Staff

Staff

Health & Safety

NEWS

21 October 2012

It's Safe Work Australia week!

To promote this in SoMS we are offering a prize for the most important hazard reported this week. Anyone (staff & students) can report a hazard; if you recognise a real hazard in the SoMS workplace, go toMy Profile on the myUNSW site, and click on the H20 logo. If you report something in your work area that could cause an injury or illness you will be in with a chance to win a first aid kit for your home.
 

15 October 2012

It's global handwashing day!

Handwashing with soap has an important role to play in child survival and health. About 2.2 million children aged <5 years die each year from diarrheal diseases or pneumonia, the top two killers of young children worldwide. Handwashing is not only simple and inexpensive, but handwashing with soap can reduce the incidence of diarrhea by 30% and respiratory infections by 21% among children aged <5 years.

http://www.cdc.gov/features/globalhandwashing/

14 August 2012

New Waste Bins - Have now been rolled out on the 5th and 4th floor. The remaining floors will be rolled out in the coming days/weeks. Here is a brief one-page guide on their use.
  
Electric Bar Heaters - These are banned at the university. If you find one have the owner take it home or dispose of it as waste. See the FM Personal Heater Guideline for advice on appropriate heaters.
 
Lowy Tunnel - There have been a few reported incidents of people riding bikes & scooters in the tunnel - make sure this is not you!

 

9 July 2012

New Waste Bins
The Lowy building occupants have been trialling new biological waste bins. SoMS is monitoring their success in Lowy and will be phasing in the bins in the coming months.
  • New larger (60L) yellow bins for biological waste will replace the current white bins. The large yellow sulo bins in the Wallace Wurth corridors will be removed.
  • New cytotoxic waste bins will replace the current purple bins.
  • Sharps bins remain the same and should be placed inside the new yellow bins.

The bins hold a larger volume of waste which should alleviate over-filling, require fewer bins in the lab and eliminate the need for the large sulo bins in the corridors. They have a lid which can be locked shut once the bin is ready to be taken away.

The bins will be taken off site for incineration, and will no longer be autoclaved in the Lowy Building.

Biological liquid waste will continue to be decontaminated and sent out as chemical waste.

  

Current
Will be replaced with

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31 May 2012

New SoMS Immunisation Protocol – All staff and students who require immunisation as part of their work in SoMS can claim the cost of the immunisation from the Schools budget – see here for more details.

New SoMS Internal Transport Protocol – Please ensure that all dangerous goods are transported safely, according to the protocol. Always use the plastic Eskys provided and zip-lock plastic bags for use inside the Esky are available from the Research Support Officers or room G13 – see here for more details.

New Liquid Nitrogen Room (LG09) Access Protocol – Supervisors must induct workers to the area and workers must sign the local area’s SWP in order to get swipe-card access. Please remember to keep the door open when you are working inside LG09 to maintain adequate ventilation – see here for more details. Guidance on working with liquid nitrogen can be found here.

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