Safety Tips from I-Safety
Spotlight Tips of the Week
Do you work with degreasers, cleaning products, paints, adhesives or resins? If so, you may be generating hazardous waste.
When most people think of hazardous waste, lab/ag chemicals, etchants, solvents or other products that require safety data sheets come to mind. However, there are many common products used throughout campus that are also considered hazardous, and it is important to learn how to properly dispose of these chemicals.
Do any of your work activities generate waste during or at the end of the procedure or process? If so, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires you to perform a waste determination to ensure that hazardous waste is not disposed of as normal trash, sent to a storm drain or to the water treatment plant.
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) provides guidance for managing hazardous waste to help ensure proper disposal. The guide, found on the EHS website, provides information on how to accumulate, label, store and submit waste to EHS for proper disposal according to the EPA regulations.
Additionally, EHS provides frequent in person training workshops that provide detailed instructions on properly managing hazardous waste. Contact EHS at 208-885-6524 or safety@uidaho.edu to attend the next hazardous waste workshop, or for additional assistance in managing hazardous waste.
The Report a Safety Concern form provides users a quick and easy way to submit non-emergency safety concerns on campus. With three required questions: what the safety concern/issue is, location and date observed; it only takes a moment to complete the mobile-friendly form. You also have the option to include a picture of the hazard if applicable. The form may be submitted anonymously if desired, keeping in mind it may be harder to resolve the situation if further information is required.
Submitted forms are directed to the appropriate department/unit for review and consideration.
The Report a Safety Concern form can be found on these U of I websites: I-Safety, Environmental Health and Safety, Facilities and Parking and Transportation Services.
Thank you for taking the time to report a safety issue or concern right away. For questions, please contact EHS at 208-885-6524 or safety@uidaho.edu.
Culture of Questioning
Questioning certain practices with safety in mind is an essential attitude to keep you and the rest of the Vandal family safe. Questioning challenges the complacency that grows in familiar situations and drives change. Questioning safety practices, or perhaps a lack thereof, is vital to developing a culture of safety at the University of Idaho. The goal is for everyone to return home at the end of every day just as healthy as when they arrived on campus.
Safety issues are often recognized but go unreported because a person doesn't know whom to contact or assumes that someone else is already taking care of it. At U of I, we want everyone to challenge these assumptions, question the situation and report the issues. The Report a Safety Concern form was created just for this purpose. It allows for anonymous reporting if you choose, as well as the option to upload an image of the safety problem when appropriate. It is available for anyone to use, and concerns will be directed to the proper campus unit to correct the problem.
Students and employees are the eyes and ears of the community, and your help is essential. Get involved in the safety training opportunities available to you, ask questions if you have a concern about a procedure, take part in safety inspections and report issues right away - issues cannot be corrected if no one knows about them. Timely questioning and reporting can prevent accidents and near misses. If an accident or near miss does occur, report this as well; investigating the reason will help avoid another injury.
As a supervisor, you have additional influence - lead by example and ensure safety is a core value in your team's activities. You are encouraged to do workplace inspections, ensure your employees are current on their safety training, talk regularly with your employees and discuss accident investigation reports with them and the U of I EHS staff. EHS has many resources available for you and the EHS staff can assist all supervisors in their safety efforts.
Our Vandal culture is how we think and act in all our activities. Avoiding complacency and continuously challenging existing conditions that might pose a safety risk allows us as a community to identify discrepancies and take appropriate actions before an accident or near miss occurs. Put safety first and we can achieve the safest possible working and learning environment for our Vandal family.