Environmental Health and Safety

Mission Statement

To protect the health, safety and well-being of the students, faculty, staff and campus visitors of 91勛圖窪蹋厙, and the environmental integrity of the campus and surroundings. This is accomplished through designing appropriate policies, procedures, and training programs; monitoring and revising them as needed, staying updated as to changes in the field, and enlisting all campus community members as safety team members.

Goals

  1. Minimize health issues arising out of environmental, chemical, physical or occupational exposure
  2. Continually improve programs and information designed to safeguard 91勛圖窪蹋厙 community members from harm
  3. Participate as an active safety committee member to raise issues, monitor compliance and help resolve health and safety concerns
  4. Minimize hazards to persons, buildings and the environment by appropriately using, storing and disposing of potentially hazardous substances
  5. Effectively liaison with appropriate state, regional, county, city, and other authorities to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations

Stormwater Management

Public Notice (August 4, 2011)

In accordance with the requirements of the Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, the 91勛圖窪蹋厙 Office of Environmental Health & Safety is soliciting comments on its written Stormwater Management Program. Interested parties may review the program below. If you would like to submit a comment on the program, you may do so by emailing van.ehs@wsu.edu.

Washington State University Vancouver's Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) strives to reduce discharges of non-point source pollutants to stormwater to the maximum extent practicable (MEP) and protect its' water quality through permit-specified Best Management Practices (BMP's).

Accident Prevention Program

Washington State University Vancouver is committed to establishing and maintaining a safe and healthful work environment free from recognized hazards. The commitment involves the development, implementation and review of an Accident Prevention Program, as part of the university's overall occupational injury and illness prevention efforts.

The purpose of this program is to prevent undesired events that could lead to injuries and illnesses by identifying, evaluating, controlling and eliminating potential hazards. The program emphasizes incorporating safety and health measures into each task so safety and health and task performance become integrated.

A safe and healthy work environment is accomplished through the cooperative efforts of management and employees in developing and implementing this Accident Prevention Program. Management and employees are responsible for following the Accident Prevention Program, WSU's Safety Policies and Procedures and memoranda from university safety and health units, which includes, Environmental Health and Safety, Radiation Safety Office, Dept. of Risk Management, Public Safety, and University Health and Safety Committees.

91勛圖窪蹋厙 Accident Prevention Program (.doc)

Required employee safety training

Employee safety training is required by and :

  • On the first day of work for new and rehired employees,
  • When job duties and responsibilities change, and
  • Every two years

New employees are required to receive a safety orientation and be informed of safety hazards and information, and emergency procedures at 91勛圖窪蹋厙. The Safety Orientation Training file may be used for this purpose. It is intended to facilitate a conversation about the unique risks in each employees work area. The Safety Orientation Checklist is used to assist and document the orientation or retraining (circle Retraining on the form). Send a copy of the completed form to Human Resources, van.hr.frontdesk@wsu.edu, and keep the original in departmental files.

Safety Orientation Checklist

Dangerous Waste Pick up

Updated Oct. 15, 2024

The new digital Chemical Collection Request system is live! The requirements for handling dangerous waste havent changed, but the new process should make tracking and submitting requests much easier.

What you need to know:

  • As soon as you start adding waste to a container, put a Dangerous Waste Label on it.
    • Containers 4 liters or larger need the large label (5.5" x 8.5"). You can request these through EHS.
  • Keep a running list of what goes into the container so you can report the percentages of key constituents later.
  • When your container is full, submit a digital CCR at ehs.fais.wsu.edu.
    • After entering your constituents, print the label and attach it to the container.
    • Anything below 1% can be listed as 0%, but your total must still equal 100%.
  • Need supplies or want to request a specific pickup time? Use the Additional Information box at the bottom of the CCR form.
  • Want to try the system first? Use the sandbox site (dev.ehs.fais.wsu.edu). Note: submissions in the sandbox dont go to EHS.

If you have questions or need help, reach out to EHS.

Filling Out an Online Chemical Collection Request

Find the Chemical Collection Request Form at

  • This form can be used to schedule disposal of chemical waste, lights, batteries, and used oil.
  • WSU Login is now required for CCR submission.
  • There is a tracker at the top of the page that shows how many containers you have submitted for the calendar month.

Name: The name entered here should be the full name of the person responsible for the waste.

Phone: This number will most frequently be used by waste management employees calling to ask for entry into an area where waste is stored if the door is locked. This should be a cell phone or office phone number of someone who is likely to be available.

Email: This should be the WSU-assigned email address of the person responsible for the waste.

Mail Stop: This is the four-digit number following 99164- on the mailing address for your building. If you are uncertain of your mail stop, just enter 0000.

Building: Enter the name of the building where the waste will be collected. The system will require that you choose from the Facilities Services building list.

Room: Enter the room number where the waste will be collected. If your waste has been moved into a Centralized Waste Accumulation Area, please list the building and room number of that area. You will be required to choose from the list of rooms associated with the building you have chosen.

**The above contact info will be saved on your computer and automatically input for each subsequent CCR**

Constituent & Percentage: Write out the full name of each constituent in the container and the percentage of each, including water. Trace compounds can be listed as 0%. Sometimes a proprietary product will not list ingredients, in this case it is acceptable to submit the waste by its brand-name. In rare cases it may be necessary to submit waste as unknown. If requesting a pickup for lights or batteries, you may submit it as Lights--100%.

Physical State, Number of Containers, and Weight/Volume: Physical state is straightforward. Note the total number of containers of identical waste you would like to have picked up. If, for instance, you have a 4L bottle of acetone waste, and a 500ml bottle of acetone waste, you can submit them on the same CCR. List the larger bottle in the weight/volume field, and note the number of containers as two.

Hazards: You must list a major hazard. List toxic as a default if your waste does not fit another category. Secondary hazard is optional. Hazard information should be available on the original chemical container or on the safety data sheet.

Additional Information: Here you may request extra waste containers (we provide 10L HDPE), give directions to help find the waste in your lab, note concerns or hazards such as a leaking bottle or an acutely hazardous substance, etc.