Work safely with UV lights
EH&S Radiation Safety has resources and guidance for University laboratories to reduce the risk of exposures and injuries when using ultraviolet (UV) lights or equipment containing UV lights.
EH&S Radiation Safety has resources and guidance for University laboratories to reduce the risk of exposures and injuries when using ultraviolet (UV) lights or equipment containing UV lights.
During National Biosafety Month in October, EH&S is encouraging labs working with biohazards to identify hazards that could be substituted with a safer alternative to reduce the potential for harm while performing the same function.
Examples of safer alternatives include:
Incoming graduate students working in laboratories or other research spaces with hazards at any UW campus location are invited to attend the 2022 Graduate Student Safety Seminar. This seminar will orient the new researchers to the University’s safety requirements, procedures, and expectations.
EH&S’s Laboratory Safety Program now offers an interactive Chemical Hygiene Officer (CHO) Hands-On Training course for all CHOs at the UW.
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.
University departments and units that purchase commercial and industrial batteries now have a third option for recycling (or disposing of) used batteries. Options include:
The Environmental Health & Safety Department (EH&S) serves as the University representative and liaison to Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (L&I) for all campus locations, including UW Medicine, and will coordinate all activities related to an L&I investigation. EH&S will coordinate on behalf of the University with the appropriate unit and University representatives, including Human Resources Labor Relations.
Workplace falls are both common and preventable. At the UW, the category “slips/trips/falls” has been among the top three leading causes of injuries to UW personnel every year from 2018 to 2021. Falls from heights is the second-leading cause of unintentional workplace death in the U.S.
EH&S has published an updated UW Hazardous Energy Control LOTO Program Manual with requirements for controlling hazardous energy using lockout/tagout (LOTO) to ensure employee safety and prevent injury or illness that could result during the servicing and maintenance of machines and equipment.