University Campus Safety – A Broad Mandate

University campuses face unique challenges when it comes to occupational safety, primarily due to the fact that such a wide range of different activities occur on their grounds.  While specialized industries may be able to effectively train their employees on the procedures necessary to ensure a hazard-free environment, university workers often face a number of challenging environments during the course of a single day’s work.  It is hard to think of another sector of the economy where maintenance workers and other administrative staff could encounter sporting events, chemical storage and transportation issues, high voltage electricity and heavy vehicular traffic all within the confines of a single facility.

There are some basic safety preparedness steps that can be taken across the board on a university campus that can help even general staff deal with a large number of the potential incidents that could occur within a student body.  Chief amongst these is the distribution of adequate and up to date first aid supplies.  First aid can often mean the difference between serious injury and a minor incident, especially if responders are able to intervene effectively with the correct tools for the job.  In fact, United States Department of Labor regulations specifically state that first aid is required at any facility in the United States – universities being no exception.

University first aid kits and other first aid equipment can be broken down based on a number of factors.  First, it must be determined how large of a kit is required for a given situation.  In areas where crowds are common, such as a football field, gymnasium or even an auditorium, the potential for a greater number of injuries as the result of an accident should be addressed with a bulk first aid kit. For those scenarios such as labs or classrooms where the potential number of accident victims is smaller, then individual or 10 person kits might be sufficient.

Keep in mind that if a university lab is working with caustic chemicals, beyond the requirement for a first aid kit there is also the need to install an eyewash station – or at the very least, make portable eyewash equipment available.  More advanced university labs are also likely to need clean room supplies in order to protect both the health of students and staff as well as ensure the purity of experiment results through the prevention of accidental environmental contamination.  Depending upon the extent of the work being performed, clean rooms could require tacky mats, special disinfecting wipes or even body suits with supplied air respirators.  At a minimum, a biosecurity kit which can rapidly clean and disinfect a person’s body should they be exposed to a harmful contaminant must be within arm’s reach of any potentially hazardous experiment or activity.

Universities, like any corporation, are responsible for the safety of their employees.  Unlike most companies, they are also charged with protecting the health of thousands of students.  A cohesive campus safety policy must take into account all of the activities that take place inside its borders on a daily basis.