Environmental Health & Safety is dedicated to the reduction of risks within the NC State University 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 University.

New Faculty Orientation

  • Principal Investigator Safety Training – EHPS-GS300

New Researchers

If you will be bringing equipment, supplies, or research materials with you to NC State, or moving to a new location on campus, please contact your department project representative or business manager in advance to review University policies on property and safety clearances.  If you will be bringing any hazardous materials or equipment potentially contaminated with such materials, please also contact Environmental Health & Safety for assistance and planning.

Several standing University Safety Committees exist to facilitate regulatory oversight of programs, as well as promote health and safety best practices across the institution.  Faculty and staff are welcome to participate with committees and a call for interest is issued annually by the Provost Office.

PI Resources

Principal Investigators may need authorization to use specific hazardous materials in research and teaching areas.

These research protocols may review additional authorizations from other research branches of NC State, such as IACUC and IRB.

Principal Investigators, First Level Supervisors, Work Area Supervisors

Managers and supervisors are responsible for being knowledgeable of and implementing applicable policies and directives and taking other action, as required, to assure that personnel and operations they supervise comply with applicable requirements. This includes taking positive action to determine and reduce, to as low as reasonably achievable, the accidents and incidents associated with their operations, informing employees of the safety hazards associated with their work, instructing employees in safe work methods, keeping the individual performing the specific tasks apprised of the most recent procedure and trained in its implementation, and ensuring that they perform their work according to requirements.

Employee Training

Supervisors and PI’s are responsible to assure that each new employee, whether temporary or permanent, receives appropriate safety training at the start of employment. Supervisors should use the NC State Safety Orientation Checklist as the means for training new employees. The Safety Plan, required for all work areas where hazardous materials or equipment are used, also serves as the basis for employee safety training. The Training Information section of the EHS webpage provides further information on safety training information available.

Personal Protective Equipment

OSHA requires that each supervisor perform an assessment of the hazards of their work area to determine if hazards are present or likely to be present which would require the use of personal protective equipment.  Where hazards are present or likely to be present this review must be documented. This can be accomplished through completion of your safety plan. Personal Protective Equipment information is available to assist in this review.

Self-inspections

The most recent Supervisor’s Safety Inspection Checklist must be retained with the supervisor’s copy of the safety plan in the work area. Please assure that corrective action is taken on any deficiencies noted in your inspection.

Corrective Action Closure

Supervisors must assure that corrective action is taken and completed for deficiencies noted through inspections conducted by Environmental Health and Safety, the NC
Department of Insurance, their own self inspections, or resulting from investigations of accidents and incidents. In some cases, it will be necessary to follow up on corrective action requests submitted. Please be persistent in obtaining closure on corrective action requests.

Supervisors should involve their employees in their accident prevention activities. Employee observation and feedback to correct at-risk behaviors of coworkers and praise safe behaviors is an effective and recommended technique. The use of teams of employees and peers for investigating accidents and incidents and for performing workplace inspections is also recommended. See Occupational Accidents, Illnesses and Reports for information on accident/incident investigation.