EES Student Handbook

Safety

The Earth and Environmental Sciences Division is a center of excellence for research and development. We have a number of potentially hazardous operations in our work environment. It is our responsibility and commitment to ensure that all work is performed safely. We are committed to protecting our employees, the public, and the environment. Safety is a concern in the office (ergonomic hazards, electrical hazards, fire hazards, etc.), in the lab (dangerous chemicals, lasers, fire, etc.), and in the field (injuries from falling, animals, lightning, flash floods, etc.). An integral part of achieving excellence in what we do is taking a personal responsibility for safety in our workplace. We expect everyone to follow the rules and procedures to maintain a safe work environment. If at any time you don't feel comfortable with what you're doing or have any questions, ask your mentor, your supervisor, your coworkers, your Student Liaisons or your Group Leader. Your safety, the safety of others, and the success of your work experience depend on your response.

Part of creating a safe environment is making sure that environment is drug-free and safe and secure.

Goals

EES Division will never compromise safety for operations or programmatic needs.

As part of our mission to achieve excellence in environmental, safety, and health (ES&H) performance, we strive to have:

ZERO injuries and illnesses on the job

ZERO injuries and illnesses off the job

ZERO environmental incidents

Safe Work Performance

We have a job to do, and our principle is to do it without compromising safety. In order to realize the goals stated above, EES Division has implemented the Integrated Safety Management (ISM) process below to guide safe performance of our work. Everyone is expected to perform his/her work in accord with the ISM process. This requires that we constantly evaluate all of our tasks and ask ourselves if we are following the five core functions of the five-step ISM process.

1. Define the Work
2. Identify and evaluate hazards
3. Develop and implement controls
4. Perform work safely
5. Provide feedback and continuous improvement

HCPs, IWDs, and SOPs

We have applied the five steps above to the work we perform, and the result is a set of Hazard Control Plans (HCPs), Integrated Work Documents (IWDs) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed by the division, the groups, and by individuals for every activity performed in the division. IWDs are not required for work involving only hazards that could cause negligible harm or those associated with everyday living, routinely accepted by society, and controlled by means well known to the workers.

All workers, including students, must be familiar with HCPs and SOPs for any activities they perform, and if required, must read and sign an IWD. Students can obtain HCPs, IWDs, and SOPs from their mentor, supervisor, or group office. Everyone must understand the hazards of their assignment and the controls that have been put in place to mitigate those hazards. Performing work safely means that work will be performed as specified in the HCPs, IWDs, and SOPs. If during performance of your assignment, you believe that you have found a new hazard, or if an existing control needs to be modified, you should talk with your mentor or group leader. This feedback is the fifth step above, and allows us to continue to improve our ability to work safely. More information and links regarding safety in EES Division can be found on the division Safety Information web site. Each group has its own ES&H plan that states Laboratory and Group ES&H policies, defines management, visitor, and employee responsibilities, identifies ES&H issues associated with the groups activities, and defines measures to control, mitigate, or eliminate the hazards. These can either be found on the web or can be obtained from your group office.