About the Department

Mission Statement: The Berea College Environmental Health and Safety Department is committed to providing health and safety services to ensure a safe campus community and promote environmental responsibility.

Our goals:

• Ensure processes are in place to maintain compliance with local, state, and federal safety and environmental requirements
• Provide technical support, program development and implementation, and assist with emergency response
• Ensure effective and cooperative relationships with students, faculty, staff, and visitors
• Provide campus training and education programs related to environmental health, compliance, and safety.
• Maximize satisfaction with the services we provide to the campus community with quick response to request for assistance and good communication.
• Promote a positive and safe work environment
• Minimize future potential liabilities

Department responsibilities:

1. Environmental Compliance/ Management
   1. Hazardous Waste Management and associated reporting requirements for annual registration and annual waste generation report
   2. Air Quality Compliance- operating permit for a Conditional Major Source requiring biannual monitoring reports and annual compliance certification
   3. Spill Prevention and Counter measure plan and Ground Water Protection Plan-addressing oil and chemical storage, spill prevention and spill response plans.
   4. SARA 313 report-Tier II report –Community Right to Know
   5. Underground storage tank (UST) program
   6. Bio-waste collection and disposal

2. Safety  Programs for compliance and maintaining a safe campus community
   1. Ergonomic Evaluations and Training
   2. Indoor air quality evaluations that can include monitoring and testing
   3. Assist with asbestos removal projects
   4. Procedures for confined space entry and associated training
   5. Industrial power truck training
   6. Hearing conservation with testing and training
   7. Respiratory protection program with fit testing and training
   8. Personal protective equipment evaluations and training
   9. Chemical product safety review, training, and record maintenance
   10. Bloodborne Pathogen training
   11. CPR and First Aid certification for staff and students (i.e. nursing department, public safety, facilities)
   12. Coordinate campus AED (automated external defibrillator) program for installation, maintenance, and training
   13. Energy Isolation program and training
   14. Fire Safety training with hands-on fire extinguisher training

3.   Laboratory Safety
   1. Chemical Hygiene Plan development and implementation
   2. Chemical inventory system
   3.  Periodic audits
   4. Chemical Hygiene/Laboratory safety training
   5. Laboratory ventilation system test and balance

4.  Campus wide Fire prevention and Response
   1. Training
   2. Emergency Response Planning
   3. Inspection of fire equipment and buildings
   4. Fire Drills
   5. Reporting requirements
   6. Primary contact with local and state officials (i.e. fire department, fire marshall)

5. EHS Student Labor Program

The Environmental Health and Safety Department presently has five labor positions primarily responsible for maintaining the chemical inventory system used to track chemicals used in campus laboratories.  The labor positions maintain and update the master list of chemicals and the material safety data sheets for chemicals and chemical products used by college faculty, staff, and students. They also conduct regularly scheduled laboratory safety audits and may be asked to conduct training and safety presentations. Learning objectives for EHS student positions fall under two categories, job specific skills and professional development, with emphasis on customer service, communication, and leadership.