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DOHS newsletter earns top award
A division of the National Safety Council, CSHEMA is an organization of nearly 1,000 environmental, health and safety professionals working on university and college campuses across North America. The award will be presented at the International Conference on Campus Safety on Wednesday, July 20, at the Loews Hotel in Philadelphia. “I was surprised when we won, because I knew we had stiff competition,” Robin Elliott, director of DOHS, said. “The newsletter was put together by members of our department--making it especially nice to win.” Helping to take The Safety Beakon from an idea to an online publication [www. udel.edu/OHS/] that also is available in hard copy to departmental safety committee chairpersons, were Krista Murray and Leslie York-Hubbard, both biosafety professionals in DOHS, and Marie Coffin, a former student intern who graduated in May with a degree in psychology. “We put the idea out to members of our department, and they gave us a list of subjects that we could use,” Murray said. “Marie [Coffin] did a lot of the format and layout work, and she kept us moving.” The newsletter’s title also serves to link campus safety concerns with the traditional symbol of UD school spirit, the Fightin’ Blue Hen, Murray said. Topics covered in the May 2005 issue include safety at home and avoiding lightning strikes. Work-related features include reporting on safety enforcement policies and using the latest innovations in radiation safety.
The “Look Who’s Safe!” section recognizes the efforts of departments and individuals in creating a safe work environment for students and staff. “We wanted the newsletter to highlight our mission,” Elliott said. “We also wanted to emphasize the ‘Lessons Learned’ section so that people don’t repeat the same mistakes where safety is concerned.” CSHEMA’s Award of Excellence is the latest in a series of honors won by DOHS, including the Complete Safety Program Award (1998 and 2004), and the Unique and Innovate Award of Recognition for 1999 and 2004 (to Elliott for “An Innovative Approach to Campus Safety” and to Maurice B. Alexander for “An Innovate Approach to Emergency Evacuation Plans,” respectively). The Safety Beakon keeps the issue of worker safety before the UD community by posting the latest training schedules for upcoming DOHS courses. The newsletter also provides helpful seasonal information, such as how to reduce risks of contracting Lyme disease from tick bites during the summer months. A list of training videos is available at [www.udel.edu/OHS/videochoice.html]. “We want to strike a balance between being too technical and being informative and helpful to members of the UD committee,” Murray said. “It’s really neat that we were able to do this internally and be recognized for our efforts.” Past and present editions of The Safety Beakon are available online at [www.udel.edu/OHS/]. To propose possible articles for future issues call (302) 831-8475. Article by Jerry Rhodes To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
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