As you may be are aware, the Board of Trustees had expressed concern over the lack of documented undergraduate student safety training for the academic laboratory setting. In response to this concern, EHS conducted a survey in the fall of 2014 to determine whether safety training elements are incorporated in laboratory courses. The results indicated that while many instructors do provide some level of safety training commensurate with the perceived level of undergraduate hazard exposure, most departments do not have mandatory laboratory safety training standards nor do they have appropriate documentation to record lab safety training.
In an effort to assure the safety of our students taking undergraduate laboratory courses, EHS in conjunction with the
Provost’s office is launching an initiative to provide instructors a means to document the existing safety training provided via HuskyCT and to develop a HuskyCT-based lab safety training program with modules that incorporate safety elements across various disciplines. This is meant to satisfy the minimum safety training requirements for any lab course.
To develop the HuskyCT based program, EHS will convene a working group primarily of teaching lab managers and instructors of various disciplines within each college (e.g., chem, bio, engineering, animal, arts, agriculture). EHS has identified approximately 300 unique lab courses in STEM disciplines and approximately 140 in non-STEM disciplines.
In collaboration with OVPR, the Provost’s office, Registrar and others, the rollout plan is as follows:
Phase 1 (Spring – Summer Semesters 2015)
Announce it/Assemble Working Group
1.
At a Dept. Head meeting, Dr. Sally Reis, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs will present the concept and invite key/affected Dept. Heads to a follow-up meeting or conference call inviting Dan Mercier of ITL to participate along with EHS reps.
2.
At the follow up conference call we will provide an overview of the project, get a better sense of what training is already offered and identify participants for an EHS-led working group to develop course content after the end of the semester (May-June).
Phase 2 (Summer – Fall Semesters 2015)
Implement Interim Measures/Build it
1.
The working group will be led by David Cavallaro of EHS who will task members to identify the hazards in the lab courses and build course content. Units that have robust safety training programs already built into their lab courses will not be required to implement the HuskyCT module program but will be asked to participate in developing course content and document training via HuskyCT for verification of safety training.
2.
HuskyCT safety training verification component will be instituted to enable instructors to document existing lab safety training that is already provided. This will be a required course element (who are the individuals/units to engage to make this happen?) (July) Edict from Provost’s office?
3.
Working with ITL, OVPR will build the HuskyCT modules from the multidisciplinary course content developed by the working group (September). ITL can build it into every lab course.
Phase 3 (Fall 2015 -Spring Semester 2016)
Launch it
1.
Pilot testing (October-December 2015)
2.
Communicate plan (November 2015)
3.
HuskyCT module roll-out and incorporation into existing lab courses (January 2016)
Phase 4 (Spring-Summer Semester 2016)
Enhance it
1.
Generic safety orientation development (engage Enrollment Planning, Registrar)
2.
Incorporate into orientation for incoming freshmen fall 2016