Section 000: Introductory Material
Safety Policy & Procedure Manual
Revised: 09/28/2011

The Safety Policies and Procedures Manual (SAF) provides guidelines and information for Oregon State University about programs and services provided by Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) and the Office of Risk Management (ORM).  Policies and procedures contained in this manual reflect requirements, standards, and statutory and regulatory mandates established at the local, state, and federal level and by the State Board of Higher Education. In many cases, specific procedures related to these policies are located at the main EH&S web site, and are linked herein.

Emphasis is on providing guidelines and information on prudent operating practices to:

  1. Protect human health and the environment,
  2. Ensure regulatory compliance, and
  3. Preserve University interests and assets.

This emphasis is consistent with the EH&S mission statement:

To foster a safe and healthful environment for the OSU community

and the ORM mission statement:

Protecting our resources to provide the OSU community with

  • excellent academic programs,
  • educational experiences,
  • and creative scholarship.

Programs and Services

Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) is responsible for providing to the University community comprehensive programs and services.  Program areas covered and services provided by OSU EH&S include the following:

  • Audits and Inspections: Responsible for facility audits including all OSU campus and off-campus laboratories, classrooms, facility operations, research & experiment stations, and extension centers.
  • Biosafety: Responsible for biosafety implementation, control of select agents, compliance with state and federal regulations, assistance with granting agency compliance and animal welfare, and research and teaching support for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Chemical Safety: Responsible for chemical safety, use and management, compliance with local, state and federal regulations for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Construction and Plan Review: Responsible for construction safety, design criteria development, and plan review for EH&S design requirements related to capital and remodel projects for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Emergency Response and On-call service: Responsible for emergency and non-emergency response to hazardous substance spills and customer concerns for unsafe conditions for the OSU campus, and provide assistance to the OSU campus during other natural emergencies.
  • Environmental Protection: Responsible for air, water, and soil resource protection, monitoring and permitting for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Fire and Life Safety: Responsible for fire and life safety prevention and inspections for OSU campus facilities within Benton County.
  • Hazardous Waste and Shipping: Responsible for hazardous waste management and shipping of dangerous goods and samples for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Industrial Hygiene: Responsible for industrial hygiene monitoring and employee protection for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Lead and Asbestos: Responsible for identification and management of lead and asbestos containing materials for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities. 
  • Occupational Safety: Responsible for occupational safety evaluations, consultations, and OSHA compliance for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Public Health: Responsible for implementation, monitoring and permitting of water systems, sewage disposal systems, pesticide safety, vectors, housing units, and other areas regulated by health departmentsfor the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Radiation Safety: Responsible for the regulation of ionizing and non-ionizing sources of radiation, compliance with the campus’ broad scope license and state and federal regulations, and laser safety for research and teaching operations for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.
  • Training Outreach: Responsible for creating and delivering training outreach materials to faculty and staff, including training record tracking and training certificate issuance for the OSU campus and off-campus facilities.

The Office of Risk Management’s goal is to collaborate with faculty, staff and students to help them meet their goals while still protecting the University, and to minimize the risk of loss to the University by:

  • Identifying sources of loss.
  • Assessing the impact of losses.
  • Selecting or recommending risk management solutions.
  • Implementing risk management strategies.
  • Monitoring risk management solutions for effectiveness.
  • Providing services in University property and liability insurance claim processing, tracking, and recovery.
  • Contractual document review for risk management and insurance issues.
  • Processing of insurance certificates.
  • Alcohol permit review and approval.

Contacts

Additional guidance documents and information regarding programs and services can be found at the Environmental Health & Safety and Office of Risk Management web sites. Comments regarding these policies and procedures or any EH&S program or service can be submitted via phone (541) 737-2273 or email to environment.safety@oregonstate.edu.

Additional Information

In the event of an inconsistency or conflict, applicable law and the State Board of Higher Education's policies supersede University policies and University policies supersede college, department or lower unit bylaws, policies, or guidelines.

The University reserves the right to add, amend, or revoke any of the contained rules, policies, regulations, and instructions or incorporate additional ones, with or without notice, as circumstances or the good of the University community may require.

A printout of this manual and each change to this manual is created from the original text source for the online version and retained permanently as an official record at University Archives.  Printouts of all revisions to online Policies and Procedures Manuals are similarly available.