
- Outdoor air quality when wildfire smoke is present
- Outdoor heat exposure
- Regulated building materials
- Respiratory protection
- Shop and maker space safety
Find our programs and services in the Workplace and Environmental menus.
The Radiation Safety section is responsible for maintaining strict regulatory control of radiation producing devices, including approving authorizations for use of radioactive materials. We carefully control the purchase, use and disposal of radioactive materials on UW campuses. In addition, we maintain a radiation control program at University Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center.
Find our programs in the Radiation menu.
The Research Safety section provides key support to researchers at the University for compliance with federal, state and local regulations governing research with potential hazards and field operations.
The Bioafety program includes oversight of research involving biohazards and recombinant or synthetic DNA/RNA and provides laboratory audits, training, and consultation for handling biohazardous waste. The
The Boating and Diving Safety Programs provides training and oversight to faculty, staff and students who operate research vessels and/or use conduct underwater research. We also provide recommendations for occupational health precautions and safe work practices to mitigate research-related risks.
The Laboratory Safety program focuses on mitigating the hazards in over 900 laboratories on UW campuses that contain potentially hazardous materials. Our programs provide guidance to researchers on training, personal protective equipment, chemical inventory management, standard operating procedures, waste handling, safety equipment maintenance, signage, housekeeping and other lab safety topics. We inspect and certify fume hoods and biological safety cabinets, conduct surveys and inspections, and regularly update the UW Laboratory Safety Manual as a resource for researchers to remain in compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
Find our programs in the Biological, Chemical and Research & Lab menus.
Strategy and annual report
The EH&S Strategy Map describes the strategic goals and objectives that guide our work.
The EH&S Annual Report describes the major accomplishments and summarizes our work activities during the previous fiscal year.
Executive Order 55
Collectively, the University president, faculty, staff, students, visitors, volunteers, health and safety committees, the Environmental Health and Safety Advisory Board, and Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) all have responsibilities to support a culture of health and safety.
Read UW Executive Order 55 to learn more.
History
In 1968, EH&S was created by combining several health and safety functions from various departments. In the early days, program emphasis was on radiation safety, environmental safety, environmental sanitation and industrial hygiene.
Federal, state and local regulations created the need to expand environmental health and safety resources provided to University units to remain in compliance.