Environmental Health and Safety

Facilities Department · ext. 2120 · Responsible administrator: Vice President for Finance and Administration

The College is a public employer. Workplace safety and health for College employees is governed by the Ohio Public Employment Risk Reduction Program (PERRP), administered by the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation under Chapter 4167 of the Ohio Revised Code. PERRP adopts the occupational safety and health standards of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as the standards for Ohio public employers. Federal OSHA does not have jurisdiction over Ohio public employers.

PERRP applies to employees. Students are not employees and are not covered by it. As a matter of College policy, the controls described on this page apply to students in laboratories, shops, clinics, barns, and the range on the same terms as to employees. Environmental Health and Safety is coordinated by the Facilities Department. Program safety rules are set by each division and are stated in the program handbook.

Hazard communication

Each laboratory, shop, clinic, kitchen, and barn maintains a chemical inventory, reviewed each year and whenever a product is added. A safety data sheet for every product on the inventory is kept in the work area and is available through DroverNet. Containers are labeled as the Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200) requires, and secondary containers are labeled when filled. A product not on the inventory is not brought into an instructional space until its safety data sheet has been added. Employees are trained at hire and when a new hazard is introduced; students are trained in the course in which a product is first used. Laboratories in which chemicals are used on a laboratory scale operate under the College’s Chemical Hygiene Plan (29 CFR 1910.1450).

Formaldehyde — Wing E preparation laboratory

The preparation laboratory has a separate entrance and separate ventilation. Formaldehyde monitoring is continuous. Personal monitoring badges are issued to each student each term and are read by an outside laboratory; the formaldehyde monitoring charge is published in the Schedule of Charges. Employees are monitored under the formaldehyde standard (29 CFR 1910.1048), which sets a permissible exposure limit of 0.75 parts per million as an eight-hour time-weighted average, a short-term exposure limit of 2 parts per million, and an action level of 0.5 parts per million. A result at or above the action level is followed by repeat monitoring and review of controls. Monitoring results are provided to the person monitored. Eyewash and drench equipment is maintained in the laboratory and tested weekly. Formaldehyde training is completed before laboratory work begins and is repeated each year.

Lead — Sub-Level Range

Smallbore and air rifle projectiles contain lead. Range ventilation and cleaning are serviced under contract. The range is cleaned by HEPA vacuum and wet methods and is not dry-swept. Eating, drinking, and tobacco use are not permitted in the range. Hands and face are washed before leaving. Employee exposure is assessed under the lead standard (29 CFR 1910.1025). A person who is pregnant or planning a pregnancy is advised to consult a physician before range use. Range rules and access are governed by Policy 4.14, Weapons on Campus, and the Head Coach, Coed Rifle.

Welding fume — Shop Building

Each of the sixteen welding booths has individual exhaust, which is on whenever an arc is struck. Coated, galvanized, and stainless stock is not welded or cut without instructor approval and the controls the instructor specifies, including those required by the chromium (VI) standard (29 CFR 1910.1026). Where an exposure assessment requires a respirator, it is used under the respiratory protection program below.

Bloodborne pathogens — Funeral Service, Plasma, and Cosmetology

The College maintains an Exposure Control Plan under the bloodborne pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) for the Funeral Service Technology, Plasma and Blood Center Operations, and Cosmetology programs. The plan is reviewed and updated at least once a year. SAF 130, Bloodborne Pathogens and Exposure Control, is completed before laboratory or clinic work begins. Employees with occupational exposure are offered the hepatitis B vaccination series at no cost. Students in the Plasma program document the series; the series is provided at cost if not documented, as published in the Schedule of Charges. Sharps and regulated waste are disposed of under Ohio infectious waste rules; the biohazard disposal charge for Funeral Service Technology is published in the Schedule of Charges. Practicum sites apply their own exposure control plans.

After an exposure incident: wash the area with soap and water, or flush eyes or mucous membranes with water. Report it at once to the instructor or supervisor. Seek medical evaluation the same day. Employees receive a confidential post-exposure evaluation at no cost. The College does not operate a health clinic; see Health Services.

Respiratory protection and hearing conservation

Respirators are used under a written respiratory protection program (29 CFR 1910.134). Medical evaluation and fit testing are completed before a respirator is first used, and fit testing is repeated each year. A respirator included in a program kit is not used until the wearer has been fit-tested. Hearing protection is required in the range during live fire and in the Shop Building bays during operation. Employees exposed at or above an eight-hour average of 85 decibels are enrolled in the hearing conservation program (29 CFR 1910.95).

Animals

Students and employees working with animals follow the Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences’ zoonotic disease protocol: handwashing on leaving any animal area, no food or drink in animal areas, and barn footwear and clothing kept separate. A person who is pregnant, or whose immune system is compromised, is advised to consult a physician and the Division before working with animals.

Reporting injuries and hazards

Report any injury the same day to the instructor or supervisor. Employee injuries and illnesses are recorded on the College’s injury and illness log as PERRP requires; employee workers’ compensation claims are filed with the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation through Human Resources, ext. 2240. Student injuries are recorded on a College incident report. Report a hazard to Facilities, ext. 2120. An employee may also file a complaint with PERRP; Ohio law prohibits retaliation against an employee for doing so.

Personal protective equipment and accommodation. Where a student’s disability accommodation interacts with required protective equipment, the Coordinator of Disability Services works with Environmental Health and Safety. Safety requirements are not waived.

This page summarizes the College’s programs and does not restate any standard. The standards cited govern. Nothing on this page is legal or medical advice. In an emergency, see In an Emergency.