1. ENVIR.HEALTH & SAFETY POLICY

Responsibility and accountability

Good environmental, health and safety practices are the responsibility of each NMSU faculty and staff member, student, and visitor. The following is a summary of these responsibilities. The full EH&S Policy is on the safety web site  and in NMSU AP&P Manual.

All New Mexico State University faculty, staff, and students are responsible for:

1. Participating in mandated training programs provided by Environmental Health & Safety, supervisors and other instructors.
2. Properly using university supplied materials and equipment.
3. Using good judgment in carrying out work assignments and following established procedures.
4. Promptly reporting unsafe conditions, environmental health hazards, as well as injuries and illnesses to the cognizant supervisor or program director. (Link to report via EH&S suggestion form) (Link for confidential reporting via 3rd party - Ethicspoint)
5. Giving due consideration to personal safety and the safety of others while performing assigned tasks.
6. Strictly adhering to federal, state and university safety requirements and guidelines.
7. Understanding that disregard or chronic negligence of established policies and procedures can result in disciplinary action.

Supervisors Responsibilities

Supervisors, faculty, principal investigators, first line supervisors, and all other persons in authority are responsible for:

1. Providing safe and healthy environments for those areas and personnel for whom they have supervisory or administrative responsibility, incorporating safety and health issues as an integral part of all activities at the University.
2. Being continuously cognizant of the safety and health needs of all co-workers and employees for whom they are responsible.
3. Initiating and enforcing necessary preventive measures to control hazards.
4. Ensuring necessary support such as engineering and administrative controls, personal protective equipment, occupational medical examinations, and local exhaust ventilation are in place and adequate for operations.
5. Ensuring employees are trained prior to beginning new tasks (training checklist).
6. Reporting injuries and illnesses to Worker's Compensation Office.
7. Reviewing accident and injury reports for their area(s).
8. Serving as a focal point for safety and health concerns.
9. Immediately notifying EH&S when they become aware of a violation of any university, state or federal environmental health or occupational safety rule or regulation. This includes any contact with the state and federal regulatory agencies.

University Administration, all Vice Presidents, Deans and Department Heads are responsible for:

1. Ensuring that facilities and equipment provided meet requirements for a safe work environment for activities being conducted or modify those activities accordingly to come into compliance with applicable rules, regulations and standards.
2. Ensuring individuals under their management have the authority and support to implement environmental health and safety policies, practices and programs.
3. Ensuring areas under their management are in compliance with University, state and federal environmental health and safety policies, practices and programs.
4. Establishing priorities and committing resources for correction of environmental health and safety deficiencies.
5. Establishing procedures for dissemination of policies and other safety-related information.
6. Establishing procedures to implement policies.
7. Utilizing the system which will be established for assessing safety performance to evaluate their own areas of responsibility and report findings back to central administration.
8. Immediately notifying EH&S when they become aware of a violation of any university, state or federal environmental health or occupational safety rule or regulation. (Link to file report via EH&S suggestion form) This includes any contact with the state and federal regulatory agencies.

The University President has ultimate responsibility for establishing and maintaining health and safety programs and establishing a system for assessing safety performance for the University.

In addition, some units (e.g. the Fire and Police) have other specific requirements and responsibilities established by agencies external to the University.

The formation of departmental or college safety committees is highly encouraged. Experience has shown that these committees can provide an effective means of implementing safety programs. EH&S can provide guidance and offers staff for membership to aid in the development of these committees.

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