2005
USNH Environmental Health and Safety
Annual Report
for
1.
The Plymouth State University (PSU) Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) is responsible for the development and management of the University’s environmental health and safety program. Additional areas of responsibility include fire and life safety, hazardous material management, accident prevention, industrial hygiene, safety training and compliance with environmental and safety regulations and reporting requirements. PSU complies with all required Federal, State and Local statutes and ordinances and with USNH Policy.
2. AUTHORITY
The responsibility and authority
to establish and administer prudent property and environmental management
practices was delegated to the chief executive officer of the University
through the Board of Trustees policy (BOT VI.F.2), as approved by the
Chancellor of the University System of
The USNH Council on Environmental Health and Safety has representation
from each component institution; the Council measures compliance through
internal audits, prepares an annual system wide report, and endeavors to
support Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors and Chairs by providing technical
consultation and program support. The
Environmental Health & Safety Coordinator for
3. CAMPUS
PROGRAM ELEMENTS
The Campus Safety Committee
continues to meet quarterly. The
committee has representation from the Physical Education Center, the
http://www.plymouth.edu/fsb/safety/safety1.htm
The
The Traffic Light Summary included with this report shows the current status of the safety program elements. Because of the change in personnel in the Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator position at PSU, many of the programs are undergoing review and changes to reflect new federal requirements and to better address actual workplace conditions and exposures.
INJURY AND ILLNESS PREVENTION
1. Industrial Hygiene
Asbestos abatement continues as needed for repairs or projects. During the summer of 2005, two smaller structures received complete asbestos abatements before demolition in preparation for the construction of the new Langdon Woods Residence Hall.
The EHS office has purchased new air and surface monitoring equipment to better respond to the concerns from faculty and staff regarding potential Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues. No unsafe levels of contaminants were noted during any IAQ evaluations this year.
Additional work on Rounds Hall this year, including the installation of a new foundation, appears to have been successful in eliminating moisture into the basement office area. It is expected this improvement will reduce concerns regarding IAQ in this building.
2. General Safety
In 2005, the University saw a solid reduction in injury claims requiring medical treatment and a reduction in the severity of those injuries, as the number of lost time accidents were down.
Two managers from the Physical Plant received training on confined space entry procedures. The training resulted in improvements to the existing entry plan. A new pump system purchase has made the required air monitoring easier for the entry personnel.
A representative from MEMIC, the University System’s Worker Compensation carrier, provided on-campus training on fall protection. Personnel from the Physical Plant, the Student Union and the Performing Arts Center participated in the program.
The EHS Office performed only three ergonomic evaluations this year. These evaluations are done on request by faculty and staff. Representatives from MEMIC also conducted two on-site evaluations. The evaluations typically result in minor changes to work stations, especially key board trays and work surface height. The focus on ergonomics by EHS in recent years has resulted in a reduction of both claims and complaints in this area.
The EHS Coordinator has worked with MEMIC to develop a PSU specific action plan to address those tasks that have the highest number of injuries. MEMIC will provide assistance to the EHS office to address the new action plan. In addition, the EHS office continues to work with MEMIC and with the supervisor’s on campus to review and investigate all accidents.
The EHS office conducted a new safety awareness training program for all Physical Plant personnel. As a result of the training and the feedback from the attendees, several safety policies are being reviewed and enhanced.
3. Radiation Safety
This program is not applicable at PSU.
4. Fire Protection
The EHS office
continues to work closely with the Residential Life Staff to ensure that fire
and life safety equipment and programs are maintained in the Residence Halls
and in the Student Apartments. Regular
inspections by Residential Life Staff, the EHS office and the
Fire drills are
conducted each fall in all Residence Halls and Student Apartments. The drills are conducted under the
supervision of the
The
In addition to
the above mentioned drills and inspections, the EHS office is currently working
with the
5. Occupational Health and Medicine
New employees continue to be brought into the current Respiratory Protection and Hepatitis B vaccination programs. These programs include all employees with the potential for occupational exposure to airborne contaminants and blood borne pathogens, respectively.
On November 17th of this year, the campus instituted a new smoking policy which prohibits smoking within 20 feet of any campus building. New signs have been posted on all campus buildings and representatives from the Smoking Committee continue to evaluate the program.
6. Disaster Preparedness
The EHS office, along with the University Police Department are reviewing the current emergency preparedness plan to determine what changes may be required to ensure the plan meets all new state and federal guidelines. The PSU Emergency Response Team will convene in the spring to review any recommendations and implement any required changes.
The EHS office
is also involved, along with representatives from University Police and the PE
Center, in local efforts to update plans for mass inoculations. The program was originally begun after 9/11
to prepare for small pox outbreaks. The
plan is now being upgraded to address any potential pandemic or public health
concern, such as the avian flu. The PE
Center at PSU will continue to be the Regional POD, or inoculation site, for
The University now has a complete and approved Integrated Contingency/Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures Plan (SPCC) in place. This plan addresses the safe and monitored storage of oils on campus that are found in above ground oil tanks, pad mounted transformers and elevator hydraulic oil tanks.
7. Biological Safety
The Health and Human Performance Department, the Physical Education Center and the science departments continue to participate in the campus infectious waste program.
8. Diving Safety
Due to limited diving
operations at
HAZARDOUS
MATERIALS/ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
1. Hazardous Waste Management
The EHS office oversees all hazardous waste activity on campus, including removal, and ensures the timely inspection of all waste accumulation and storage areas.
Both campuses are small quantity-extended generators (SQG) of hazardous waste. This year, for the first time, PSU will be required to submit SQG Hazardous Waste Self Certification Reports for both EPA sites.
The micro scale
techniques in use in the
Waste disposal statistics for 2005 are as follows:
Ø Regulated Chemical Waste: 2200 lbs.
Ø Non-RCRA Regulated Waste: 7345 lbs.
Ø Universal Waste-Batteries: 1240 lbs.
Ø Universal Waste-Ballasts: 691 lbs.
Ø Universal Waste-Compact/U-Bent fluorescents: 910 lamps
Ø Universal Waste-Straight fluorescent tubes: 6473 linear feet
In February of this year, PSU did receive a notice of violations from the EPA based upon an inspection conducted in June of 2003. The EHS office worked closely with the Physical Plant and the Science and Art departments to ensure that all required program elements of the RCRA standard were followed and that any conditions that may have led to the enforcement action were properly addressed.
As part of the settlement with EPA, PSU will also
be performing a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP). The EHS office will work with the NH
Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) and other NH College and
University EHS staffs to assist secondary schools in the state with their
hazardous waste programs. The group will
conduct comprehensive regional educational programs for secondary school
personnel across the state who use and manage hazardous materials and
waste. In addition to the training, a
sub group of participating schools will be provided with services to safely
dispose of unusable and/or dangerous chemicals and other hazardous wastes that
may be identified as a result of the training.
2. Hazardous Materials Inventory and Reporting
PSU has begun to
utilize the Chemical Environmental Management System (CEMS) computer program
developed by the
The CEMS program will allow for computer access to Material Safety Data Sheets for faculty and staff. It will also assist in the reduction of hazardous materials on site with the surplus chemical list that is part of the program.
The EHS office is grateful for the tremendous support and involvement from the faculty and staff of the Science, Art, and Performing Art departments and the staff of the Physical Plant. This program will be most effective with their continued involvement. The University Environmental Committee was also briefed on the CEMS program and they have pledged their support as well.
At the beginning of the year, an informal audit resulted in PSU filing Community Right to Know/SARA Title III reports with the state for the first time. The audit showed inventories of some chemicals were becoming high enough to warrant the filings.
PSU has an air permit for the heating plant in the PE Center. Inventories of emissions are filed on an annual basis with the state as required.
5.
MECHANISMS for COMPLIANCE
PSU utilizes several mechanisms
to ensure that we meet all state and federal requirements, including the requirements
mentioned in this report. Methods
include, but are not limited to publications and membership in professional
organizations like the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the
American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).
The EHS office is also actively involved with College and University
organizations, including the
Formal training and internal procedures are also utilized to ensure compliance. Examples of this include:
Injury and Illness Prevention
Safety training
was conducted this year for staff.
Topics included fall protection, confined space entry and safety
awareness. Both EHS and Police personnel
have received training this year on the new national and state standards for
emergency response plans. In addition,
the EHS Coordinator attended conference training sessions on upcoming changes
in the
Internal
procedures for processes such as hot work and confined space require a
reporting procedure that involves communication with the
Regular inspections by local fire departments and the State Fire Marshal’s office combined with regular communication with the agencies over various matters also keep the EHS office up to date on any new or upcoming requirements.
Hazardous Materials/Environmental
Management
Weekly inspections of accumulation areas are conducted by faculty and staff. The reports are reviewed by the EHS office. Any discrepancies are addressed and follow-up is conducted if necessary. Students, faculty and staff are trained on the requirements for the handling, labeling and storage of hazardous waste.
The main campus hazardous waste storage building has been redesigned to ensure complete compliance with all required state and federal regulations.
The EHS Coordinator obtained certification as a NH Hazardous Waste Coordinator. In order to maintain the certification, annual training conducted by the state will be required. In addition to the certification, the Coordinator also received training regarding EPA, OSHA and DOT regulations.
