THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
Environmental Health and Safety
Date:
January 29, 2016
To:
Safety Council Members
Subject:
Minutes of Meeting – January 20, 2016
CALL TO ORDER:
A. Maurine Claver called the meeting to order at 9:30AM and reminded members of emergency
exits and evacuation procedures in the event of an emergency.
WELCOME:
A. Maurine Claver welcomed members from University Park and campuses to the meeting.
REVIEW OF THE MINUTES FROM November 18, 2015:
A. The minutes were approved as printed and distributed.
TOPIC OF THE MONTH:
A. Tony Cygan, Occupational Safety Program Manager, provided a presentation about success
stories of several PSU machine shops that are doing a great job of implementing and complying
with the requirements of the PSU Machine Shop Safety Program. A copy of the presentation is
attached.
ADMINISTRATIVE TOPICS:
A. Bob Segura introduced Steve Rohrbach, Hazardous Building Materials Planner /Estimator. Steve
will be handling the project and management side of all asbestos construction projects. Steve
comes to the university with an Environmental Science background and 13 years of project
management experience.
B. Bob Segura reported on Hoverboards; their storage and uses on campus. Hoverboards have
resulted in numerous accidental injuries and fires when units are charging. Penn State received
media inquiries concerning the Boston Associated Press article of “Universities Banning
Hoverboards”. We, at Penn State, will follow Policy SY16 for the proper use and storage of
these units and continue to monitor them in a safe manor.
C. Mark Linsenbigler updated Safety Council members on the status of the Integrated Safety Plan
(ISP) initiative. Twenty-three new teams were certified during calendar year 2015, bringing the
total number of participants to 105. (This figure represents approximately half of the University
community). This initiative continues to generate a variety of positive outcomes including
reduced potential for injury, increased compliance, and an enhanced safety culture. Interested
groups are encouraged to contact either Mark Linsenbigler or their campus EHS representative
for further information on the ISP.
D. Mark Linsenbigler provided an update on the ice/snow discussion from our previous meeting in
November 2015. Several Council members have raised concerns about specific campus areas
and these have been shared with facilities personnel. EHS also recently contributed an article to
the Penn State Today newsletter in order to raise pedestrian awareness of ice/snow
hazards. This article can be accessed at the following link:
http://news.psu.edu/story/388604/2016/01/21/campus-life/winter-precipitation-pedestriansurged-exercisecaution?utm_source=newswire&utm_medium=email&utm_term=388688_HTML&utm_content
=01-21-2016-21-42&utm_campaign=Penn%20State%20Today
E. Mark Linsenbigler noted that a memo regarding the reporting of fatalities and severe injuries to
OSHA was redistributed to Safety Council on January 14, 2015. Council members have been
asked to share this memo with individuals who are responsible for reporting work-related
injuries or illnesses. A copy of this memo has also been placed in the “Safety Officer Toolbox”
located on the EHS website: http://ehs.psu.edu/home/university-safety-council/safety-officertoolbox
F. Mark Linsenbigler informed the group that SY02 (“Handicapped Identification Decals for
Individuals Requiring Assistance”) was recently removed from the GURU policy manual. This
procedure has been incorporated into the Building Emergency Evacuation Program and all
related information is now available on the EHS website.
ADJOURNMENT
A. The meeting was adjourned at 10:22 a.m.
THE NEXT MEETING OF THE UNIVERSITY SAFETY COUNCIL WILL BE HELD MARCH 16, 2016 AT
9:30 A.M. AT THE BUSINESS BUILDING, ROOM 126.
Members Present: A. Witmer, B. Baros, B. Bitner, B. Holden, B. Segura, B. Smith, D. Sarge, D. Fronk, D.
Newburg, G. Conklin, J. Kuhns, J. Shade, J. Mazzoni, J. Troxell, K. Rountree, K. Johnsonbaugh, M.
Bodenschatz, M. Claver, M. Linsenbigler, M. Pearce, P. Muldoon, R. Weber, S. DeRosa, S. Briskar, S.
Engler, S. Foard, S. Hayes, S. Triebold, T. Cygan, T. Noviello, T. Weber.
Adobe Connect Representatives: Penn State Berks, Penn State Dickinson School of Law, Penn State
Great Valley, Penn State Harrisburg, Penn State Mont Alto, Penn State Worthington-Scranton and Penn
State York
Adobe Connect Facilitators:
M. Houser, EHS
Guests: A. Hanshew, EHS and VP Researach
D. Ault, Earth and Mineral Science
F. Szymkowski, PS Abington
J. Henneman, Animal Resource Program
M. Hartey, PS Abington
S. Chichster, Graduate School
S. Miller, Smeal College of Business
S. Strickler, Information Technology Services
S. Zelem, College of Communications
Respectfully Submitted, Bonnie Auman
Secretary, University Safety Council
BCA/bca