Environmental Health and Safety Committees

The creation and development of College Environmental Health and Safety Committees was viewed as a vital ingredient in the overall functioning of Kansas State University. Committee activities ensured that University members work under safe and healthful conditions. This was accomplished by making sure that the University was complying with its legal responsibility - to provide a place of employment which was free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. For complete information go to the following page.

The College EH&S Committee aids and advises the dean or department head and the faculty,staff,and students on matters of safety and health pertaining to Kansas State University operations. It performs essential monitoring,educational,investigative,and evaluative tasks. The College EH&S Committee is responsible for:

1. Actively participating in safety and health instruction programs and evaluating the effectiveness of these programs.
2. Assisting supervisors with enforcement of safety policies by educating fellow employees in proper procedures.
3. Regularly inspecting the facility to detect unsafe conditions and practices and hazardous materials and environmental factors.
4. Assuring safety inspections of operations and facilities including shops,storage and storeroom areas,teaching and research laboratories, and offices,are conducted.
5. Planning improvements to existing safety and health rules,procedures,and regulations.
6. Completing Job Hazard Analyses for all activities with personal protective equipment requirements specified.
7. Periodically reviewing and updating existing work practices and hazard controls.
8. Assessing the implications of changes in work tasks,operations,and processes.
9. Monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of safety and health recommendations and improvements.
10. Compiling and distributing safety,health and hazard communications to the employees.
11. Immediately investigating any workplace incident.
12. Studying and analyzing incident and injury data.

The College EH&S Committee concept stresses cooperation and a commitment to safety as a shared responsibility between faculty,staff, and students. Individuals can become actively involved in and make positive contributions to Kansas State University's safety and health program. The Committee serves as a forum for discussing changes in regulations, programs, or processes, and potential new hazards. Individuals can communicate problems to the dean or department head openly and face to face, allowing information and suggestions to flow both ways. The knowledge and experience of many persons combine to accomplish the objectives of creating a safe workplace and reducing incidents. The approach can produce effective solutions to safety problems more easily.