Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) has a staff of 40 responsible for maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for everyone on campus. On this episode of The City of Ohio State podcast, hear from EHS director Tina Bogac about how her team enhances safety in labs, classrooms and at the medical center.
Tagged: Newsletter
Meet Karsen Highley
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) assists the university community in providing and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment for students, faculty, staff, contractors and visitors. EHS also works to protect the local community and environment from potential hazards on campus and instills safety, health and environmental stewardship in the work they perform.
Use Ducted Fume Hoods
Environmental Health and Safety prohibits the acquisition of ductless fume hoods in laboratory environments due to safety concerns for people and property. Unlike traditional ducted fume hoods, which vent hazardous fumes and chemicals outside the laboratory through a dedicated ventilation system, ductless fume hoods rely on internal filtration systems to remove specific contaminants. These filters can become saturated with flammable chemicals which can be a fire hazard.
Register Nanomaterial Research
Nanotechnology is a practice that involves using nanoscale (typically less than 100 nanometers in one or more dimensions) structures to create new materials and products. The use of these structures is rapidly expanding across multiple industries, including research, revolutionizing everything from medicine to electronics.
How to Store Chemical Waste
Environmental Health and Safety strongly encourages the containment of all chemical waste within laboratory facilities. For instances where lab personnel are infrequently present, a chemical waste pickup request must be submitted before it is permissible to temporarily store the chemicals in the hallway.
Biological Safety Cabinets
SF International tests and certifies biosafety cabinetry (BSC) to the standard NSF/ANSI 49, which outlines basic requirements for design, construction and performance. The NSF standard for BSCs establishes performance criteria and ensures that the BSC provides personnel, product and environmental protection along with reliable operation. BSCs that are not NSF certified do not have the NSF mark and are not listed on the NSF website for certified cabinetry.
Ohio State’s Shared Values – Encouraging Personal Reflection
The presence of shared values in a team promotes a sense of belonging, connection, and purpose. They can help teams establish trust, share different perspectives, and lean into uncomfortable spaces. Examining Ohio State’s Shared Values as a team can be beneficial in creating an environment where everyone thrives.
ODH Inspections - Be Prepared
Authorized users, permit holders and radiation workers may be involved in inspections by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH).
Request Research Laboratory Consultations Through S2F
Research laboratory consultations as well as a variety of Environmental Health and Safety service requests (below) can now be submitted through Service2Facilites.
Excellence in Safety Award Winners - 2023
The University Laboratory Safety Committee (ULSC) at The Ohio State University recognized the sixth annual winners of the “Excellence in Safety” Award. The award, in three categories, recognizes a university faculty or staff member (Individual Award), an undergraduate or graduate student (Student Award) and a laboratory research group (Group Award) who has made a considerable contribution to improving laboratory safety on the Ohio State campus.