Occupational Health & Safety

• Hazards can be created by physical conditions, chemicals, biological agents, and radiation sources.
• Workplace safety can also be affected by the way we interact with our work environment – awkward positioning/ergonomic issues, noise, temperature, and ambient indoor air quality (IAQ) can influence our wellbeing.
• All UTD community members should conduct a self-evaluation of their work area to identify potential hazards.
• The OSHA Small Business Handbook provides a good overview of hazards you might find on campus.
• This OSHA IAQ webpage and the OSHA Indoor Air Quality publication can assist in navigating questions about your work environment.
• Supervisors are responsible for providing safety training to UTD employees, volunteers, and visitors. The safety team is available to assist with training support.
• Consult the OSHA regulations and Texas Hazard Communication Act.

• How badly could you, or others, be injured as a result of the hazard? Assessing hazards is an ongoing process in the workplace because conditions can change daily.
• The safety team administers the Occupational Health Program and oversees medical surveillance for all individuals working within UTD animal facilities and those with potential exposure to certain biological, chemical, and other physical hazards.
• University departments work in partnership with the safety team to assess risks for events, daily activities, and work processes.
• Safety Specialists provide consultation regarding safety on construction projects and safe use of equipment.
• Industrial hygiene support is available for the recognition, evaluation, and control of risks including indoor air quality evaluations, chemical exposure assessments, ergonomic reviews, noise surveys, and PPE hazard assessments.

• Per the Standards of Conduct, UTD community members have the responsibility and authority to ensure that safety rules and accepted safety practices are followed.
• If you cannot eliminate or correct unsafe conditions yourself, report the condition to your supervisor.
• When building or grounds repairs are required to eliminate hazards, Report the Problem to Facilities Management.
• The proactive Occupational Health Program includes health risk counseling and training, medical clearance, hearing and respiratory fit testing, job-specific drug testing, vaccinations and titers, fitness for duty, and travel considerations.
• Ask for assistance from the safety team.

• Be familiar with your department’s Emergency Action Plan, and identify evacuation routes in your building. Visit the Office of Emergency Management and know your Emergency Response Procedures.
• Call 972-883-2222 for UTD medical or police assistance.
• Locate the nearest emergency shower/eyewash station before working with hazardous chemicals.
• Find the fire extinguisher that is closest to your work area.
• Know where your first aid kit is located, and ensure it is adequately stocked.
• Educate yourself on CPR / AED / Stop the Bleed / and First Aid response. For more information or to schedule training please contact the University Emergency Medical Response (UEMR) team.

• Ensure that control measures are working – track your progress and follow up regularly. Leading indicators are a good measure of safety success.
• Never violate safety rules or accepted safety practices – follow your department’s established safety policies.
• Ensure you are not creating a condition hazardous to yourself, or another person on the UTD premises.
• Evaluate your work area daily and establish regular processes so that you are not creating or contributing to unhealthy or unsanitary conditions.
• Develop Standard/Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs) for hazardous tasks.
• Handle and dispose of hazardous waste properly.

Emergency showers and eyewashes play a critical role in minimizing damage to skin or eyes in the event of a chemical exposure. In the event of gross chemical contamination, they can help save a life. Where hazardous chemicals are in use, an eyewash and safety shower should be within 10 seconds clear travel of your workspace. Ensure this equipment is never blocked or obstructed by stored materials or other items.

Never hesitate to use the emergency shower or eyewash in a chemical exposure situation! Most eyewash/shower stations are not routed to a floor drain, by design, and water will accumulate on the floor.

Eyewash and emergency shower stations are tested annually, and should have a current date written on their associated inspection tag. If you identify stations that are in need of testing or servicing, contact the Safety team.

• Guardian Equipment – ANSI checklist: Emergency Shower and Eyewash Compliance Standards (pdf)
• EPA: Indoor Air Quality
• NIOSH: Occupational Noise Exposure
• OSHA
  • Hazard Communication
  • Occupational Noise Exposure Standards
  • Respiratory Protection
  • Respiratory Protection Standards
• Texas Department of State Health Services
  • Asbestos Health Protection Rules
• Vermont SIRI: Material Safety Data Sheets

Texas Hazard Communication Act (HS 502)

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes that employees have a right and need to know the properties and potential safety and health hazards of substances to which you may be exposed in the course of performing your duties. Such knowledge is essential to maintaining the general health and welfare of faculty, staff, and students, and reducing the incidence and cost of occupational illness and injury.

It is the policy of UT Dallas to provide employees with appropriate training and information on the safe handling and work practices associated with hazardous chemicals, materials, and conditions to which employees may be exposed in the work place. This is accomplished by complying with the Texas Hazard Communication Act (HS 502) which is incorporated into our policy. Amendments to this standard become incorporated into our policy on the date they become effective.

Implementation of this policy is accomplished through the UTD Hazard Communication Program.

Work-related hearing loss is a critical workplace safety and health issue. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the occupational safety and health community named hearing loss one of the 21 priority areas for research in this century. Noise-induced hearing loss is preventable, but once acquired, is permanent and irreversible.

We must all take steps to protect our hearing.

Noise exposure levels at work should not exceed 85 dB over 8 working hours (as an 8-hour time weighted average “TWA”). Supervisors should monitor all employees whose noise exposure is equivalent to, or greater than, a noise exposure received in 8 hours, where the noise level is constantly 85 dB.

Wear hearing protection such as ear plugs or ear muffs if you work in an area with equipment that exposes you to more than 85 dB.

Contact us if you’re not sure whether the noise in your area, or from your equipment, exceeds 85 dB.

CPR / AED / Stop the Bleed / First Aid

For more information or to schedule training please contact the University Emergency Medical Response (UEMR) team.

University Emergency Medical Response (UEMR) strives to create a safer environment for the UT Dallas community by providing faster and more direct emergency medical care for everyone on campus.

In the United States, sudden cardiac arrest claims more than 350,000 lives each year. As a leading cause of death in the world it is frequently caused by ventricular fibrillation, an abnormal, chaotic heart rhythm that prevents the heart from pumping blood. The most effective treatment for ventricular fibrillation is delivering an electrical shock to the heart with a machine called a defibrillator. Recent advances in defibrillator design now make it possible for rescuers with limited training to provide defibrillation earlier following sudden cardiac arrest using an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

CPR / AED Training teaches lay rescuers how to recognize and treat life-threatening emergencies, including cardiac arrest and choking for adult, child, and infant victims; and use of an AED for adult cardiac arrest victims. Students also learn to recognize the warning signs of heart attack and stroke in adults and breathing difficulties in children.

Forklift Training

OSHA Standard 1910.178(2)-(7) for forklift training states, trainees may operate a powered industrial truck only:

• Under the direct supervision of persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train operators and evaluate their competence; and
• Where such operation does not endanger the trainee or other employees.

Training shall consist of a combination of formal instruction (lecture, discussion, video, and written material), practical training, and evaluation of the operators’ performance in the workplace.

All operator training and evaluation shall be conducted by persons who have the knowledge, training, and experience to train powered industrial truck operators and evaluate their competence.

An evaluation of each powered industrial truck operator’s performance shall be conducted at least once every three years.

If you would like more information regarding this standard, please visit OSHA.gov.

Forklift Inspection Checklist (docx)

All floor holes and skylight openings must be guarded.

1. Administrative Safety Manual
2. Crane Safety
3. Custodial Safety
4. Decorations Safety
5. Electrical Safety
6. Eye Protection
7. Eye Washes and Showers
8. Fall Protection
9. Forklift Safety
10. Hand and Power Tools Safety
11. Ladder Safety
12. Lock-Out/Tag-Out
13. Machine Guard Safety
14. Needle-Stick
15. Occupational General Safety
16. Procedures for Working Alone
17. Safety Policies for Contractors and Subs
18. Scaffolding Safety
19. Shop Safety
20. Trench and Shore Safety
21. Welding Safety