Section 1: Introduction

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1. Statement of Commitment
   1. WNC is committed to preserving the natural environment and conducting all operations without adverse impact on the surrounding communities, and maintaining safe and healthful campus community environments.
   2. These commitments include adherence to applicable laws, regulations, and standards.
   3. At all WNC campuses safety is everyone's responsibility.
   4. Environmental health and safety protection considerations are intrinsic to all work at WNC and are essential to overall academic and scientific progress, productivity and mitigation of cost consequences of all work for which they are responsible.
   5. In addition, everyone has the right and responsibility to remedy or to report (without fear of reprisal) any practice, situation, or action that endangers people or the environment. These tenets are key principles of acceptable behavior and responsible management at WNC campuses.
   6. Every member of the various WNC communities shall conduct all activities mindful of these commitments.
2. Vision
   1. WNC endeavors to create a safe culture where all faculty, staff and students:
      1. Exercise Safe Work Practices or Best Management Practices in their everyday activities consistent with responsible fiscal and environmental stewardship;
      2. Limit occupational illness and injuries by full participation in safety education;
      3. Consult with EH&S regarding compliance with all federal, state and local environmental health and safety laws and regulations;
      4. Consider potential environmental health and safety impacts when making decisions, including those involving facilities management and construction projects;
      5. Encourage personal accountability for reasonable environmental and safety behavior at all WNC campuses;
      6. Use energy efficiently;
      7. Minimize waste generation through efficient and appropriate use of resources;
      8. Reuse or recycle materials when possible, consistent with best management, environmental, and fiscal practices; and
      9. Require those who do business with WNC to perform their work in a manner that protects the college from environmental and safety risks.
3. Scope
   1. The scope of this policy includes the following:
      1. All federal, state and respective local laws, regulations or ordinances;
      2. All NSHE and WNC EH&S policies and programs; and
      3. All full-time and part-time employees regardless of administrative reporting lines or funding source(s).

Section 2: Responsibilities

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1. WNCs Department of Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S)
   1. EH&S, as authorized by the WNC President, shall develop, implement and monitor the effectiveness of safety programs in compliance with all applicable federal, state and local regulations for their respective locations, consistent with the commitment, vision and values statements contained herein and with their administration structures.
   2. EH&S shall work with other WNC departments and divisions in the development and/or implementations of EH&S into all program or projects.
   3. EH&S shall work with Human Resources and supervisors to complete a job hazard analysis to identify specific training classes for each employee based upon the employees job description, responsibilities and duties.
   4. EH&S shall maintain a website to serve as a source of information for all college personnel. The website shall contain pertinent EH&S information including emergency plans and policy information. These policies shall be written to comply with applicable local, state, and Federal requirements and shall be consistent with the Statement of Commitment and the Vision contained herein. The website is located at:www.wnc.edu/ehs/.
2. Administrators and Directors
   1. Administrators and Directors, shall ensure that all applicable EH&S Policies and Programs are distributed and implemented in their respective units.
      1. Meet all safety needs for their departments such as engineering controls, training, personal protective equipment and corrective actions including non-compliance items/issues identified in safety inspections or audits.
      2. Conduct periodic or annual safety performance evaluation of supervised employees according to established policies and procedures in effect at their respective institutions, campuses or system offices.
      3. In cooperation with EH&S and HR staff, identify specific training classes that must be completed for each person under their supervision, based upon the job description, responsibilities and duties assigned to that person.
      4. Periodically evaluate both programmatic and personal performance of all activities through review or audit processes or annual employment performance evaluations according to current established procedures use for classified staff, academic, and administrative faculty.
3. Faculty
   1. Faculty are responsible to ensure that all employees, assigned Teaching Assistants and students under their direction:
      1. Obtain and maintain required safety training, and are aware and able to follow and carry out safety protocols.
      2. Are provided instruction and training to utilize safe work practices and personal protective equipment in the safe use of tools, equipment and materials, and
      3. Maintain workplaces and equipment that are safe, well-kept, and in compliance with applicable policies or regulations.
4. Employees
   1. Employees shall include anyone who receives compensation for work or services provided.
   2. All employees are included in this policy regardless of rank, FTE status (full and part time status), job title, accountability, or funding sources and shall:
      1. Participate in all safety and job specific training programs as identified by their supervisors, Environmental Health and Safety, Human Resources, or any regulatory agency having such authority, and
      2. Perform all work assignments utilizing safe work practices and best management practices.
      3. Recognize that student employees are included for purposes of participation in safety training programs.

Section 3: Training Records and Record Keeping

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1. Maintenance and Storage of Training Records
   1. WNC shall develop procedure to accurately record the attendance or participation of all training activities.
   2. Training records shall be maintained in a location and in a manner that facilitates the timely retrieval of the records upon request.
   3. Training records shall be preserved in such a way as to protect the information from accidental damage or deterioration, to prevent unauthorized access and for a duration of time consistent with established procedures or regulatory requirements, whichever is longer.
   4. All supervisory and lab supervisory staff should send training records to EH&S to ensure proper record retention.
2. Access to Training Records
   1. WNC shall develop a procedure to provide authorized access to training records. Access to training records shall be provided to:
      1. Each employee or his or her designated representative with written consent, to examine his or her own training records; to supervisors to develop a training curriculum, to track progress, and use in evaluating safety performance for those they supervise,
      2. Representatives of EH&S, and Human Resources to evaluate compliance with training requirements, and
      3. Regulatory inspectors to document training during compliance audits.

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