News

PFAS Use Requirements

October 4, 2024

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.

Updated Sharps Container Requirement

September 17, 2024

Michigan law updated to extend sharps container storage limit from 90 days to 18 months.

EPA to Restrict Use of Dichloromethane, Proposes Restrictions on n-Methylpyrrolidone

July 25, 2024 - G. Cottrell

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.

EHS Announces Recipients of the 2023 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards

May 21, 2024 - A. Bitters

Join us in congratulating the 2023 recipients of the EHS Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.

MSU will host Importation of Biologicals Workshop on May 23

April 9, 2024 - J. Willard-Smith

MSU will host The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Importation of Biologicals Workshop on May 23.

New and Improved Biosafety Training

October 12, 2023 - K. Bullard

EHS's biosafety training will soon be completely revamped with three concise, new courses focused on biosafety risks in specific workplace settings.

Welcoming Elyssa Cox, Industrial Hygienist to Chemical Safety Team

September 5, 2023 - D. Erickson

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.

August Click System Upgrade, Outage

July 12, 2023

Planned August upgrades to the Click system will improve the researcher experience and require some system downtime.

Biosafety Levels and How They Affect Your Lab

June 12, 2023

A combination of lab practices, containment equipment, and lab design make up the biosafety levels 1-4.

Importation of Biologicals Workshop

Importation of Biologicals Workshop

May 18, 2023 - J. Willard-Smith

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.

EHS Announces Recipients of 2022 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards

May 8, 2023 - A. Bitters

We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2022 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.

Biosafety Tips and Tricks - Soil Research Safety

May 4, 2023

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?

ORRS and EHS to host Importation of Biologicals Workshop

May 4, 2023 - J. Willard-Smith

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.

Biosafety Tips and Tricks – There is no good science without Safety Training

April 10, 2023

Training can promote a culture of safety in clinics and laboratories.

Ability LMS Training Update for Labs

April 4, 2023

The Ability system support team is migrating lab personnel into appropriate Lab Safety tracks per EHS initiative to make safety training and monitoring simpler.

Take Your Child to Work Day: Safety Tips

March 15, 2023 - G. Cottrell

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 Joining EHS as MSU Food and Water Sanitarian

March 12, 2023 - L Brownlee

Lisa St. Clair will be joining EHS in her current role as the MSU Food and Water Sanitarian.

Fume hood safety

March 1, 2023

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.

New Safety Requirements for 2-propanol

January 13, 2023 - G. Cottrell

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 Hazard for Labs

January 2, 2023

Open flames cause fires, explosions, destroy biosafety cabinets and ruin facilities.  Risks for personnel can be anything from burn injuries to deaths.

December is Sharps Injury Awareness Month

December 1, 2022

Reduce your risk of needlesticks and Sharps injury

Biosafety Tricky Topics - Aerosols and Biohazards

October 31, 2022 - K. Bullard

Aerosols and Biohazards

October is Biosafety & Biosecurity Month

October 17, 2022 - J. Willard

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.

Training Changes for All Laboratories

October 3, 2022

MSU’s Environmental Health & Safety is implementing several significant changes to how training will be documented.

College of Natural Science Joins EHS in Recognizing Laboratories

September 27, 2022 - A. Bitters

The College of Natural Science joins EHS in recognizing recipients of the 2021 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards

Contractor Safety Requirements Manual Published

Contractor Safety Requirements Manual Published

September 26, 2022 - Z. Hansmann

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.

Luis Ochoa Carrera Appointed President-Elect of ABSA

September 19, 2022 - J. Willard-Smith

EHS's Luis Ochoa Carrera Appointed President-Elect of the American Biological Safety Association

EHS Welcomes Dr. Katie Porter to Inspection Team

August 29, 2022 - A. Bitters

EHS is excited to announce that Dr. Katie Porter will be joining our team on September 1, 2022.

Michelle Wiggins Joining EHS Chemical Safety Team

July 28, 2022 - D. Erickson

EHS is excited to welcome our new Safety Technologist, Michelle Wiggins, on August 1, 2022.

EHS Announces Recipients of 2021 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards

June 22, 2022 - A. Bitters

We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2021 Laboratory Safety Recognition Awards.

Cristiane Neves Pereira-Hicks Joining EHS Inspection Team

June 21, 2022 - A. Bitters

EHS is excited to welcome our new Safety Technologist, Cristiane Neves Pereira-Hicks, on July 11, 2022.

Dr. Alessandra Hunt Joins EHS Biosafety

Dr. Alessandra Hunt Joins EHS Biosafety

May 12, 2022 - J. Willard-Smith, MSU EHS IBC Biosafety Officer

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).

Reminder: Use Appropriate PPE in Photo and Video Shoots

Reminder: Use Appropriate PPE in Photo and Video Shoots

April 22, 2022

EHS stresses the importance of using appropriate PPE during photo and video shoots.

Travis Smith Joining EHS Radiation Safety Team

January 19, 2022 - P. Wright

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.

Gary Bosh Joining EHS Environmental Compliance Team

January 18, 2022 - M. Lindsey

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.

New EHS Learning Tracks in Ability LMS

New EHS Learning Tracks in Ability LMS

December 16, 2021 - A. Bitters

Save time and increase compliance by using one of three new lab safety learning tracks (groups of courses) in Ability LMS.

Launch of ChemInventory Software

November 1, 2021 - G. Cottrell

The ChemInventory Software is launching for a larger user group starting in November 2021.

Important MSU EHS Hazardous Waste Changes

October 28, 2021 - S. Horn

Effective Immediately - Important MSU EHS Hazardous Waste Changes

Genevieve Cottrell Receives Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award

September 13, 2021

Chemical Hygiene Officer Genevieve Cottrell has been recognized with the Jack Breslin Distinguished Staff Award.

Waste Disposal Guide Phased Out

August 26, 2021 - S. Horn, B. Smith

The Waste Disposal Guide has been removed from the EHS website.

Luis Alberto Ochoa Carrera Joining EHS Biosafety Team

June 27, 2021 - J. Willard, MSU EHS Biosafety Officer

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.

EHS Safety Portal Upgrade

EHS Safety Portal Upgrade

March 14, 2021

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.

EHS Safety Portal Upgrade

EHS Safety Portal Upgrade

March 3, 2021

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.

Travis VanWyck Joining EHS Hazardous Waste Management Team

Travis VanWyck Joining EHS Hazardous Waste Management Team

December 28, 2020 - Brian Smith, Hazardous Waste Coordinator

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.

EHS Service Portal Upgrade

EHS Service Portal Upgrade

October 15, 2020

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, Published in "Annals of Work Exposures and Health"

August 24, 2020 - L. Brownlee

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

July 12, 2020 - A. Bitters

The FDA issues additional recalls on methanol containing hand sanitizers.

The FDA advises against using 9 different hand sanitizers

June 24, 2020 - A. Bitters

The FDA advises against using 9 different hand sanitizers.

Use Appropriate PPE in Photo and Video Shoots

May 19, 2020 - E. Uithoven

As featured in MSU Today, EHS stresses the importance of using appropriate PPE during photo and video shoots.

What's that stink? It could be your drain.

February 13, 2020 - EHS Chemical Safety

A common indoor air quality problem across Michigan State University is caused by dry drains. Read about dry drains and how to prevent them.