Environmental Health & Safety is dedicated to the reduction of risks within the NC State community, and to the promotion of safety as a value in our university culture. We are pleased to provide health, safety, and environmental services to everyone at NC State. Our goal is to support the mission of the university by helping staff, faculty, and students take an active role in protecting their health and the environment.
NC State Environmental Health and Safety believes that the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff are of the greatest importance. Visit the full policy statement to read more about the General Safety Policies and Responsibilities.
Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) administers and implements the occupational health and safety policies and procedures (NC State PRR) promulgated by the department and by University health and safety committees. Our EHS Center is staffed by professionals in biological safety, radiation safety, chemical and laboratory safety, occupational safety and health and environmental affairs.
NC State Environmental Health and Safety programs encompass seven major elements. The success of the University’s safety and health effort depends on all of us working together and accepting personal responsibility for our safety and the safety of those with whom we work. No job is so important and no service is so urgent that we cannot take time to perform our work safely.
- The most important element is you. You are responsible for ensuring that all your activities result in an acceptable level of risk to yourself, to the others present, to the general population, and to the environment.
- Your immediate supervisor is responsible for keeping you apprised of the approved procedures and information related to health and safety of your activities.
- Your principal investigator holds the authority for work with hazardous substances, radioactive materials or radiation producing devices and is therefore responsible to ensure that all work is conducted with full regard for personnel safety and health and in accordance with the laboratory safety plan and other hazardous material approvals, including radiation, biological and other hazardous materials and/or processes.
- Your department head is responsible for establishing and maintaining a work environment which fosters the appropriate health and safety procedures in all activities of the department.
- Your unit safety committee, the group which audits the general physical conditions and operations of the department, seeks resolution of recognizable safety and health problems and acts as the liaison to Environmental Health and Safety.
- The Environmental Health and Safety Center administers the health and safety programs of the University. EHS provides professional assistance and expertise to members of the University community in matters of occupational health and safety
- Environmental Health and Safety Committees provide appropriate input to Environmental Health and Safety and its component sections. The voting members of these committees are drawn from the faculty and staff and are recognized scientific experts in areas related to the respective committee’s activity.
North Carolina State University has established administrative policies for the reduction and prevention of on-the-job accidents and illnesses, and the protection of the environment. These policies are to be used as a foundation for establishing safety and environmental health programs in each organization.
Many different environmental regulatory agencies may conduct inspections at NC State. The University is not exempt from compliance with occupational health and safety and environmental regulations. Agencies that may conduct compliance inspections include the North Carolina Department of Environmental and Natural Resources, NC Department of Health and Human Services, Raleigh Department of Public Utilities, Department of Labor and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Please refer to the general guidelines for responding to a regulatory agency visit and Standards and Regulations for more information.