Campus Environmental Health and Safety

Purpose

To establish the environmental health and safety commitments and responsibilities necessary for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to fulfill its commitment to protecting the health and safety of its faculty, staff, students, visitors, and its goals of conducting university operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and providing a safe and healthful workplace.

Scope

This policy applies to all faculty, staff, students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, visiting scientists, contractors, subcontractors, and visitors engaged in university operations either in campus facilities or at off campus locations.

Authority

Pursuant to the University of Illinois Statutes and The General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedure, the Chancellor is the chief executive officer for the campus and is responsible for safety and health of individuals and all facilities and properties on the campus. The Chancellor delegates responsibility for implementation and enforcement of environmental health and safety policies and standards to the Vice Chancellor for Research and the Executive Director of Facilities.

Policy

  1. All faculty, staff, students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, visiting scientists, contractors, subcontractors, and visitors who conduct university operations either in campus facilities or at off campus locations shall comply with environmental health and safety regulations issued by the Illinois Department of Labor (“IDOL”), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”), and other applicable federal or state agencies.
  2. Administrators, faculty, staff, students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, visiting scientists, contractors, subcontractors, and visitors of the Urbana campus have a duty to protect the safety and health of other members of the campus community, and each is responsible for his/her health and safety obligations and behaviors.
  3. Each campus unit is responsible for maintaining the buildings and structures, or portion thereof, such unit uses for university operations in compliance with health and safety related regulations, codes and standards as described within the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Facilities Standards.

Processes/Procedures/Guidelines

Consistent with the university’s long-standing traditions of independent decentralized management, interdisciplinary collaboration, and shared faculty governance, these procedures set forth the responsibilities of the campus, units, and individuals to fulfill the university’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of the campus community, and to achieve the university’s goals of conducting university operations in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations to provide a safe and healthful workplace.

Campus Responsibilities

The Division of Research Safety (“DRS”) and the Division of Safety and Compliance (“S&C”) collaborate with appropriate campus committees to provide regulatory oversight, monitor compliance, and to maintain effective standards necessary for compliance with applicable laws and regulations. DRS and S&C provide technical, regulatory, and related management expertise to the campus units and serve as the primary liaison to state and federal environmental health and safety regulatory agencies. DRS and S&C provide health and safety training and awareness information to faculty, staff, students, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scholars, visiting scientists, and visitors and collaborate with campus units and personnel to identify and mitigate potential environmental health and safety hazards. Campus units provide health and safety awareness information to contractors and subcontractors.

Deans, Directors, and Department Heads of Academic and Administrative Units (DDDH)

Unit executive officers have the responsibility for environmental health and safety of activities conducted or sponsored by employees within the unit. The partition of responsibility for health and safety of buildings and facilities follows the policy set forth in CAM policy Organization and Responsibilities of Facilities & Services, and cost apportionment between units and Facilities and Services for general building operation and maintenance.

Faculty, Investigators, and Supervisors

The immediate managers of employees or supervisors of other members of the campus community are responsible for maintaining a healthy and safe environment within their areas under their supervision and are responsible for the safety of activities, procedures and operations under their control or direction. This includes responsibility for delivering appropriate training and providing personal protective equipment necessary for safe working conditions and safe operation of equipment.

Students, Employees, and Visitors

Each member of the campus community is responsible for complying with all applicable environmental health and safety regulations, standards and guidelines. Each individual accepts personal responsibility for protecting his/her own health and safety and accepts that he/she has a duty to protect the health and safety of other members of the campus community.

Exceptions

There are no exceptions.

Contact

The Vice Chancellor for Research and the Executive Director of Facilities