Workplace Safety

Environmental Safety and Health Policy

The University of Vermont is committed to supporting the safety, health and welfare of the campus community.  Our dedication to meet federal, state and local regulations relating to institutional health and safety is intended to foster a strong value for the prevention of incidents and injuries campus-wide.  The Department of Risk Management takes pride in serving the University community as a whole and strives to provide superior customer service and cost effectiveness through incident and injury prevention. Every known incident is met with an eagerness to understand the root of the problem, facilitate the best possible medical treatment for the injured and create a plan to minimize or eliminate the possibility of future incidents. 

Following is a framework used to meet this institutional commitment. It describes responsibilities for health and safety at various levels within the University. It is an inclusive document, in that it lists as many of the health and safety programs that affect general University operations as possible. Some of the requirements cited do not affect all of campus; however, everyone on campus is affected by some of the requirements.

Each department will need to supplement this policy document with detailed information about the hazards present in its workplaces and the precautions necessary to control these hazards. These supplements may be in the form of written procedures, literature libraries, video presentations, and/or group or individual training. These details can be based on plans and procedures developed by the Risk Management Department and Radiation Safety Office.

The University's commitment to health and safety can be completely successful only when individual members of our campus community accept responsibility for their own personal safety and the safety of those around them by being aware of and following appropriate codes, regulations and procedures for injury prevention.  Please use the resource of our web-site to increase your personal awareness and minimize your risk for injury both on and off campus.

The elimination or reduction of accident-related illness, injury, and property and environmental damage is a cooperative effort and an important one. Only if safety is practiced by all can the university meet these obligations and provide a safe and healthy environment for members of this community. We look to all members of the University community to do their part in helping to meet this goal.

The University of Vermont places a high priority on the health and safety of its students, faculty, staff and environment. To that end:

The President
Supports the University's environmental health and safety programs.

The Provosts, Vice Presidents and Deans
Ensure that environmental health and safety obligations are carried out in the academic departments or administrative units for which they have responsibility.

Directors and Department Chairs
Implement the University's environmental health and safety programs within their departments and units.

Supervisors
Understand the range of environmental health and safety regulations and programs that apply to their work, and
Ensure that good health and safety practices are followed by everyone in the workplaces they are responsible for.

Employees, Students and Visitors
Comply with applicable environmental health and safety laws and regulations, University policy, and accepted safe work practices.

Risk Management Department and Radiation Safety Office
Collaborate with campus constituencies to attain compliance with relevant regulations,
Track environmental health and safety laws and regulations, and
Manage programs that support health and safety efforts on campus.

University Safety Committees
Recommend campus policy for environmental health and safety issues, and
Provide technical consultation about how those policies apply in particular cases.