OEHS Strategic Plan (FY 2010 - 2015)
Goal 1: Increase Financial Management
Action Steps:
- Develop a measurement system of waste stream costs to forecast expenditures.
Recommendation: A mechanism will be established for OEHS to provide its recommendation to the Central Budget Committee for annual budget increases to cover increased costs of waste disposal (due to additional or increased vendor costs not covered by University contractual agreements).
- Develop a hazardous waste charge-back system for profit centers on campus.
- OEHS will go out to bid for all hazardous waste disposal contracts (e.g., hazardous waste, infectious waste, universal wastes).
- Assure that OEHS has the funds available to manage hazardous waste disposal.
Recommendation: That the University maintain a centralized hazardous waste disposal budget.
Goal 2: Clarify Internal Roles and Responsibilities for the OEHS Department
Action Steps:
- With input from supervisors and other department staff members, develop work plans for each OEHS staff member that are in alignment with OEHS strategic priorities; review and update PDQs as necessary.
- Develop a process for maintaining current regulatory knowledge.
Goal 3: Clarify External Roles and Responsibilities for the OEHS Department
Action Steps:
- With input from key stakeholders, identify roles and responsibilities in OEHS programs; determine the scope of OEHS authority for managing these responsibilities.
- Revisit, and if necessary, revise the OEHS mission statement.
- Develop a process for recommending steps the University should take to implement new health and safety regulations and policies.
Goal 4: Provide Services to Meet Regulatory Mandates
Action Step:
- Rectify critical service deficiencies identified internally and by third-party reviewers.
Recommendation: Hire staff to address critical service deficiencies (for a total of four new FTE OEHS staff members as recommended by third-party reviewers).
Recommendation: If additional funding for FTE hires is not available, hire third-party consultants to rectify critical service deficiencies (as recommended by third-party reviewers).
Goal 5: Reduce Risk and Liability
Action Steps:
- Create a system to identify priorities for safety issues on campus and develop action steps for addressing those issues.
- Assure that OEHS has funds available to manage critical fire, life safety, and environmental management projects that arise.
Recommendation: A percentage of Repair and Renovation funds is dedicated to OEHS to administer.
Goal 6: Increase Effectiveness and Quality of Services
Action Steps:
- Develop a process for laboratory decommissioning and the reduction of legacy chemicals; work with Human Resources to project age-related retirements in order to anticipate scheduled laboratory cleanouts; create a charge-back system for laboratory decommissioning.
- Make the current moratorium on OEHS handling of electronic waste a permanent policy that is effective immediately.
- Assure the Central Hazardous Waste Accumulation Area Security Plan is kept up-to-date.
Recommendation: Hire a third-party consultant as needed to review and update the Central Hazardous Waste Accumulation Area Security Plan and to develop roles and responsibilities for OEHS staff members.
- Develop a comprehensive Infectious Waste Management Plan.
Recommendation: Hire a third-party consultant to develop a comprehensive Infectious Waste Management Plan and to develop roles and responsibilities for OEHS staff members.
- Provide outreach and education to the University community by working with Media Relations to develop and disseminate articles regarding OEHS projects and activities.
- Ask departments that generate and/or handle Universal Waste to identify a contact person who is responsible for alerting OEHS when there are new hires or changes in job descriptions that require Universal Waste training.
Goal 7: Continue to Assure OEHS Long-Term Viability
Action Steps:
- Continue to engage campus administration to conduct long-term assessment of OEHS infrastructure and facility needs.
- Develop a strategy to ensure the University has included a code-compliant hazardous waste facility in the institution’s master plan.
Goal 8: Encourage the Development of a Chemical and Waste Minimization Program on Campus
Action Steps:
- Develop a Chemical and Waste Minimization Program.
Recommendation: University will provide funding to hire a third-party consultant to develop a Chemical and Waste Minimization Plan and provide funding for OEHS to manage the implementation of the plan; roles and responsibilities of campus departments will be described in the plan.
Goal 9: Improve Internal Communication
Action Steps:
- Clarify the OEHS system for internal communication regarding how to know what needs to be communicated to whom, and when.
- Maintain monthly staff meetings.