ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY ANNUAL REPORT 2014 www.utexas.edu/safety/ehs
Table of Contents 05 From the Director 06 About EHS 08 Program Areas 07 Highlights 10 Environmental Programs 12 14 Campus and Occupational Safety Laboratory and Biological Safety 16 Radiation and Laser Safety 18 Project Planning and Design Review 20 Emergency Response 22 Other Program Areas
FROM THE DIRECTOR Welcome to the for Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). This is our first attempt in several years to inform the campus about our varied activities and accomplishments. Please understand that this is a condensed snapshot of the various programs within EHS. We have not attempted to describe everything we do because it would likely be rather long and boring. Instead we selected facts and information that will provoke some thought about campus safety and hopefully help represent the contributions of the entire staff. EHS has many programs to help provide a safe and environmentally responsible campus, but we cannot do it alone. We need your continuous involvement, addressing these critical issues in your daily work, to provide a world-class program. We at EHS hope you find this information to be both interesting and useful. I encourage you to contact me (john.salsman@austin.utexas.edu) or the EHS staff (512-471-3511) with suggestions, comments, or questions. Thanks, John John Salsman Director
ABOUT EHS VISION. It is our vision to become a recognized, national leader and innovator in campus environmental health and safety. MISSION. The mission of Environmental Health and Safety is to promote healthy and safe operations on campus, to protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors, and to ensure protection of the environment. VALUES. Excellence: We encourage excellence and strive to go beyond compliance promoting the best EHS practices. Customer Orientation: We are committed to providing efficient and customer-friendly services to the university community. Competency: We work dilligently to maintain and continue to improve our skills, abilities, and knowledge. Collaboration: We promote valued internal and external relationships with our community and encourage an open exchange of ideas and information. Ethics: We are committed to acting with integrity and honesty in all our endeavors. Continuous Improvement: We recognize that improvement is a continuous process and we strive to be at the forefront of changes in our field. 6
UNIVERSITY OPERATIONS PAT CLUBB, Vice President CAMPUS SAFETY AND SECURITY BOB HARKINS, Associate Vice President ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND SAFETY JOHN SALSMAN, Director CHIP ROGERS, Associate Director NENA ANDERSON, Assistant Director ELENA CAPSUTO, Assistant Director DENNIS NOLAN, Assistant Director SCOTT PENNINGTON, Assistant Director MANAGEMENT 6 TECHNICAL STAFF 22 Total 31employees SUPPORT STAFF 3 EHS works to protect the health and safety of the faculty, staff and students at UT Austin in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. 7
PROGRAM AREAS Environmental Programs Hazardous Waste Disposal Storm and Waste Water Pollution and Spill Prevention Campus and Occupational Safety Asbestos Hearing Protection Indoor Air Quality Lift Safety Machine Shop Safety Laboratory and Biological Safety Animal Make Safe Wildlife Incidents Animals on Campus Plan Review New and Existing Construction Review Design and Construction Standards Emergency Response On-call Program 24/7 response Chemical Safety Biosafety Lab Inspections Controlled Substances Radiation and Laser Safety Radioactive Material and Laser Permitting Lab Inspections University Laser and Radioactive Material licenses Food and Drinking Water Safety Food Safety Inspections Food Distribution Approval Drinking Water Testing 8
2014 HIGHLIGHTS 2,132 Lab evaluations Dell Medical School Completed review of buildings, site infrastructure, and landscape designs Lab Coat Initiative Resulted in lab coats being worn in all undergraduate chemistry classes 371 Asbestos inspections 7,019 63 People took EHS training classes Construction projects reviewed 470 Radioactive Material (RAM) packages received, inspected, and delivered Material Transfer Center (MTC) Construction started 9
ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS SUMMARY The Environmental Programs area is in charge of the disposal of chemical and biological waste for The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). In addition, this program ensures the environmental integrity of the campus water system by addressing flood, water quality, and erosion control. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Completion of the UT Elementary School project Material Transfer Center (MTC) currently under construction Successful Waller Creek Cleanups in Fall and Spring 2014 Engineering Science Building (ENS)and Chemical Transfer Building (CTB) were successfully decomissioned prior to demolition Two incidents were deactivated without a campus safety concern 10
Waste Amount (#) Waste Cost ($) 146,293 170,094 144,768 $571,776 $620,654 $528,392 83,008 60,086 $11,715 $13,136 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Weight (Bio) Weight (Chem) Cost (Bio) Cost (Chem) FUTURE Continue work with Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC) project managers for completion of the MTC project Work towards finalizing the Storm Water Team Continue communicating and educating UT departments and working with them in regards to regulatory requirements Dell Medical School 11
CAMPUS AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY SUMMARY Campus and Occupational Safety focuses on the safety of UT Austin employees, students and visitors. The Campus and Occupational Safety program area includes the following initiatives: Asbestos and Lead, Indoor Air Quality, Mold, and Occupational Safety Programs such as Hearing Protection, Respiratory Protection, Lift Safety and Shop Safety. ACCOMPLISHMENTS University Asbestos Operations & Maintenance Plan Completed 116 machine shop inspections through April 24th Completed 371 asbestos inspections through April 23rd 12
Inspections and Assessments Sampling 1908 3544 3256 4583 3842 4856 4297 844 461 385 353 393 349 166 236 269 231 180 2012 2013 2014 Shops Mold and IAQ Lead Asbestos 158 169 140 2012 2013 2014 Mold Lead Asbestos FUTURE Lock Out Tag Out Program Fall Protection Program Counter Weight Fly System Safety Program 13
LABORATORY AND BIOLOGICAL SAFETY SUMMARY The lab safety group conducts laboratory inspections of research and teaching laboratories at UT Austin and satellite facilities. The purpose of the inspection program is to ensure compliance with University policy and any applicable regulations. All labs are inspected at least annually; higher risk labs are inspected on a semiannual basis. Lab Safety provides training and guidance on a number of laboratory topics including bloodborne pathogens, hazardous materials shipping, chemical safety, biological safety, select agents and toxins, and controlled substances. Lab safety also investigates laboratory incidents including fire, spills, laboratory injuries, and any chemical, biological, or radiological exposure. 14
Number of Labs Number of Lab Evaluations 1164 1425 1525 1602 1694 210 1335 220 1660 221 1729 225 1833 230 1902 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 General Lab Evals Biosafety Lab Evals ACCOMPLISHMENTS Lab Coat initiative resulted in lab coats being worn in all undergraduate chemistry classes Partnership with Exxon resulting in department driven safety initiatives Number of lab inspections increased by 10% with level staffing Published and distributed restroom Lavatory Safety Update FUTURE Integrate researcher biological inventory into EHS Assistant Implement cryogen vessel training and preventative maintenance program 15
RADIATION AND LASER SAFETY SUMMARY The Radiation and Laser Safety group provides safety and compliance support and training for the use of radioactive materials, X-ray machines, and lasers. Training provided includes Basic Radiological Health, Laser Safety, and refresher training. EHS holds the registration certificate for university lasers and radioactive materials and issues permits to users. Number of Authorized Users of Radioactive Materials Number of Laser Labs 100 80 80 72 78 200 180 160 140 131 172 60 120 100 40 80 60 20 40 20 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 16
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 3 inspections of Radioactive Material (RAM) license by Texas Department of State Health Services with no violation or items of concern Received, inspected and delivered 470 Radioactive Material (RAM) packages to UT Austin researchers Reviews of laser lab security and laser warning lights Added 18 new laser PIs in 2014 Transported 780 pounds of short-lived waste to local landfill FUTURE Laser warning sign upgrades for laboratory entryways A new laser database system for inventory, hazard evaluation, and lab audit records Continue communicating and educating UT departments and working with them in regards to regulatory requirements 17
PROJECT PLANNING AND DESIGN REVIEW SUMMARY The primary function of project planning and design review section is to ensure that facilities are designed and constructed to meet established safety and environmental regulations and best practices. This section is an internal resource and serves as the EHS point of contact for facilities improvements and planning projects. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Completed review of all Dell Medical School campus buildings, site infrastructure, and landscape design Oversaw successful redesign and right size of the Materials Transfer Center, which will complete construction in July 2015 Coordinated evacuation of Service Building annex, including Chemical Transfer Building and EHS supplies, to make way for the Engineering Education and Research Center 18
PMCS Projects Reviewed by EHS FUTURE Continue Design and Construction Standards development and revisions 19
EMERGENCY RESPONSE SUMMARY Environmental Operations handles the coordination and training for the department s on-call program to ensure incident response 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Incidents that EHS responds to include any hazardous or unknown material spills, suspicious packages or other materials, and outdoor spills of oil, gasoline, paint, or other hazardous materials. ACCOMPLISHMENTS EHS on-call staff responded to 70 incidents in 2014 of which 25 were after hours FUTURE Continue to improve the on-call program through procedure review, communication, and training 20
Incident Type Number of Incidents 140 120 100 101 122 80 70 60 40 20 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 21
OTHER PROGRAM AREAS SUMMARY Environmental Health and Safety also works with the campus community to minimize human/wildlife interactions, perform food and drinking water safety inspections, and to provide training and outreach. ACCOMPLISHMENTS Animal Make Safe: Opossum Cat Other Raccoon Squirrel Bird 157 animal incidents Bat Processed 24 Live Animal Requests to bring animals onto campus Worked with state agencies to handle a potential rabies exposure case Installation of a Peregrine falcon nest box on the UT Tower Implementation of an online database Held coyote education seminar for PRC staff 22
Training and Outreach: Updated 4 training modules (Machine Shop Safety, Hearing Protection, Bloodborne Pathogens, Biological Safety) Participated in the ASMP project to evaluate a new learning management system for the university Outreach activities and events included Waller Creek Cleanups, EHS Spotlight, EHS Connections, Lavatory Safety, Machine Shop Workshop, TX CityLab, Coyote seminar for PRC, Theater safety video, and numerous EHS documents, posters, and signs Successfully initiated the implementation of a new EHS webpage design project 7,019 people took EHS training in 2014 Food and Drinking Water Safety: Reviewed 1,932 food distribution forms Performed 172 semi-annual food establishment inspections FUTURE Continue improvement of Animal Make Safe including working with the Facilities Service Center to improve incident response Work to get EHS training on-board with the university s new Training Management System Completion of new EHS website Train more volunteers in OH 210 Concessions Food Safety 23