a man wearing safety goggles and gloves works in a research lab
 

Safety Program

The College of Engineering believes that employees are our most valuable asset. We expect that those affiliated with us will partner together to ensure the safety, health and well-being of all faculty, staff, and student members of the college and our guests.

The College of Engineering Safety Program was established to reduce the risk of personal injury, environmental contamination, and property damage to all affiliated personnel and spaces, thereby maximizing their respective potential to fulfill the overall strategic mission of the College:

To nurture and train world-class socially aware, globally connected, diverse engineers, educators, and researchers with rigorous core knowledge and problem-solving skills, who understand complex, interacting engineering and societal systems. To develop innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges through transformational interdisciplinary research.

In Research …
By deliberately pre-planning research activities to identify and address potential safety concerns;

In Teaching …
By instructing students regarding their legal and moral responsibilities to safety as professional engineers;

In Working …
By making safety and security an integrated part of everyday work tasks;

In Life …
By caring for the safety and security of others as much as for our own!

The College of Engineering and each respective department will work together to coordinate safety and security efforts with those of the rest of the University community to identify risks and take appropriate steps to prevent accidents from occurring and mitigating the harmful effects of emergencies on our people and operations. The College safety committee meets every other month and is comprised of all the department safety representatives.

Employee Responsibilities

Every employee is responsible for being familiar with all safety, security and emergency policies, programs and procedures; asking questions of and raising concerns to their assigned Safety Representatives whenever they arise; and taking steps to incorporate safe work practices into daily tasks. Every employee has the responsibility and obligation to stop any observed unsafe actions, request that a safety assessment be performed, and to halt any unsafe acts when questioned by another employee. Retaliation for reporting unsafe acts will not be tolerated.

Researcher Safety

The University policy (SY43) requires that each laboratory implements the Laboratory and Research Safety Plan, including adoption of procedures for safe use of chemicals, and instructs laboratory/research personnel, including employees, visitors, and students on proper safety procedures. A laboratory is defined as facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed.

New Faculty Safety Orientation

To assist new (or existing) faculty with understanding and meeting the requirements of SY43, the College holds safety orientation sessions at the beginning of each semester. The presentation covers:

  1. The College of Engineering Safety Program
  2. Applicable Penn State Environmental, Health and Safety Programs

For more information, contact Mike Houser, Safety and Security Coordinator, at mlh30@psu.edu.

CoE Safety Organizational Chart

organizational chart showing reporting structure for college of engineering safety protocols

 
 

About

Facilities Administration serves the facilities needs of faculty, staff, and students in the College of Engineering. We are responsible for facility projects; general facility maintenance; space allocation; safety management and access control.

Facilities Administration

101 Hammond Building

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA 16802-4710