CHAPTER 13 – HAZARD NOTIFICATIONS

A. References

  1. SPPM: 2.10, General Workplace Safety – Accident Prevention Responsibility,
  2. SPPM: 2.52 General Workplace Safety – Hazard Notification
  3. SPPM: Hazard Notification Form,
  4. WSU BPPM 90.01, Records Retention Schedule,

B. Purpose and Scope

This chapter establishes responsibilities and procedures for reporting workplace safety hazards identified by VCEA personnel. Procedures for reporting safety hazards that may impact students or campus visitors are also included.

WA State Department of Labor and Industries web site provides Hazard Alerts that highlight emerging or newly recognized safety or health hazards in the workplace that can cause death or serious injury or illness.

C. Responsibilities

VCEA personnel observing serious safety concerns affecting or potentially affecting University employees, students or the public are to immediately contact their supervisor and the WSU Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) assistant director.

Hazards that can be addressed immediately and the corrective action is within the employee’s ability, job description and training shall be resolved and reported by the employee. Hazards that cannot be immediately address shall be appropriately isolated and/or demarcated to prevent employees, students or the public contacting the hazard.

Personnel are to report all safety using the Hazard Notification form as described in SPPM 2.52. For hazards requiring resolution by Facilities as a maintenance request, the VCEA director of Facility Operations & Safety Services or their designee (e.g. via assignment or backup while away from work or working out of office) completes a myFacilities request for maintenance and communicates the appropriate urgency. Hazards requiring new equipment or furniture or new construction will be identified and added to the Minor Capital Safety requirement list (or other appropriate funding source) and prioritized accordingly.

The unit responsible to address the safety hazard completes “Corrective Action” portion of the Hazard Notification form.

D. Reporting Process

Workplace Hazards

Employees observing serious safety concerns affecting or potentially affecting the safety of themselves or WSU personnel in their workplace are to:

  • Immediately inform the work-unit supervisor and/or manager/director;
  • Should the hazard result in an accidental injury, work related illness OR a near miss submit an incident report per the Safety Policies and Procedures Manual S25.20;
  • Upon review by the supervisor and a determination that corrective action cannot be implemented by the supervisor’s work unit, the workplace hazard shall be documented using the Hazard Notification form.
  • The Supervisor will notify the appropriate Safety Committee of the hazard for evaluation.  The Supervisor should report the concern to the OHS assistant director.

Public Hazards

The Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Department is responsible for investigating and initiating and/or coordinating corrective action for all reported public hazards.

Employees observing serious safety concerns affecting or potentially affecting the safety of the general public using University facilities shall:

Contractor Caused Hazards

Employees observing serious safety concerns that may affect University employees created by building or construction contractors should report the concern to Environmental Health and Safety; telephone 335-3041 and to their work-unit supervisor and/or manager/director.