The Environmental Health and Safety Office provides assistance, oversight, and technical consultation to the university community. This assistance is provided for all occupational, general health, environmental, and safety issues with the goal of ensuring a safe and healthy environment for employees, students, and the visiting public.
Environmental Health and Safety oversees these key areas:
Chemical Management System
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ uses a system developed by the University of New Hampshire called Chemical Environmental Management System (CEMS) to access electronic Safety Data Sheets (SDS), to inventory chemicals stored and used on campus, and to train employees and students on proper lab safety protocols.
Indoor Air Quality
Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ has received a comprehensive report on Maxwell Library from Pennoni, one of the nation’s foremost indoor air quality engineering firms, with which we contracted to conduct a thorough review of the library, including a building envelope inspection and HVAC system assessment. The report makes recommendations for maintaining appropriate levels of relative humidity and improving air circulation in the building. The Pennoni report details eight findings that offer short-, medium- and long-term recommendations. Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ has begun work on and is committed to rapidly carrying out all of the short- and medium-term recommendations, as we begin planning to implement long-term recommendations to achieve a more permanent solution to the relative humidity issue.
Stormwater Management
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated that certain municipalities and agencies create a Stormwater Management Plan under the Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program. The program is intended to improve water quality by reducing the discharge of pollutants from storm water runoff into local storm drains, rivers, ponds, streams, and other receiving waterbodies.
As a Massachusetts state agency affected by the Phase II rule, Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ operates a Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4). Learn about Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÒÅÆ's Storm Water Management and reporting.