In fulfilling its educational mission, Austin Community College is committed to providing a safe and healthy workplace for its employees, students and visitors. To meet this commitment, ACC has established a comprehensive Environmental Health and Safety Management System that is administered through the Environmental Health Safety and Insurance Office. The goals of this management system are to:
- Provide employees, students and visitors with a safe and healthy workplace, free from recognized hazards.
- Prevent injuries, fatalities and property loss from accidents, catastrophes and other environmental hazards.
- Establish ACC as a community leader and partner in protecting public health, safety and natural resources.
- Strive for regulatory compliance and continual improvement.
- Instill safety as a value and adopt within the ACC culture, making safety a way of life for all employees and students.
To achieve these goals the ACC Environmental Health Safety and Insurance Office will:
- Provide assistance in the identification and mitigation of environmental, health and safety hazards that could adversely affect the college community and damage or destroy College property.
- Oversee compliance with local, state and federal regulatory requirements for environmental, health and safety issues.
- Establish environmental, health and safety practices, procedures and management system to protect the College Community to the greatest degree possible.
- Coordinate a comprehensive emergency plan that includes exercised procedures to respond to chemical incidents, accidents, injuries, fires and natural hazards/disasters.
- Provide appropriate education and training for the College Community in environmental, health and safety regulations, safe practices and procedures and hazard identification/elimination.
- Provide appropriate property insurance and Worker’s Compensation coverage for work related accidents.
- Provide a strong safety and loss prevention system, to include injury reduction and hazard elimination.
- Draft appropriate administrative rules to achieve a uniform management approach to environmental, health and safety requirements.
In order to assist in meeting the above objectives, Environmental Health Safety and Insurance Office will establish and administer various Environmental, Health and Safety programs. Each of these programs may include various components, which may include: procedures, manuals, training curricula, public education materials, inspections, training, record keeping and reporting.
These programs include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Hazard Communication
- Hazardous Waste
- Blood Borne Pathogens
- Injury and Illness Prevention
- Safety and Loss Prevention
- Worker’s Compensation Insurance
- Student Accident Insurance
- Environmental Management
- Fire and Preventable Damage Protection
- Crisis Management Programs
In order to have a sound, integrated Environmental, Health and Safety Management System, it must involve every level within the ACC organization and have strong management support. Implementation of this system requires the full and active participation of all administrators, supervisors, employees, students and visitors. This includes taking immediate action to report, correct, and eliminate hazardous conditions or behaviors, a strict adherence to safe practices and procedures and an increased knowledge and awareness of environmental, health and safety hazards. Employees must follow recognized safe work practices and procedures as a condition of employment within Austin Community College. Students must abide by safe practices and procedures established for the classroom, or other instructional environment.
As the official ultimately responsible for ACC’s compliance with environmental, health and safety regulations, the ACC President requires that all ACC employees, students and visitors:
- Immediately report hazardous conditions and safety concerns to their supervisors, instructors, hosts and/or emergency management personnel, as appropriate.
- Abide by safe practices and procedures established by the College.
- Cooperate fully with the ACC Environmental Health Safety and Insurance Office in addressing environmental, health and safety issues.
- Adhere to all applicable local, state and federal regulations concerning environmental, health and safety issues.
- Cooperate fully with environmental, health and safety inspectors from local, state and federal agencies.
- Take action to resolve safe work place issues when appropriate.
Each ACC employee has a responsibility for his or her owns safety, as well as the safety of fellow employees and the student members of our college community. Employees must become familiar with the potential hazards of their jobs, safe practices and procedures and do what is necessary to ensure their safety. By these means, we can achieve the safe working and learning environment due all members of our College Community.
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