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UNH Chemical Inventory Verification 2017

The Office of Environmental Health & Safety and Chemistry Department graduate students will be conducting the campus chemical inventory verification for 2017. The project allows the graduate students to earn difficult-to-secure income while still having time to continue their graduate research. The Office of Environmental Health & Safety benefits from the chemical handling experience of the interns.

The project will begin June 12 and continue through July 31 and is expected to last approximately 6-weeks. OEHS Coordinator, Karrie Myer, urges laboratory occupants to evaluate their chemicals prior to the inventory start, and schedule a pick-up of unwanted materials. In addition, she requests that those with shared lab spaces label their benchtops and chemical storage areas with their names so the inventory of chemicals can be properly assigned.

If you have any questions or concerns you may contact the OEHS Coordinator Karrie Myer at 862-1510 or Karrie.Myer@unh.edu.

New Accident, Injury, and Occupational Illness Reporting System

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety in collaboration with Human Resources has developed a new online reporting system for accidents, injuries, and occupational illnesses.

Employees, students, and visitors will now submit any report of an accident, injury, or occupational illness online via the UNH Chemical Environmental Management System (CEMS):  UNH Accident/Injury/Illness Report

Report all injuries within 24 hours of occurrence.

1.  Employees, students, and/or visitors complete the online form:  UNH Accident/Injury/Illness Report

2.  Once completed, supervisors are notified via email that an employee has submitted an accident report which requires their review.  They will be prompted to complete the Supervisor/Department portion of the form.

3.  All reports are then directed to Human Resources and the Office of Environmental Health and Safety for review.

Additional information regarding accident reporting and workers compensation can be found on the Human Resources website.  For questions regarding the new online reporting process please contact:

• Brian Cournoyer, Occupational Health and Safety Manager, 862-4761; brian.cournoyer@unh.edu
• Mariah Bellington, Workers' Compensation Coordinator, 862-0506; mariah.bellington@unh.edu

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety Annual Report for 2016 is Available

The 2016 Annual Report for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) is available for viewing on the OEHS webpage.  

The Annual Report describes the state of the University’s environmental health and safety efforts, including the findings of any environmental audit conducted during the reporting period.

The report can be accessed by clicking here.  The compliance matrix for major program areas and regulatory drivers can be found here.

National Biosafety Stewardship Month (October 2016)

UPD Assumes Responsibility for Emergency Planning

UNH Office Of Environment Health and Safety Chemical Inventory Verification Program Summary 2016

This summer, the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) chemical inventory team verified the location of 38,330 chemical containers after visiting 550 lab and chemical use spaces maintained by approximately 179 UNH faculty and staff across 38 departments and 19 campus buildings (including UNH Manchester). The team, made up of 4 Chemistry Graduate students and OEHS staff, accomplished this enormous task well ahead of schedule, along with several other important safety projects. To learn more about the results of this program and what Lab Owners should know, click here.

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety Annual Report for 2015 is Available

The 2015 Annual Report for the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (OEHS) is available for viewing on the OEHS webpage.  

The Annual Report describes the state of the University’s environmental health and safety efforts, including the findings of any environmental audit conducted during the reporting period. 

The report can be accessed by clicking here.  The compliance matrix for major program areas and regulatory drivers can also be found on the same page.

UNH Updates New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Env-A 1400 Air Toxics Compliance Demonstration Report

UNH recently completed a third party review of current NHDES Env-A 1400 requirements for the Durham campus, the Rochester Landfill Gas Processing Facility, as well as an assessment of Regulated Toxic Air Pollutant (RTAP) emissions from UNH’s Manchester and School of Law campuses. In completing this review, UNH has updated the compliance demonstration to accurately characterize estimated ambient impacts of individual RTAPs. The results indicate that UNH is in compliance with the NHDES ambient air limits based on uncontrolled emissions, and that a permit for controlling RTAP emissions is not required. More information can be found at: http://www.unh.edu/research/environmental-management-0.

Shoals Marine Lab Reduces Its Carbon Footprint/Environmental Risk

The Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML), a seasonal field marine biology station on Appledore Island, Maine is operated jointly by the University of New Hampshire and Cornell University. Over the past decade, SML has dramatically decreased its use of fossil fuels and storage of petroleum products on the 95-acre island that provides educational and research facilities for hundreds of users each summer.

Ross Hansen, Director of Facilities for Shoals Marine Lab, has worked at SML for 20 years. During the past decade, he has directed the installation of 55 kilowatts (kW) of photovoltaic solar panels, a 7.5kW wind turbine, and a 300kWh battery bank for energy storage.  This “green grid” now acts as the primary source of energy production for the island with diesel generators as a back up during times of no sun or wind.  

Thanks to SML’s commitment to sustainability, its expanded and upgraded green energy infrastructure, and innovative conservation programs, the use of fossil fuels has decreased dramatically. As a result, total fuel storage at the Island has decreased from 12,000 gallons to less than 1,300 gallons per year. This decrease in fuel storage on island, leading to SML’s removal of two 6,000-gallon bulk storage diesel tanks and replacement with smaller Intermediate Bulk Containers under 270 gallons each in the summer of 2015. The reduction of fuel storage tank size on island decreases the risk for catastrophic environmental impacts should a tank or container rupture. The rocky shoreline of the island provides critical habitat for sea birds, marine invertebrates, fish, and seals; thus, any reduction of stored oil and petroleum products decreases the risk of devastating spill impacts to sensitive marine ecosystems. 

For more information about the Shoals Marine Lab at Appledore Island in the Gulf of Maine, visit www.shoalsmarinelaboratory.org