Policy Series: 5000

Dept.: HS

Type: Student College-wide Academic/Education

Name of Policy: Safety and Health Policy

Purpose: This policy is intended to: help prevent accidents, illnesses and injuries; increase safety
awareness; meet requirements of environmental and occupational health, enforce safety laws and
regulations; reduce liability; and establish safety responsibilities for members of the college community
and visitors to South Central College. Safety is everyone's responsibility. All members of the college
community are expected to be thoroughly familiar with their safety responsibilities, strive to follow safety
practices, act proactively to prevent accidents and injuries, communicate hazards to supervisors, and be
prepared for emergencies that may occur in the workplace. The Health and Safety Policy reaffirms the
college's commitment to safety and good environmental stewardship and establishes a uniform system to
help individuals, departments, and units meet their health and safety responsibilities. This policy outlines
safety responsibilities and training requirements to ensure individual and institutional compliance with
relevant environmental health and safety laws, regulations, policies, and guidelines.

Applicability: The health and safety of all employees at South Central College is of primary
importance. The college will seek to provide all mechanical and physical facilities required for personal
health and safety, in keeping with Minnesota State College and University standards.

Safety is everyone’s responsibility and injury and illness prevention on the part of the whole South
Central College community. It also requires cooperation in all safety and health matters, not only
between the supervisor and employees, but also between coworkers as well as instructor and student.
Only through a cooperative effort can safety be achieved at South Central College.

The primary objective is a safety and health program that will reduce the number of injuries and
illnesses. The safety and health program will include:

1. conducting a program of safety and health inspections to find and eliminate unsafe
working conditions or practices, to control health hazards, and to comply with local,
state, and federal codes.
2. training personnel in good safety and health practices, including job specific training, as
outlined in Job Hazard Analysis Reports;
3. providing necessary personal protective equipment, together with the training in its use,
to enhance the mechanical and physical safety of the workplace;
4. developing and enforcing safety and health rules, requiring that all affected personnel
cooperate with these rules as a condition of employment; and
5. investigating promptly and thoroughly occupational accidents to determine the cause and
how to prevent a reoccurrence.

Definitions:

Does this policy have a procedure? Yes No

List related policies, procedures or plans here:

Procedures

Responsibilities
We recognize that the responsibilities for safety and health are shared by all members of the community.
The college accepts the responsibility for leadership of the safety and health program, for its effectiveness
and improvement, and for providing the safeguards required to ensure safe conditions.

The Director of Security & Safety is responsible for the guidance in the college's safety and health policy.
The supervisors of work areas have been delegated a great deal of responsibility for the safety and health
program. As representatives of the administration, they are delegated responsibility for carrying out the
following objectives

Administrators in consultation with the Director of Security & Safety shall:

1. Implement the Health and Safety Policy and communicate its requirements to faculty, students,
and staff.
2. Designate and empower the safety committee as necessary to address and coordinate safety
efforts.
3. Direct individuals to obtain any required safety training before they work with hazardous
chemicals, biohazardous agents, or physical/mechanical hazards in their working or learning
environments.
4. Report all accidents, job-related illnesses, and work site injuries to the Human Resources Office.
5. Determine whether safety needs for the department are met (e.g., training, personal protective
equipment, and corrective measures including non-mandated items identified in safety
inspections).
6. Incorporate workplace safety requirements and responsibilities into each appropriate job
description through Job Hazard Analysis Reports and ensure that workplace safety expectations
are communicated to each student and employee.
7. Ensure that periodic safety self-audits of work areas and/or facilities are conducted.
8. Ensure that All Hazard Plans are communicated to all personnel in order to ensure familiarity and
coordination between facility personnel and emergency responders.

Supervisors and Faculty shall:

1. Require all staff members and students under their direction to attend and maintain current
required safety training.
2. Maintain workplaces and equipment under their control in a safe, well-kept condition. Ensure
compliance with the South Central College Health and Safety Policy in these workplaces.
3. Assure that hazards are proactively identified and corrected by implementing engineering or
administrative controls, or by assuring use of necessary personal protective equipment.
4. Dispose of waste properly and in accordance with college, state and federal requirements.

Students

1. Comply with this policy and all other college health and safety programs.
2. Attend required health and safety training.
3. Inform a supervisor or instructor of any safety or health hazards in the workplace on college
property.
4. Know your role in an emergency.
Contractors
1. Comply with South Central College Safety and Health Policy as appropriate.
Supervisors are expected to:

• set the proper safety example;

• assume the responsibility for employee safety;
• enforce safety rules;
• counsel and train employees in safe work practices;
• conduct or arrange for frequent safety inspections;
• investigate and properly report all accidents in detail;
• see that injured employees receive prompt medical attention;
• respond to employees' concerns for safety in a positive manner; and
• contribute safety ideas to the South Central College Safety Committee.

The active interest and cooperation of each employee is vital to the success of the South Central College
Safety and Health Policy. Therefore, safety is the responsibility of each individual. Employees are urged
to make safe performance an essential element of every task.

Every employee will assume the following responsibilities for safety and health:

• observe all safety and health rules and procedures;

• report unsafe conditions and practices to the supervisor as soon as possible;
• conduct work activities in a manner that will not endanger other people;
• set an example for new employees;
• undertake only those jobs you are authorized to do and that you understand;
• make safety suggestions;
• report all injuries to your supervisor immediately;
• wear personal protective equipment as needed;
• cooperate fully with supervisors in conducting investigations.

Hazard Communication/Employee Right To Know

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard (Title29
CFR 1910.1200) and Minnesota Administrative Rule 5206 Hazardous Substances; Employee Right to
Know requires all employers to determine the hazards associated with their chemicals and to make this
information available to employees who utilize the chemicals. Employees who use hazardous chemicals
in the course of their work are covered under this standard. The standard requires that any employee who
comes in contact with hazardous chemicals as part of his or her job functions must have Hazard
Communication/Employee Right to Know training. The Deans of each department in conjunction with
the Director of Security & Safety shall be responsible for ensuring that each employee has received the
proper training. The training includes, but is not limited to the following:

Safety Data Sheet (SDS):

• How to read and understand a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

• Departments are responsible for obtaining a SDS for each hazardous chemical used.
• Departments are responsible for keeping the SDS file updated.
• Employees will be trained on how to locate information on a SDS.
• A SDS must be readily available for employee’s review.
Proper labeling of chemicals:

• Common name and trade name of chemical

• Hazard warnings
• Name and address of manufacturer
• Labels must not be removed or defaced

Safe work practices:

• Personal protective equipment

• Chemical handling
• Chemical incompatibility
• Chemical storage
• Chemical disposal
• Housekeeping procedures

Physical and health hazards of chemicals:

• Routes of exposure
• Corrosive chemicals
• Flammable chemicals
• Reactive chemicals
• Toxic chemicals
• Compressed gases

The goal of the Hazard Communication/Employee Right to Know standard is to keep all employees
informed of the hazards associated with the handling and storing chemicals.

Policy Owner: Karen Snorek Policy Owner Contact Number: (507) 389-5890

Date of Initial Review by President’s Senior Cabinet: 2014

SG Date of Initial Review:

AASC Date of Initial Review:

Date of Policy Adoption: 1/25/2015

Date & Subject of Revisions: n/a