Environmental Health & Safety

The goal of the Occupational Health and Safety Program is to foster a safe work environment and to protect employees, students and visitors from hazardous work environments. 

Each individual is responsible for:

1.     Being familiar with and following safe practice that applies to his/her position. 

2.     Recognizing and correcting any hazardous conditions or practices. 

3.     Promptly reporting work related injuries and illnesses. 

4.     Not interfering with the use of any safeguards or work practice used to prevent individuals from injury. 

5.     Insuring that all necessary safety equipment and protective devices are in proper working order and used when required. 

EH&S will investigate and provide recommendations to correct unsafe work practices and environments. 

Ergonomics

Ergonomics is the science of designing the job, equipment, and workplace to fit the worker.  Proper ergonomic design is necessary to prevent repetitive strain injuries which can develop over time.  No matter what the job is, the goal is to make sure that you are safe, comfortable, and less prone to work-related injuries. 

Ergonomic issues not only exist in the office environment, but in many workplace environments.  Ergonomic risk factors are found in jobs requiring repetitive, forceful, or prolonged exertions of the hands; frequent or heavy lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying of heavy objects; and prolonged awkward postures.  An improper ergonomic environment can lead to lost time and production and increased worker compensation claims.  EH&S can assess work-related factors that may pose a risk of musculoskeletal disorders or cumulative stress injury and provide recommendations to alleviate them.  (Add pictures of workstation)

For workstation assessments or ergonomics information, contact the Environmental Health and Safety Office at xt 6496.

Additional EH&S Resources

Back Lifting Safety Brochure
Computer Workstation Ergonomic Suggestions Brochure
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Brochure

Additional Ergonomic Resources

Labor & Industries
OSHA
Cornell University
UCLA Ergonomics

Industrial Hygiene Surveys

The purpose of this program is to identify potentially hazardous indoor air quality, physical hazards and other hazardous environments on campus.  EH&S provides sampling and monitoring for a wide variety of environmental contaminants and physical hazards.  Sampling includes:

o   Asbestos (Procedure - Brochure)
o   Lead (Guidance)
o   Noise (Hearing Protection Brochure)

Monitoring is conducted for noise and chemicals to determine exposure information.  Indoor air quality is gauged through several monitoring parameters. 

Personal Protective Equipment

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be provided by your department for any employee with the potential for exposure to hazardous conditions.  Contact EH&S for the correct PPE for specific types of hazardous exposure.  The following is a list of potential PPE.

• Respiratory Protection - dust mask, half face, full face respirator
• Hearing Protection - ear plugs, ear muffs
• Eye Protection - glasses, goggles, face shields
• Gloves - chemical resistant, heat/cold resistant, cut resistant
• Clothing to protect skin from hazards
• Foot wear to protect feet from specific hazards encountered.

To get more information for our areas of service, please use the navigation panel on the left.  If you have any comments or suggestions about information on our web pages, please email kkees@ewu.edu.