The
Environmental Health and Radiation Safety Department
(EHRS) is responsible for ensuring the safe use
of radioactive materials, radiation- producing
equipment, chemicals and biological substances
at the University, Hospital and affiliated institutions.
EHRS is responsible for identifying safety problems;
initiating, recommending, or providing corrective
actions; verifying implementation of corrective
actions; and ensuring compliance with regulations
and University policies for the use of hazardous
substances.
Joining the EHRS ListServ will allow you to be notified with EHRS news, updates, policy changes and much more, all conveniently e-mailed to your mailbox. All it takes is an e-mail address and you are subscribed. After clicking the above link, click on "Join or leave the list".On the next page, simply enter your e-mail address and name and click "Join SAFETYNET."That's all it takes.
July Training Schedule
New Employee Safety Orientation Training (Classroom Training):
Tuesday, July 1, 2008-- Tuttleman 300AB (MC) -- 9 am to 11 am (University Employees)
Monday, July 21, 2008 -- SFC Room A (HSC) -- 9 am to 11 am (University Employees)
Required Initial Training for Radioactive Material Users:
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 -- SFC Room C (HSC) -- 9am to 4 pm
Please contact Kisha Grady at kgrady@temple.edu to register for courses. Please note that anyone arriving to a session fifteen or more minutes late will be required to reschedule. [6/20/08]
PerkinElmer Revises Handling Cost for All Shipments
Effective June 1, 2008, PerkinElmer will be changing the handling fee applicable to all PerkinElmer reagents and consumable orders. The new fee will be $30 per shipment. The complete statement by PerkinElmer regarding this change can be found here. [5/21/08]
EHRS Wins Award for Waste Minimization Program
Environmental Health & Radiation Safety has won the Award of Recognition from the Campus Safety Health and Environmental Management Association’s Solutions at Work Program. EHRS won this award for its program“Thinking Outside the Box: One University’s Approach to In-House Waste Minimization.”
EHRS presently has a high-volume waste minimization program. There are three things that EHRS does to minimize waste: 1) Chemical Redistribution (the taking of unused and unexpired chemicals and allocating them to other labs); 2) Mercury Exchange (changing out mercury-containing equipment for mercury-free alternatives); 3) Chemical Recycling (certain chemicals can be recycled and reused, saving on the cost of purchasing new chemicals or the disposal of old ones).
The CSHEMA judges, while scoring EHRS a 98 out of a possible 100, agreed with the department’s assertion that this is a universal problem. They noted in their judging comments that the cost may be high in the beginning but “the effectiveness and cost savings down the road will also be high.”
The award will be presented at the International Conference on Campus Safety, to be held Monday, July 28, 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. [5/21/08]
EHRS Works to Minimize Hazardous Waste
EHRS is always working at minimizing hazardous waste. We are doing this in three ways:
1.) CHEMICAL REDISTRIBUTION: This means that EHRS will take unused and unexpired chemicals from one lab and allocate them to another lab that requests them.
Here's how it works:
1.) Look over this LIST. ( LIST UPDATED 11/19/07)
2.) If there are any chemicals that your laboratory is interested in, send an e-mail to ehs@temple.edu. Please include the following info: Name and quantity of desired chemical(s), the name of the lab's P.I., location chemicals should be delivered to, and phone number.
3.) EHRS will be in touch with you regarding your request.
Please note that this is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact EHRS at 2-2520 with any questions or concerns about this program.
2.) MERCURY EXCHANGE: Equipment containing mercury (such as thermometers, sphygmomanometers, thermostats, etc) are a hazard to you and the environment. EHRS is working with departments to reduce the number of items that use mercury and to replace them with mercury-free alternatives.
3.) CHEMICAL RECYCLING: Certain chemicals can be recycled and reused, saving the cost of purchasing new chemicals or disposing of old ones. EHRS can and will recycle chemicals and redistribute them to those labs that request them.
For complete information, please take a look at this flyer. If you have any questions, or would like to participate in any of the three minimization programs, please contact EHRS at 2-2520. [10/10/07]
Reporting Safety Concerns
The University expects that everyone who works with radioactive materials will raise concerns of unsafe practices, violations of regulatory requirements, or University policies associated with the use of radioactive materials. Such concerns may be reported to the Environmental Health and Radiation Safety Department, the Radiation Safety Committee, Temple University Management, the NRC, or the PADEP. There will be no discrimination or retaliation against any employee who reports such concerns.
Anyone who attempts to discriminate or retaliate against an employee for reporting
such concerns will be referred to appropriate administrative officials for
disciplinary action, up to and including termination.
During normal business hours you may reach the Environmental Health and Radiation
Safety Department at (215) 707-2520. After hours you can reach a member of
the Radiation Safety Department through the Temple Hospital Page Operator at
(215) 707-4545.
July Training Schedule
