THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Environmental Health and Safety
Date: April 8, 2016
To: Safety Council Members
Subject: Minutes of Meeting – March 16, 2016
CALL TO ORDER:
A. Maurine Claver called the meeting to order at 9:30AM and reminded members of emergency exits and evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.
WELCOME:
A. Maurine Claver welcomed members from University Park and campuses to the meeting.
REVIEW OF THE MINUTES FROM January 20, 2016:
A. The minutes were approved as printed and distributed.
TOPIC OF THE MONTH:
A. Mark Linsenbigler reviewed calendar year (CY) 2015 injury data for the entire University. Key points noted included the following:
· The University averaged 2.2 OSHA recordable cases per 100 employees during CY 2015. This figure has remained relatively flat over the past three years.
· The University averaged 0.7 recordable cases resulting in days away from work during CY 2015. This represents a slight increase from the CY 2014 figure of 0.6.
· The most common types of injury during the past year were strains, contusions, lacerations, sprains, and burns. These five categories accounted for almost 80% of all injuries.
· The leading cause of injury was slips and falls, which accounted for one-third of all claims. The next most common cause was overexertion (19% of all injuries).
· The most common sources of injury were also reviewed. Many of these sources correlated with either slips and falls (ice/snow, wet surfaces, sidewalks, etc.) or overexertion injuries (body motions, containers, furniture, etc.).
Safety Council members are encourage to contact Mark if they are interested in obtaining more specific injury data for their individual units or campus locations.
ADMINISTRATIVE TOPICS:
A. Charlie Williams revisited the Feb. 19th email communication to University Park Safety Council members regarding the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) activity assessment. ATF has provided guidance to the University that a previous exemption from licensing/permitting does not apply to our activities relating to research and/or use of explosive materials. EHS has been charged with developing an ATF explosives compliance program within the University with one of the first steps to identify covered activities.Any questions regarding a specific academic or administrative unit activities relating to ATF explosive requirements should be directed to the attention of Charlie Williams, .
B. Kevin Myers discussed the new inspection process that will be used this year for lab and research areas. Inspections will be PPE focused and will have the following objectives:
· Ensure that areas understand that the Unit Specific Plan is a hazard assessment tool
· Ensure the correct PPE has been identified for the work performed in the areas
· Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement with the Unit Specific Plan as a hazard assessment tool
The process will require lab personnel to be present in the lab. EHS will work directly with the departmental safety representatives to schedule the inspections. Unit/College safety officers will be notified when the inspections are scheduled and will be provided with inspection results.
C. Bob Segura reminded Safety Council about the March 2, 2016 memorandum from Hans Derr, EHS Program Manager, Health and Environmental Programs, where EHS was requesting each unit to identify the chemical agents they use from a list provided. A spreadsheet titled: “2016 Chemical Exposure Assessment Tracking Sheet”, was an attachment to the memo and can be found attached to the minutes. EHS is working to identify users of specific chemicals so an exposure assessment can be performed to make sure we have adequate controls in place and are compliant with OSHA exposure requirements. Any questions should be directed to Hans Derr
ADJOURNMENT
A. The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
THE NEXT MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY SAFETY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD MAY 18, 2016 AT 9:30 A.M. AT THE HAZMAT BUILDING, CLASSROOM.
Members Present: A. Witmer, B. Baros, B. Bitner, B. Holden, B. Segura, B. Smith, C. Hort, D. Sarge, G. Conklin, J. Kuhns, J. Mazzoni, J. Troxell, J. Williams, K. Mozley-Bryan, K. Johnsonbaugh, L. White, M. Claver, M. Linsenbigler, P. Muldoon, R. Stoner, S. DeRosa, S. Briskar, S. Engler, S. Foard, S. Hayes, S. Triebold, S. Ward, T. Cygan, T. Hall, T. Noviello, T. Weber.
Adobe Connect Representatives: Penn State Beaver, Penn State Berks, Penn State Electro Optics Center, Penn State Greater Allegheny, Penn State Hazleton
Adobe Connect Facilitators: M. Houser, EHS
Guests: A. Hanshew, EHS and VP Research
C. Chapman, Intercollegiate Athletics
C. Williams, EHS
G. Miller, Arts & Architecture
H. Derr, EHS
J. Henneman, Animal Resource Program
K. Myers, EHS
Respectfully Submitted, Bonnie Auman
Secretary, University Safety Council
BCA/bca