Ratified by the Institute Council on Environmental Health and Safety

August 2008

POLICY

Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is committed to:

  • Providing a safe, secure and healthy environment for all faculty, staff, students, and visitors;
  • Conducting its research and educational programs in compliance with applicable environmental health and safety laws and regulations; and
  • Demonstrating leadership in pollution prevention, waste reduction and the judicious use of resources for protection of human health, safety and the environment.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

Good environmental health and safety practices, including compliance, are the responsibility of every faculty member, staff employee, student and visitor at Georgia Tech. This responsibility cannot be transferred or delegated.

Georgia Tech shall make all reasonable efforts to:

  • protect the health and safety of faculty, staff, students, visitors, and the surrounding community;
  • provide safe workplaces - academic, research and administrative;
  • provide information and training to faculty, staff, students and visitors about potential environmental, health and safety hazards;
  • develop and promote the adoption of environmental health and safety best practices;
  • identify and correct environmental health and safety hazards, and encourage the reporting of hazards and safety-related incidents;
  • work cooperatively with the City of Atlanta, the State of Georgia and regulatory agencies to promote a safe and healthy environment; and
  • comply with applicable environmental health and safety laws, regulations and consensus standards.

IMPLEMENTING AUTHORITY

The Georgia Tech Institute Council for Environmental Health and Safety is the principal implementing authority for this policy. The Council shall adopt, implement and integrate policies and procedures as developed by compliance oversight and other environmental health and safety committees at Georgia Tech.

The Georgia Tech Office of Environmental Health and Safety is responsible for providing technical guidance, oversight, consultation, training and specialized services to assist the Institute community in meeting its public health, safety and environmental protection responsibilities.