Monday the 7th

Safety and the Environment

Facilities Management spends a great deal of time training staff on safe procedures and behaviors. Facilities Management is evolving methods of work to protect our customers, those we serve, and our employees. As a result, tasks will be reviewed in the context of safety and the environment.

Our objectives are to:

  1. Have every employee complete his or her shift without injury.

  2. Identify and comply with pertinent regulations.

  3. Establish and abide by insurance carriers’ concerns in the context of our work site.

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Safety Programs

Video library: Facilities Management maintains videos that are required viewing for all Facilities Management staff.

Monthly shop specific training: monthly programs in each Facilities Management shop are presented on a topic related to that specific shop day-to-day work.

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MSDS Data Base Software

Valparaiso University receives material safety data sheets (MSDS) on many products. These sheets contain information concerning specific products, the products’ hazardous characteristics, and any remedies in case of exposure.

To access the Material Safety Data Sheets please go to the link provided below:

http://valpo.chemwatchna.com/

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Periodic Lab Pack

The University Safety Manager and Facilities Management organize an inventory of products/chemicals to be removed from campus for disposal. This begins with an invitation to the campus community to submit an inventory of products/quantities that are to be removed from campus.

The inventory is then submitted to bidders for pricing. Once a contractor is selected, a schedule is established to pick up these products in the departments. Facilities Management personnel are not licensed/certified to handle these products.

At the present time, there is no charge to the department.

The University Safety Manager maintains the required manifest documents and so called “death certificates”.

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Lockbox Procedure

The Facilities Management is in charge of the annual lockbox update. This annual update falls under Porter County Ordinance 90-8 for persons and/or locations using, storing, handling, or disposing of dangerous, hazardous, or toxic substances. Porter County requires a lockbox on the exterior of buildings that have storage of hazardous chemicals. At the beginning of each year, Facilities Management sends out a memo to department chairs that handle/store hazardous chemicals. Department chairs respond and indicate to Facilities Management the name, location, and quantity of each chemical handled by their department. This information is then put in a binder and stored in the building lockbox where the chemicals are located. This information is also sent to the local fire department and the Porter County Environmental Department.

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Medical Waste

A small number of departments generate small volumes of medical waste. University personnel are not licensed or certified to handle medical waste. The University Safety Manager coordinates the disposal through a medical waste disposal service.

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Storm Water Management

Facilities Management is in charge of storm water management on campus.

The EPA has a focus on decreasing/controlling storm water run off. Some of the issues are:

  1. Reduce flooding of the underground system

  2. Reduce water running across the surface into streets, parking, and walks

  3. Reduce contaminants into the water stream

  4. Annual cleaning of catch basins

Remedies have included:

  1. Storm water retention/detention structures

  2. Oversized catch basins

  3. Oversized tiles

  4. Increased plantings

  5. Surface drain roofs that drain onto grass

  6. Underground water storage structures

Regulations include:

  1. Testing of outflow waters

  2. Mapping of water flows

  3. Permits for outflows and volumes

The regulations are administered by IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management). Valparaiso University is a co-applicant with the City of Valparaiso.

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Indoor Air Quality

In recent years indoor air quality has surfaced as a topic of concern. There are several factors that contribute to indoor air quality:

  1. Tighter buildings for energy conservation

  2. Fresh air reduction for energy conservation

  3. Interior fabrics that are less sanitary than hard floors

  4. Interior duct insulation

  5. Mold/mildew due to marginal quality roofs

Facilities Management responds to suspected indoor air quality inquiries making the appropriate arrangements with a qualified firm to:

  1. Identify the source of the problem

  2. Perform lab tests

  3. Take remedial action as required

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Recycling

Valparaiso University embraces the social responsibility of conserving material resources through recycling. Recycling includes:

  1. Reducing waste: re-use products and minimize the use of disposable products.

  2. Recycle: collect those items that can be recycled to remove them from the waste situation.

  3. Purchase products made from recycled products such as paper, lumber, plastic, glass, etc.

Members of the campus community are encouraged to participate in this effort. Facilities Management can provide a framework for this participation but each individual, office, or organization can aid greatly in getting recyclable items to the collection point.

It is important to note that if the collection points are contaminated with ANY NON-RECYCLEABLE ITEM, then that container goes to the normal waste stream.

Dining Services and Facilities Management are experimenting with biodegrading food waste. This could, if successful, greatly reduce the waste stream to landfills while providing important soil amendments.

Types of recycle: white paper, brown paper, certain plastics, steel cans, aluminum, newsprint, machine/motor oils, antifreeze, batteries, and tires.

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