In this issue of the Environmental Health and
Safety (EHS) Listserv April 4, 2018
1.
Stormwater Management Plan – Comment Date Extended
2.
Driving Pride: How to Wash a University Vehicle
3.
Respirable Crystalline Silica?
4.
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) – PulsePoint ®
5.
AED Disposal Considerations
6.
Situational Preparedness – Just Drive
7.
Safety Shorts – Distracted Driving
8.
Your Opinion Matters
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1.
Stormwater Management Plan – Comment Date Extended
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln developed a Stormwater Management Plan (SWMP) in compliance with the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)
regulations.
EHS welcomes comments regarding UNL’s Stormwater Management Plan from the entire UNL community. The original comment period is extended, since the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has
not yet put UNL’s Stormwater Management Plan out for public comment. EHS will continue to accept comments from the campus community through April 2018.
Resources
Ø
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Stormwater Management Plan (click “Submit Comments”)
https://ehs.unl.edu/stormwater-management
2.
Driving Pride: How to Wash a University Vehicle
That logo on the side of University vehicles acts as a rolling billboard and can visually reflect the pride we have in our institution. All drivers
have a responsibility to keep those “rolling advertisements” shining.
But washing a car is not as simple as grabbing a hose and bucket on a sunny day. In fact, washing a vehicle outdoors anywhere on UNL’s City and East
campuses is strictly prohibited. When you wash a car outside all the soap, dirt, grit, and oil can flow into storm drains and directly into our streams and lakes. That causes pollution that is unhealthy to aquatic organisms and people.
University vehicles should only be washed at a car wash. A car wash is specifically designed to handle the pollutants vehicles can shed when washed.
Here’s how to do it:
·
Use Transportation Services. They’ve got a wash bay that can accommodate vehicles as large as a bus. Call ahead to schedule a vehicle wash. Better yet, when you’re
having maintenance or repairs done, have the vehicle washed at the same time.
·
Use the Voyager Card. Many local car wash facilities accept the Voyager card. Participating retailers can be found on Transportation Service’s website. Approve the
expense with your fleet manager beforehand.
Contact Dean Brame EHS Environmental Specialist ([log in to unmask]
or 402-472-2212) if you have stormwater pollution prevention questions.
Resources
Ø
EHS Stormwater Pollution Prevention Safe Operating Procedures (SOPs)
https://ehs.unl.edu/sop/storm-water-pollution-prevention
3.
Respirable Crystalline Silica?
Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) is seeking assistance in identifying workers at UNL who may be exposed to Respirable Crystalline Silica in their daily tasks. Crystalline silica is
a common mineral found in the earth's crust. Materials like sand, stone, concrete, and mortar contain crystalline silica. It is also used to make products such as glass, pottery, ceramics, bricks, and artificial stone.
Respirable
crystalline silica – very small particles at least 100 times smaller than the ordinary sand you might find on beaches and playgrounds – is commonly created during construction activities such as cutting,
sawing, grinding, drilling, and crushing stone, rock, concrete, brick, block, and mortar. Activities such as abrasive blasting with sand; sawing brick or concrete; sanding or drilling into concrete walls; grinding mortar; manufacturing brick, concrete blocks,
stone countertops, or ceramic products; and cutting or crushing stone (including road grading) result in worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica dust. Industrial sand used in certain operations, such as foundry work, well drilling and hydraulic fracturing
(fracking), may also be a source of respirable crystalline silica exposure.
Workers in the immediate area who inhale these very fine particulates may be at risk of developing silica-related diseases including: silicosis, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease (COPD) and kidney disease. Recently OSHA established two new silica standards to better protect construction workers and others who may be exposed. If you think any of the tasks mentioned above are ones you might perform, the first step is to let EHS
know what type of tasks you are conducting. Second, EHS can perform an assessment on the individual task. From there, if applicable, we will help determine what types of tools or ventilation systems may be needed to reduce identified risks, including whether
personal respiratory protection is needed.
Please contact Lisa Mensah at
[log in to unmask] or 402-472-6513 if you would like to discuss this subject more in depth or have your area evaluated.
Resources
Ø
OSHA Silica Overview
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/topics/silicacrystalline/
4.
Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) – PulsePoint®
AEDs are small, portable devices that can be used to treat heart attack victims. Because of their simple design and
ease of operation, they can safely be used by members of the general public. Individual departments are responsible for purchasing, installing, and maintaining AEDs at UNL. If a department elects to purchase AEDs they must ensure that an ongoing maintenance
program is established, implemented and funded.
After equipment is purchased and installed, contact local emergency response agencies and register the location of the
unit with them. For equipment installed within Lincoln city limits, equipment may be registered online at
https://aedregistry.pulsepoint.org/.
Cardiac arrest is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) are increasingly
prevalent on the UNL campus. At UNL AEDs are available in some, but not all buildings. Knowing
where the nearest AED is during a medical emergency is a matter of life or death. Now there’s now an app for that, PulsePoint®!
PulsePoint® AED
exists to crowdsource lifesaving AED location information. With
PulsePoint® AED anyone can add AED locations.
If someone sees an AED, this app allows them to check if it shows up on the map. If not, it’s easy to add a location to the registry. Once information submitted is verified by local authorities, the new AED location will be
added to the map.
The PulsePoint’s® Respond application empowers everyday citizens to provide life-saving assistance to victims of sudden cardiac arrest.
Application users may indicate they are trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and are willing to assist in case of an emergency. If the cardiac emergency is in a public place, the location-aware application will alert trained citizens in the vicinity
of the need for bystander CPR simultaneously with the dispatch of advanced medical care. This application also directs these citizen rescuers to the exact location of the closest publically accessible AED. Alternatively, if you see a cardiac emergency, after
calling 911 you can look up the nearest AED.
Use of these two applications empowers CPR-trained citizens to help improve patient outcomes and save lives. Both
PulsePoint® apps are available free for Android and iPhone.
Resources
Ø
Automatic External Defibrillators
SOP
https://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-AED.pdf
Ø
PulsePoint® AED information
http://www.pulsepoint.org/pulsepoint-aed/
Ø
PulsePoint® Download (both AED and Respond apps available)
http://www.pulsepoint.org/download/
5.
AED Disposal Considerations
Batteries are one of the most important parts of an Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) system. To make sure an AED will work perfectly in an emergency
situation, periodically check batteries as directed by the manufacturer to make sure they are in good working condition and replace the batteries when needed. AED batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel which must be properly
disposed. Complete and submit a Hazardous Materials Collection Tag for disposal through Environmental Health and Safety.
Upon occasion, there may be a reason to dispose the entire AED unit. When discarding the entire unit, contact EHS for pickup and disposal of the device
by completing/submitting a Hazardous Materials Collection Tag.
For questions on this topic or other disposal concerns, contact Tony Lloyd, 402-472-4942 or
[log in to unmask].
Resources
Ø
Automatic External Defibrillators Safe Operating Procedure (SOP)
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-AED.pdf
Ø
Battery Disposal
SOP http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-batterydisposal.pdf
Ø
Hazardous/Radioactive Material Collection Procedures
SOP
http://ehs.unl.edu/sop/s-chem_collection_procedures.pdf
6.
Safety Poster – Liquid Nitrogen Safety
EHS provides a number of safety posters of relevance to the campus community. A poster on Liquid Nitrogen Safety was developed to
raise awareness of safety considerations that arose from a “near miss” last fall.
Request your FREE poster(s). Contact
[log in to unmask] or 402-472-4925 with your name, campus mailing address including zip+4, and
quantity desired. If you have an idea for a safety poster, contact Elizabeth (Betsy) Howe,
[log in to unmask], 402-472-5488.
Resources
Ø
Safety Posters
http://ehs.unl.edu/safety-posters
7.
Situational Preparedness – Just Drive
Situational preparedness is so important that we will be looking at various aspects over time, as well as providing resources to assist you to “be prepared” for whatever situations you may encounter.
Motor vehicle fatalities are up 6% from 2015, with more than 40,000 people killed in 2017. Cell phones to dashboard infotainment systems to evolving
voice command features all pose a threat to our safety. Just one second of your attention is all it takes to change a life forever. Therefore, the National Safety Council has designated April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2018. The theme is “Just
Drive.”
Those two simple, easy-to-remember words encompass the entire gamut of recommendations regarding distracted driving. There are many resources available
on the National Safety Council Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2018 website: videos, infographics, checklists and more. Look over the resources and share the information provided with your co-workers, family, safety committee, or as a toolbox talk in
your workplace.
The Chancellor’s University Safety Committee has been raising awareness of the dangers of distracted driving/bicycling/ walking for some time now.
The current awareness graphic is:
The advice provided by the National Safety Council is also applicable for those who ride a bicycle, motorcycle or scooter. Just Drive. As you walk around
campus remember: Just Walk!
Resources
Ø
National Safety Council “Free Materials for Distracted Driving Awareness Month 2018”
http://www.nsc.org/learn/NSC-Initiatives/Pages/DDAM-2016-materials.aspx?hsCtaTracking=eddb472b-3ecd-4a03-99c5-ce1c1b2f7bf6%7C689f402d-9487-4517-8bf6-122b362ac233
Ø
Chancellor’s University Safety Committee
Heads Up! campaign https://ehs.unl.edu/heads-up-marketing-materials
8.
Safety Shorts – Distracted Driving
This series features links to short safety resource(s) each month. Provided this month are resources related to distracted
driving.
·
Distracted Driving: One call Can change Everything
(NatlSafetyCouncil, 6.33 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKCh4BHvXSQ
·
The Last Word (TextTheLastWord, 3.54 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DH1JGlYOL0
·
April is Distracted Driving Month
(#JustDrive, 1.39 minutes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUNCAMKZbFk
NOTE: Resources are provided for informational purposes only. Publication does not in any way endorse a particular company
or product or affect current UNL policies and procedures.
9.
Your Opinion Matters
Environmental Health and Safety is committed to excellent customer service and offers a
Customer Satisfaction Survey as an easy method for the campus community to provide feedback on our services and staff. By taking a few moments to complete the survey (http://ehs.unl.edu/survey),
you will be helping us to identify areas where we might need to focus our attention.
In order to effectively evaluate potential areas for improvement, please provide specific information or examples and your name
and contact information. The Director, Brenda Osthus, follows up on all submissions. We greatly appreciate your participation.
Please feel free to contact Brenda Osthus, EHS Director, at 402-472-4927 or
[log in to unmask] if you would rather communicate outside the parameters of this survey.
Remember...SAFETY IS AN ATTITUDE!
Environmental Health and Safety
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
3630 East Campus Loop
Lincoln, NE 68583-0824
(402) 472-4925
http://ehs.unl.edu