The US Environmental Protection Agency has banned commercial and industrial uses of dichloromethane. Stringent restrictions for its use in research facilities will be required by May 1, 2025. The Office of Research and Innovation has prepared a survey to better understand your group’s use of DCM.
Research into the health and environmental effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has increased at MSU in recent years. To address their unique health and safety concerns, EHS requires Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) documents outlining work procedures and safety practices.
Michigan law updated to extend sharps container storage limit from 90 days to 18 months.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized a rule to restrict most uses of dichloromethane (DCM) to protect workers and communities from harmful exposure. Additionally, the EPA has proposed restrictions on n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in the near future.
Join us in congratulating the 2023 recipients of the EHS Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.
MSU will host The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Importation of Biologicals Workshop on May 23.
EHS's biosafety training will soon be completely revamped with three concise, new courses focused on biosafety risks in specific workplace settings.
I am excited to share that Elyssa Cox will be joining the Chemical Safety team on September 5. Elyssa will be responsible for air monitoring for formaldehyde in anatomy labs and waste anesthetic monitoring in surgical suites.
Planned August upgrades to the Click system will improve the researcher experience and require some system downtime.
A combination of lab practices, containment equipment, and lab design make up the biosafety levels 1-4.
On May 18, 2023, MSU Offices of Research and Regulatory Support (MSU ORRS) and Environmental Health and Safety (MSU EHS) hosted a day-long conference on the Importation of Biologicals.
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2022 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.
Do you work with soil? If you do, are you aware that it may be regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service?
MSU Offices of Research and Regulatory Support (MSU ORRS) and Environmental Health and Safety (MSU EHS) to host The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) Importation of Biologicals Workshop.
Training can promote a culture of safety in clinics and laboratories.
The Ability system support team is migrating lab personnel into appropriate Lab Safety tracks per EHS initiative to make safety training and monitoring simpler.
The WorkLife Office is pleased to announce the return of the highly attended Take Your Child to Work Day on Thursday, April 27, 2023
Lisa St. Clair will be joining EHS in her current role as the MSU Food and Water Sanitarian.
The equipment described here will either protect the materials inside them from contamination or protect the worker from a hazard, in one case it does both. Confusing these can be dangerous.
Moving forward, all 2-propanol containers will need to be dated upon receipt and tested/dated/documented every 12 months for peroxide formation. Please pay particular attention to 2-propanol in secondary containers, clear containers and containers that have been exposed to sunlight.
Open flames cause fires, explosions, destroy biosafety cabinets and ruin facilities. Risks for personnel can be anything from burn injuries to deaths.
Reduce your risk of needlesticks and Sharps injury
Aerosols and Biohazards
October is the American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) International’s Biosafety & Biosecurity month putting a spotlight on research and teaching institutions as an excellent way to foster a culture of biosafety and biosecurity.
MSU’s Environmental Health & Safety is implementing several significant changes to how training will be documented.
The College of Natural Science joins EHS in recognizing recipients of the 2021 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards
The MSU Contractor Safety Committee voted to publish its inaugural Contractor Safety Requirements Manual, which will help the university communicate expectations for safety to contractors working on campus.
EHS's Luis Ochoa Carrera Appointed President-Elect of the American Biological Safety Association
EHS is excited to announce that Dr. Katie Porter will be joining our team on September 1, 2022.
EHS is excited to welcome our new Safety Technologist, Michelle Wiggins, on August 1, 2022.
We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2021 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.
EHS is excited to welcome our new Safety Technologist, Cristiane Neves Pereira-Hicks, on July 11, 2022.
I am happy to announce that Dr. Alessandra Hunt has joined the MSU Biosafety Team. Her main responsibilities will include managing the MSU Fit testing, autoclave testing, and the MSU South Campus Neighborhood safety programs. She will also be assisting with laboratory inspections, High containment lab management and the Institutional Biosafety Committee management (IBC).
EHS stresses the importance of using appropriate PPE during photo and video shoots.
EHS is excited to welcome our new Senior Health Physicist, Travis Smith, on February 1, 2022. Travis’ primary responsibility will be radiation safety at our Grand Rapids facilities, though he will be an integral part of the radiation safety program for all MSU.
I am excited to share that Gary Bosh will be joining the Environmental team on Monday, January 17th. Gary will be responsible for hazardous building materials, including asbestos, lead, and PCBs.
Save time and increase compliance by using one of three new lab safety learning tracks (groups of courses) in Ability LMS.
The ChemInventory Software is launching for a larger user group starting in November 2021.
Effective Immediately - Important MSU EHS Hazardous Waste Changes
Chemical Hygiene Officer Genevieve Cottrell has been recognized with the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award.
The Waste Disposal Guide has been removed from the EHS website.
I am excited to share that Luis Alberto Ochoa Carrera will be joining the MSU EHS Biosafety team on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. Luis will be responsible for the safety management of the BSL-3/ABSL-3 facilities at MSU as well as operating as the Pandemic Safety Manager moving forward.
MSU's Environmental Health & Safety has completed of a significant redesign of the EHS Safety Portal which houses important safety-related processes such as waste pickup requests (chemical/hazardous, radioactive, incinerator), supplies/materials requests (radioactive materials, dosimeters, labels, door signs), laser registration, asbestos survey search.
MSU's Environmental Health & Safety is nearing completion of a significant redesign of the EHS Safety Portal which houses important safety-related processes such as waste pickup requests (chemical/hazardous, radioactive, incinerator), supplies/materials requests (radioactive materials, dosimeters, labels, door signs), laser registration, asbestos survey search.
I am excited to share that Travis VanWyck will be joining the EHS Waste team on December 28th. Travis will be responsible for picking up, transporting, and processing hazardous waste for disposal. Travis is joining us from Americhem.
The Environmental Health & Safety Info Portal is undergoing a significant upgrade. Redesign of the database and testing is already underway. Conversion to the new web portal is planned for December 2020. Watch here for announcements as we get closer to implementation.
Tyler McCord, EHS Chemical Industrial Hygienist, Matthew Legaspi, Elaine West, Priscilla Yun, Diana Larson, Samuel Paik, and David Zalk’s study on Quantitative Validation of Control Bands Using Bayesian Statistical Analyses was published August 21, 2020 in the Annals of Work Exposures and Health. Help us to congratulate them on this outstanding accomplishment. Click to read abstract.
The FDA issues additional recalls on methanol containing hand sanitizers.
The FDA advises against using 9 different hand sanitizers.
As featured in MSU Today, EHS stresses the importance of using appropriate PPE during photo and video shoots.
A common indoor air quality problem across Michigan State University is caused by dry drains. Read about dry drains and how to prevent them.