Safety and Health Plan

A. Scope and Responsibility

  1. Scope

    The policies and procedures described in this plan apply to all employees of the department of English, College of Arts and Sciences. The department is located principally in Padelford Hall, with offices in the A and B wings on seven floors of the building, Plaza Level through 5; the department also has graduate teaching assistants assigned to offices in the Savery and Art buildings.

  2. Safety and Health Policy

    The aim of this Health and Safety Plan is to provide a safe and healthful and efficient work environment for all, including faculty, staff employees, students, and visitors.

  3. Responsibilities

    The Department Chair and Program Directors are responsible for maintaining safe work practices in their respective domains, including required health and safety training.

    The Department requires all employees to comply with health and safety regulations, with departmental policies and procedures that apply to their own conduct on the job, and to report accidents, injuries, and unsafe conditions to their supervisor.

  4. Safety Coordinator

    The department will appoint one faculty member to serve on the Department Safety Committee along with the Department Safety Coordinator. The Safety Coordinator has the authority to carry out certain assigned responsibilities. The Safety Coordinator is responsible for:

    • Keeping the department safety and health plan up-to-date.
    • Monitoring compliance with the department safety and health plan.
    • Scheduling employee safety and health training as required and needed.
    • Keeping the department safety bulletin board up-to-date (located in hallway outside A-105 Padelford).
    • Maintaining safety records, such as copies of accident reports, training records, safety inspection reports, safety procedures, etc.
    • Inspecting the contents of first aid kits and other emergency supplies at least once a year and replacing missing items.
    • Keeping the department Chairperson aware of current safety concerns.
    • Maintaining liaison with Environmental Health and Safety.

B. Fundamentals

The following seven fundamental health and safety items apply to all employees of the Department:

  1. New Employee Safety Orientation:
    It is the responsibility of Faculty and Staff to ensure that all new employees under their supervision, including those that are permanent, temporary, or part-time, are provided information about this Department Safety Plan. 

  2. Emergency Evacuation and Operations Plan (EEOP):
    The Department has developed procedures for evacuation in an emergency and for response to fires, bomb threats, earthquakes, etc.

    The main points of the EEOP are as follows:

    1. Building floor plans showing safety equipment and exit pathways are mounted on walls at the all entrances to Padelford and near elevators on all floors. The floor plans show the location of fire extinguishers and fire alarm pulls. Do not use elevators in an emergency evacuation situation.

    2. Evacuation procedures:
      • The alarm signal to evacuate the building is a slow “whooping” sound accompanied by flashing strobe lights
      • All occupants must be familiar with the evacuation procedure for their office and/or work area and classroom, and feel comfortable in directing the students under supervision.  Full details may be found in the EEOP.
      • Exit the building via the emergency exit doors and stairwells. The last person leaving the office/work space should close the door.
      • Follow the instructions of the floor wardens who can be identified by their colored hats and clip boards.

      Note: In the special case of an earthquake the building emergency alarm is unlikely to sound. Do not evacuate the building until the shaking has stopped. Seek cover under desks or tables if available. Instructors and teaching assistants should reassure and advise their class on the correct response. If there are no tables (i.e. in a lecture theater) students should be instructed to drop to the floor, cover their head, and hold that position. Once the shaking has stopped students should be instructed to evacuate the building. Environmental Health & Safety provides guidance on Classroom Evacuation for instructors and conference facilitators.

    3. Evacuation assembly points:

      Hub parking lot and/or lawn in front of Hub.

    4. Methods for accounting for staff, students, visitors:
      • Evacuation assembly points are controlled by the appropriate floor warden. Identify yourself to the floor warden and follow their instructions.
      • If you have a visitor ensure that the visitor accompanies you when you evacuate the building.
      • Remain at the assembly area unless instructed by an official.
        Do not re-enter the building until the all-clear is given by the Floor Wardens as instructed by the Fire Department.
      • Mobility-impaired occupants:

        Give all reasonable assistance to mobility-impaired occupants of the building. Inform the Fire Department of the person’s needs and whereabouts.

  3. Accidents:

    1. Medical Emergencies:

      All medical emergencies must be reported to the nearest Emergency Medical Services (EMS). To do this:

      Dial 911 from campus phones

      Remain calm, state the nature of the emergency. Answer all questions asked by the emergency dispatcher.

    2. Reporting Accidents and Incidents:

      All accidents must be reported as soon as possible. Environmental Health & Safety provides this Accident/Incident Report Form which includes provision for the supervisor’s comments and signature. The department chair and administrator must also be notified of the accident. All reports are reviewed by EH&S and the College of Arts and Sciences Safety Committees.

  4. First Aid and CPR Access:

    UW Police officers are first-aid and CPR certified. They may be contacted in an emergency by dialing 9- 911; their response time is approximately 3 minutes.

    In addition, certain members of the department are first-aid certified to assist in the event of an accident or injury, and first-aid kits are strategically located within department offices.

    The names and phone numbers of first-aid certified members of the department are listed in the department’s Emergency Procedures document.

    First aid kits are located in the English Department Main Office (A-101), Graduate Office (A-105), Undergraduate Programs (A-11), Creative Writing Office (B25), Undergraduate Advising (A-11).

  5. Safety Bulletin Boards

    The department safety bulletin boards are used for posting safety related information. The safety bulletin boards are located in the hallway outside Padelford A105 (English Graduate office) and near the copy machines in Padelford A102.

C. Documentation

The department maintains records of safety activities. These records include:

  • New Employee Safety Orientation records
  • Incident/Accident reports
  • Safety Inspection records
  • Training records
  • Copies of department safety plans, forms, etc.
  • Names of key safety personnel and other useful information

These records are located in the Department’s main office and are updated annually.

Applicable policy and laws:

  • Washington Administrative Code, Chapters 296-24, 296-62, 296-800
  • Seattle Fire Code
  • UW Environmental Health and Safety
  • OSHA, WISHA
  • EPA
  • PSCAA (Puget Sound Clean Air Agency)
  • Metro & King County

D. The Safe Campus Program

While there are specific regulatory requirements for hospitals and late night retail operations regarding workplace violence that do not apply to general University operations, we do recognize that individual attacks on faculty, staff and students can and have occurred due to domestic violence or workplace violence. As part of maintaining a healthy, safe working environment, the University’s Human Resources provides a detailed Workplace Violance Policy and SafeCampus offers Violence Prevention & Response Training.

University services include nighttime safety escort services, counseling sessions, a dedicated assessment team, and informational materials and training, but services are not limited to these items.

All managers, supervisors, and employees must be aware of the appropriate processes to follow regarding workplace and domestic violence prevention. They can receive assistance in answering any employee questions from the HR Violence Prevention and Response Program Manager. We expect our entire faculty and staff to take Workplace Violence training at least once every two years, as well as receive information during new employee orientation.

For more comprehensive information, visit the SafeCampus website.

If any staff has concerns regarding a threat of violence, call:

Seattle: 206-685 SAFE (206-685-7233)
Bothell: 425-352 SAFE (425-352-7233)
Tacoma: 253-692 SAFE (253-692-7233)

E. The "Back Page"

Department Safety and Health Team Members:

Here is the list of Padelford Floor Wardens (pdf).

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