About Environmental Health & Safety

Virginia Tech Environmental Health & Safety Mission

Environmental Health & Safety actively promotes a positive, responsible, integrated safety culture at all levels of the university community, advocates providing a safe and healthy living, learning, and working environment for all, and assists departments with complying with regulations and mandates.

Environmental Health & Safety accomplishes our role of regulatory liaison through education, consultation, and compliance monitoring.

Environmental Health & Safety:

• Educates top management on environmental, health, and safety issues and actively promotes integrating these issues into the business plan and day-to-day operations of the university.
• Supports departmental efforts to recognize, evaluate and control hazards, and integrate environmental, health, and safety considerations into their daily operations and planning, by imparting knowledge and affirming roles and responsibilities.
• Supports employees' efforts to maintain a safe and healthy workplace by providing training, information, consultation, and effective feedback in a courteous, ethical, professional, timely manner.
• Provides necessary services to the university community to monitor and ensure a safe and healthy living, learning, and working environment.
• Supports university compliance by assuring that certain regulatory-required reports are submitted to state and federal authorities.

Leadership

Technical Areas

Laboratory Safety

Laboratory Safety serves all university members by helping to create a safe work environment through the promotion of laboratory safety, responsible disposal of hazardous wastes, and environmental oversight. Programs include:

Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational Safety and Health serves all university members by helping to create a safe and healthy work environment through the promotion of occupational safety, fire safety, and occupational health programs. Occupational Safety and Health staff also perform industrial hygiene monitoring and evaluations of potential health hazards, and assist with the development of controls to reduce or eliminate exposure to these hazards. Programs include:

Radiation Safety

Radiation Safety provides guidance and support to those using radioisotopes, instruments with sealed sources, x-ray instrumentation including diagnostic and analytical equipment, and laser safety.  

Programs include:

• Laser Safety
• Nuclear Medicine
• Radiation Safety
• X-Ray Safety

Biosafety

Biosafety serves all university members by helping to create a safe work environment through the promotion of sound biosafety research practices, providing guidance and training for the use of biological agents, and the inspection of biological research activities. Programs include:

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