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EH&S
E-News and Notes Stanford University C o n t e n t s
Campus
Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association Contributed by Training and Communications Specialist, Susie Claxton Greetings! I am just back from the Campus
Safety, Health and Environmental Management Association (CSHEMA)
Conference. The CSHEMA
Conference was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this year. It
was hosted
this year by a consortium of Canadian university campuses and safety
associations. Weed
Abatement Minimizes Fire Hazards Contributed by Assistant Fire Marshal, Alison Pena The Stanford Weed Abatement Program, managed by the Grounds Department, is an annual effort to control the abundant grasses and weeds that spring-up throughout the campus. When the grasses dry out, they become fuel for wildfires. Each year over $80,000 is spent to abate this potential fire hazard. It begins every March when two employees equipped with tractors and flail mowers begin their work. They start in the Arboretum areas to the north and work their way south to the faculty staff areas of the campus. By April, two additional employees are added to follow behind the mowers using weed eaters in areas inaccessible to the tractors. In June the crews have completed work in the foothill area, discing firebreaks as well as mowing in sensitive areas where reforestation and revegetation studies are ongoing. Additional efforts for mowing and cleaning areas continue throughout the summer. All of these efforts help minimize the risk of fire by removing fuels and creating defensible spaces around buildings and especially homes in the wildland-urban interface area along Junipero Serra Blvd. While the Stanford campus experiences several small vegetation fires each year, the memory of the July 10, 1992 fire that scorched 500 acres in the foothills is still fresh. The lessons learned from that fire were incorporated into the way areas are protected today. If you live in a wildland-urban interface area, there are several precautions that you should be taking to protect your property. Visit the California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection website at http://www.fire.ca.gov to learn more. Use The Ergonomics Matching Fund While You Can Contributed by Industrial Hygienist, Esther Luckhardt Do you need to make some big improvements
in your computer or laboratory workstation setup? The University's
Ergonomic Matching Fund Program can reimburse your department
for up to half of the expense. But once these special funds are
gone, they're gone. So get it done while you can. If you haven't
taken advantage of this program yet, recommend you do so before
the big rush at the end of the fiscal year! Recognition of Health, Safety and Environmental Management at Stanford Contributed by Training & Communications Specialist Susie Claxton The Department of Environmental Health & Safety held an event June 27th, in honor of June is National Safety Month, to recognize the work of the University Safety Partners and other faculty, staff and students who work on safety issues at the department level. Larry Gibbs, Associate Vice Provost of Environmental Health and Safety, hosted the event to show the University's appreciation and say "thank you" to these people who do an excellent job of implementing safety programs in their units. Charles Kruger, Vice Provost and Dean of Research and Graduate Policy also attended the event. Recipients of this special recognition are pictured (from left to right).
Reese Zasio, Charles Kruger,
Glen Otto, Sue Keddington, Hagai Narkis, Carol Toman, Kathleen Baldwin,
Todd Eberspacher, Doug Menke, Trish McAfee, Wilson Lee, Diane Rapacchietta,
Angela Valbuzzi, Mark Gibson, Jessica Metzger, Larry Gibbs
Starting July 1, 2002, the new Chemical
Inventory URL will be changed to https://scims.stanford.edu/stanford
Whole Body Scans - Radiation Risk versus Questionable Benefit Recently you may have heard or seen advertisements
for Whole Body Scans. The ads offer CT scans of your whole body
to look for undiagnosed diseases. What the ads do not tell you is
that you will receive a significant amount of radiation and may
not receive any benefit from the scans. You should discuss this
with your physician before you make a decision. Also, the FDA has
set up a web site to provide the public more information on this
procedure. This may help you make an informed decision.
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