50 Things Any Safety Staff Member Should Know Bruce Brown, MPH, CBSP, CHMM, ARM Director, Environmental Health & Safety The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Need for Comprehensive Understanding Health and safety issues are rarely limited to a single aspect – most issues are multi- faceted Research enterprises continue to expand in scope and complexity, but EH&S budgets are constrained Ability to demonstrate how EH&S program furthers the key missions of an institution is critical for survival and continued support

Observations/Remarks Experience based on multiple EH&S program peer reviews, and 11 years of conducting the EH&S Academy has shown: A consistent lack of understanding about how institutions operate and how to succinctly convey what the EH&S program does to further the mission of the institution Shortcoming likely due to lack of specific training in this area – most folks enter the EH&S field from other settings with no formal instruction regarding operations

The 50 Questions To address this shortcoming, a list of 50 key items that we collectively considered important for any EH&S person to be able to answer about our institution was developed Consists of both objective and subjective issues Debated amongst management staff and system level staff until consensus list identified

Disclaimer Knowledge of the 50 questions will not make everyone an expert nor omnipotent Intended merely to equip persons with a basic awareness of issues and the ability to adequately handle basic inquiries and problems Your list may vary

Major Topic Areas Institutional parameters, programmatic aspects Fire & life safety Risk management & insurance Chemical safety Biological safety Indoor air quality Radiation safety Environmental Security

Implementation Questions presented to staff during weekly professional development seminars (6 one hour sessions) Answers and rationale for inclusion of each question discussed Expectation for ability to answer such questions in the future established

The 50 Questions

Outcomes to Date Improved staff understanding Improved customer service Improved management confidence, assurance Improved stakeholder perception of program Initiated pathways for future learning, professional development

Comments/Questions? Your feedback is welcomed!