Environmental Health & Safety

Chapter One:

Accident Prevention Program

Health and safety at PLU is both a right and a responsibility. This handbook provides an overview of the PLU Occupational Health, Safety, & Accident Prevention Program, a program developed to manage risks in the work environment.

Jump to:

• Accident Prevention Program
• Responsibilities Under the Accident Prevention Program
• Manager Responsibilities
• Supervisor Responsibilities
• Employee and Student Responsibilities
• Environmental Health & Safety Manager Responsibilities
• T*R*I*C*K
• University Safety Committee Members
• Resources
  

Accident Prevention Program

• Create and maintain a safe and healthful working environment.
  
• Furnish safety devices and safeguards.
• Adopt and use practices, means, methods, operations, and processes that are reasonably adequate to render the employment and place of employment safe and healthful.
• Do every other thing reasonably necessary to protect the life, safety, and health of employees.

Responsibilities Under the Accident Prevention Plan

The university adheres to policies that reflect accident prevention program requirements and establishes responsible institutional conduct regarding environmental health and safety. Most importantly, faculty and staff in their role as supervisors are key elements in assuring health and safety at PLU.

Manager Responsibilities (Officer, Dean, or Director)

• Individuals under their management have the authority to implement appropriate health and safety policies, practices, and programs. (WAC 296-800-11010)
• Funding for health and safety programs, practices, and equipment is requested, secured, and appropriated as needed.
• Areas under their management are in compliance with PLU health and safety practices, policies, and programs. (WAC 296-800-11035)
• Activities under their management that pose a risk to the health and safety of our community be discontinued until they can meet regulatory and university expectations for a safe and healthy work and learning environment. (WAC 296-800-11015 & 11030)

Supervisor Responsibilities (Those who provide guidance to other employees)

• Ensuring that workplaces and equipment are safe, well maintained, and in compliance with external agency regulations and PLU policies, programs, and practices. (WAC 296-800-11005 & 11010)
• Ensuring that health and safety practices and procedures are clearly communicated and understood by employees through training.
• Enforcing health and safety rules related to job performance fairly and uniformly. (WAC 296-800-11035)
• Encouraging employees and students to report workplace hazards without fear of reprisal.
• Ensuring that inspections, investigations, and health and safety training records are kept for the designated period of time as specified in each code requirement, which may be many years after an employee leaves the university.

Employee and Student Responsibilities

• Coordinating and cooperating with all other employees in the workplace to try to eliminate on-the-job injuries and illnesses.
• Applying the principles of accident prevention in daily work, class, laboratory, or residence and use proper safety devices and protective equipment required by PLU.
• Taking care of all personal protective equipment properly.
• Not wearing torn or loose clothing while working around machinery.
• Reporting promptly to your supervisor every injury or occupational illness.
• Not removing, displacing, damaging, destroying, or carrying off any safeguard, notice, or warning provided to make the workplace safe.
• Not interfering with the use of any work practice designed to protect you from injuries.
• Doing everything reasonably necessary to protect the life and safety of others.
• Participating in safety training programs.

Environmental Health & Safety Manager Responsibilities

• Assisting supervisors in conducting workplace hazard assessments to identify, evaluate, and correct hazards.
• Providing training and technical assistance to managers and supervisors on implementation of the program.
• Reviewing, updating, and evaluating the overall effectiveness of the program.
• Evaluating the adequacy and consistency of training designed by schools and departments.

T*R*I*C*K

University Safety Committee Members

• Make sure that each meeting includes a discussion of established safety topics. (WAC 296-800-13010)
• Make sure safety committee meeting minutes are recorded and preserved. (WAC 296-800-13015)
• Advise the Environmental Health & Safety Manager and the President's Council on the adequacy of PLU health and safety programs, policies, and organization.
• Recommend priorities and strategies to promote good health and safety on campus.
• Foster coordination among those units at PLU having operational responsibility for health and safety.
• Review and recommend to the President's Council university-wide safety and health policies that have not yet been addressed.