Rights and Responsibilities

The EHSO is the guiding authority at OU for safety and health issues.

The EHSO is responsible for:

• Auditing campus compliance
• Conducting training, maintaining training files, and assisting with departmental training programs
• Providing technical assistance, including SDSs to personnel departments
• Maintaining the master chemical inventory and storing employee exposure data for at least 40 years
• Providing chemical information to OU Police or Campus Security and local fire departments
• Reviewing accident and injury reports and determining the appropriate response action
• Reviewing employee-reported unsafe or unsure conditions, determining the appropriate response action, and recommending corrective action where appropriate
• Submitting required permits, other environmental, occupational health and safety compliance reports, and documentation in a timely manner to the appropriate regulatory agency

In addition to these responsibilities, OSHA requires the University to maintain both employee exposure records and employee health records under several OSHA standards.

The EHSO is responsible for maintaining employee exposure records, while Employee Health is responsible for maintaining employee health records.

If you have any questions or would like access to any of these records, contact the appropriate office.

Deans and Administrative Heads coordinate compliance with policies and regulations for their respective divisions.

They are responsible for:

• Complying with and enforcing the OU Hazard Communication Program for their respective areas (such compliance may be facilitated through the appointment of Designated Coordinators)
• Completing and maintaining chemical inventory lists for all hazardous chemicals present in non-laboratory spaces
• Assuring the availability and maintenance of relevant SDSs for all hazardous chemicals present in non-laboratory spaces
• Assuring that all employees receive appropriate hazard communication and safety training
• Coordinating medical treatment and reporting requirements for injuries and exposures to employees
• Reporting any known potentially hazardous exposures to employees, taking action to ensure employees receive appropriate medical attention, and ensuring that required documentation is completed and forwarded to the appropriate campus Human Resources department.
• Assuring that performance evaluations include an evaluation of employee behavior toward safety and have completed required safety training.
• Assuring that disciplinary action is taken when employees do not comply with safety measures (this is actually spelled out in the Hazard Communication Standard, i.e. state law, but disciplinary action must follow the standard University Positive Discipline protocol)

For laboratory-related facilities, Laboratory Principal Investigators are responsible for:

• Completing, maintaining, and submitting chemical inventory lists to the EHSO as required by this program
• Making SDSs available to laboratory employees as required by this program
• Ensuring that all laboratory employees receive safety training as required by this and other university safety or environmental policies or programs
• Ensuring that laboratory chemicals are properly labeled in accordance with this program
• Establishing an emergency call system.
• Ensuring names and off-duty telephone numbers/pager numbers of the individuals who will be responsible for management of hazardous materials or a spill should be posted on or near each piece of equipment in hallways and on the doors to each laboratory unit or storage room.

While supervisor responsibilities may vary depending on the type of work the employees perform, all supervisors are responsible for a safe environment in their work areas, including tasks such as:

• Complying with and enforcing university policy, observing all safety rules and regulations, and wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) when required
• Encouraging and actively supporting employee involvement in workplace safety
• Ensuring that appropriate safety equipment and PPE are provided in appropriate sizes and types, are readily available, and are in a usable condition
• Ensuring that employees use PPE properly, that employees demonstrate an ability to use PPE properly before allowing them to perform work requiring the use of PPE, and identifying and retraining employees whom the supervisor believes do not have the understanding and skill required to properly use the required PPE
• Assuring the availability, accuracy, and placement of all required labels, signs, or placards for their work areas
• Ensuring that all employees under their direction receive appropriate safety training as required by this policy and other OSHA or Oklahoma Department of Labor rules and regulations
• Assuming responsibility for visitors within their assigned areas, requiring that they follow the same rules as employees, and ensuring they are escorted or supervised at all times
• Reporting accidents and assisting with accident investigations
• Performing routine surveillance of assigned work areas to identify potential hazards and ensure compliance, and taking appropriate action if hazards are identified
• Ensuring that good housekeeping practices are maintained in assigned work areas

Employees are responsible for workplace safety, including items such as:

• Attending all safety training sessions as required by this program, individual compliance programs, or your supervisor, or personally completing all self-study safety training programs
• Ensuring that you have received all instructions on how to perform a job properly and safely and have been authorized to perform that job before undertaking it
• Performing job duties in accordance with safety precautions communicated to you during training sessions and other educational programs, including wearing PPE (These safety precautions include reading the chemical label to obtain information about the chemical’s hazard, obtaining and reading an SDS if additional information is needed, and taking appropriate precautions PRIOR to working with the chemical. If additional information is desired, you are expected to ask your supervisor for additional assistance PRIOR to working with the chemical.)
• Reporting any unsafe condition to your supervisor immediately
• Notifying your supervisor immediately in the event of any occupational illness, injury, chemical exposure, or accident