Occupational Safety and Health

Occupational Safety and Health at Virginia Tech

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) 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. OSH 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.

Occupational Safety Programs (in alphabetical order)

Occupational Safety and Health Team

OSHA Reporting; Citations

Virginia Tech and OSHA

Virginia Tech can be cited by Virginia OSHA (VOSH) and penalties can be assessed. Any violation cited must be abated within the specified period, or contested. Penalties will be the responsibility of the cited department. Environmental Health & Safety coordinates the response efforts. Contact Robin Miller at 540-231-2341 or 540-231-5985 for further guidance and next steps.

If you receive an OSHA citation

Hazardous conditions should be abated at the time of the inspection with OSHA if at all possible. If not, abatement should begin soon after the closing conference with the Compliance Officer. The official citation will be received (typically at Environmental Health & Safety) a few weeks later, at which time the abatement period will have already passed. A representative from Environmental Health & Safeaty will revisit the site and take pictures or gather documentation as proof necessary to respond back to OSHA and close the citation.

Reporting an accident/incident to OSHA

Virginia OSHA (VOSH) requires that fatalities, in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, or loss of an eye be reported within certain time frames. Any violation cited must be abated within the specified period, or contested. Environmental Health & Safety coordinates OSHA reporting for the university. Contact Robin Miller at 540-231-2341 or rmmiller@vt.edu for assistance as soon as the incident occurs so that proper procedures and notifications can be coordinated.

If OSHA visits your department/site

In the majority of cases, Environmental Health & Safeaty representatives will already be accompanying the Virginia OSHA inspector. If not, as in cases involving Virginia Tech employees working offsite, ask the inspector to contact Virginia Tech's safety representative Robin Miller. If the inspector in new or does not have Environmental Health & Safety's contact information, please call 540-231-2341 or 540-231-5985.

Escort the Compliance Officer to a free office space or area out of the immediate vicinity of the construction/work site to await arrival of (or phone communication with) the Environmental Health & Safety representative.